Despite violent crime having fallen 43% since 1995, surveys show that drunken and rowdy behaviour remains a significant concern to the public. Our alcohol strategy, published earlier this year, recognises the need to design environments that encourage sensible drinking, and I would welcome some fresh thinking on how this might be achieved.
What environments do you think would work to design out crime?
The Government have sent out mixed messages regarding alcohol relating issues.
They wanted 24/7 drinking and set up the legislation for it, which has stretched Police resources, meant more town centre CCTV, etc. If I was cynical I would say that the Chancellor wanted more taxes in his spending coffers from the alcohol duty. However there has been an increased cost to Police, CCTV centres, NHS and Casualty Departments, etc, which has not had in real terms the commensurate increase in budgets. Inspite of Government hype my own Force has had serious budgetary constraints for this year as well as for the next year.
The reality is that the British citizen does not think and behave like other European citizens have a Cafe culture and Family culture when out drinking and eating. The Government have also downgraded the role of the family and there is a consequent rise in single parent families. Also with the cost of housing in the South East parents have to go out to work, to pay the mortgage or the rent. Therefore children are not bought up in a caring family environment where rules and social skills are fully developed. The TV & game console has become a surrogate parent, to the detriment of society.
There is no one solution to solving alcohol related disorder. It is many things which impact besides the internal design of large night clubs, etc, and needs Government to seriously think about all the interrelated issues.
My MA research from 2001 was quite clear that following the government’s ‘polluter pays’ principle, the large alchol retailers who make big profits from ‘town centre regeneration’ should be held to account to avoid their commercial activities pushing town centrre environments beyond the tipping point. When town centre culture changes to bring largely alcocentric evening and night time vibrancy this places a huge strain on the public services, (police, accident and emergency, transport, street cleaning etc.) The much vaunted improvments to town centre activity have resulted in massive profit for private companies and massive expense for local authorities and communities who have to pick up the bill! Any other large public entertainment that brings in 1000s of young people with all their issues and problems – from a pop concert to a footbal match – pays for stewards, police, first aid etc. What is so different about a town centre where the only offer is based on the supply of alcohol?
One of the strangest facets of pedestrianising the town centre environment, is the way in which it accentuates the ‘Jeckyl and Hyde’ nature of daylight and night time. During daylight hours and free from vehiclar traffic, these are safe places in which to shop, socialise and relax. However, during the hours of darkness and especially where there is a concentration of premises serving alcohol, they produce anything but the European cafe culture espoused by so many decision makers. When these premises close (and despite changes in licensing legislation two years ago, across England and Wales the majority still cease trading at 11pm), these pedestrianised environments often become decidely anti-social. My own eye-witness research has concluded a number of important differences compared to when I was a newly appointed constable on town centre foot patrol, almost 30 years ago: 1. There are now three times as many licensed premises in that same environment – a national phenomenon; 2. CCTV was installed simultaneous to the pedestrianisation of that town centre; 3. No public toilets or drinking water fountains exist in that area (unlike in say Amsterdam or Paris); 4. Police and other emergency vehicles are unable to access the pedestrianised area because it is gated off; 5. And perhaps most importantly, pedestrianisation has provided space in which anti-social behaviour can take place. On my last such visit I witnessed three fights in progress in separate parts of the High Street where formerly motor vehicles would have been travelling; 6. If a fight breaks out inside licensed premises, almost always the licensee and their staff will push the protagonists outside. Whilst I agree that the English have had a reputation as a ‘boozy and boisterous’ nation for several centuries, personal witness illustrates that pedestrianised environments in Copenhagen and Stockholm are similarly subject to the effects of drunken behaviour (criminal damage, graffiti) – albeit on far reduced scale. And here’s the real difference: the over 30’s frequent these European destinations before and after midnight. The over 30’s are singularly missing from the majority of town and city centre environments in England after around 10pm at night.
Mark makes some excelent points above. My work on the ‘tipping point’ of town centre environments indicated that the drive to keep people in town centres after the close of the retail day – almost exclusively based on the alcohol trade, displayed no awareness of the increase in infrastucture, (polcing, accident and emergency cover, improved public transport, street cleaning, public toilets etc.) that encouraging an ‘alcocentric monoculture’ would generate. Communities are footing huge bills for increasing town centres capacities to cope with all this, while the ‘polluter pays’ principle seems to have been forgotten i.e the large alcohol outlets, are rakaing in the profit with the default Sec. 106 contribution often amounting to little more than yet another CCTV camera because the policy experts are still undecided as to whether Sec. 106 fundding can be used for the revenue funding of ‘people services’ such as PCSOs or wardens, or if it must be capital expenditure on new kit only!
Mark’s point about widening the ‘client base’ for the evening economy is well made – but I haven’t yet met a town centre development manager who could make a business case for opening a theate, art gallery or wider cultural draw at 1 or 2 am….
Next year the government is introducing a standard planning application form for use by every council. This seems a very good idea. On the form there are questions regarding ‘Pedestrian & Vehicle Access’ ‘Rights of Way’ ‘Waste Storage & Collection’ ‘Vehicle Parking’ ‘Flood Risk’ ‘Trees & Hedges’ and others. Many of these have crime prevention and designing out crime issues, but is there one simple question that asks ‘have you considered crime prevention and community safety in this application?
No there is not, with some member of any political party every day mentioning crime, anti-social behaviour etc. This would be an ideal way of getting applicants to consider crime prevention in their designs.
I accept the requirment for it to be mentioned in ‘design and access’ statements but even then it is rarely mentioned.
PPS1 states:- “Poor planning can result in a legacy for current and future generations of run down town centres, unsafe and dilapidated housing, crime and disorder and the loss of our finest countryside to development”.
Then why cant we have one simple question to kick start the process. I always remeber an MP saying ‘Nothing in life has a greater impact than crime or fear of crime’ .
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No amount of planning will make up for families and the wider community taking more responsibily for everything that goes on around
themselves. I fear that things are now so bad that any initiative will have a very small impact on crime and safety in the communty.
Hi. This is an excellent question and one that does have a clear answer, however it is not one which can be answered in a paragraph. Environments being environments, they tend to change from place to place and as such it depends what town or city, pub, bar or club, demographic and offer you are talking about. If the poster has a genuine interest in tackling these problems, I am an expert in this field and would be happy to assist. You can contact me on michaelbiggs at yahoo dot co dot uk. Best regards, Michael