Hospital parking wins safe award

Parking facilities at York Hospital have been given the thumbs up by the police for providing a safe environment for visitors. The Safer Parking Scheme is an initiative of the Association of Chief Police Officers, aimed at reducing crime and the fear of crime in parking facilities.

Safer parking status, the 'Park Mark', is awarded to parking facilities that have met the requirements of a risk assessment conducted by the Police.

These requirements mean the parking operator has put in place measures that help to deter criminal activity and anti-social behaviour, thereby doing everything they can to prevent crime and reduce the fear of crime in their parking facility.

Arthur Tomkins, head of security and car parking at York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: "It's very important to us that people feel safe when they park at the hospital. Working with the police and building designers to increase safety has meant that we have reduced car crime at our facilities by 90 percent which we're really proud of. Good lighting and effective surveillance has made a huge difference."

Phil Taylor from the British Parking Association, added: "York Hospital, with advice from the Police, has produced a top quality multi-storey parking facility. The facility passed the assessment process and has been awarded Safer Parking status. The public using this fantastic facility should know that the Hospital Trust has gone the extra mile to make certain that they are less likely to be a victim of crime."

_{^{PICTURE CAPTION - L to R - Phil Taylor, Safer Parking Scheme; Chief Inspector Phil Kane; Arthur Tomkins, Head of Security for the Trust ; Alan Rose, Trust Chairman ; Jim Shanks, Architect Liaison Officer}}