» VEHICLE AND VEHICLE related crime has been falling since its peak in the mid- 1990s , however vehicle related crime still accounts for around 16 % of total crime according to the 2019 / 20 figures from the Office for National Statistics ( ONS ). Parking areas can be a focal point for vehicle crime , with 9 % of all vehicle crimes being committed in work or public parking facilities .

The Park Mark Safer Parking Scheme is one of Police CPI ’ s many crime prevention initiatives . It is a national standard for UK car parks that have measures in place to ensure the safety of people and vehicles and which achieves the challenging ‘ Park Mark ’ standards . One of the conditions of the award is that the facility must have lower levels of crime

than the surrounding streets and thereby it stands out as the best place to park vehicles .

Park Mark is awarded to parking facilities that have been subjected to a rigorous risk assessment conducted by a police Designing Out Crime Officer ( DOCO ) and the British Parking Association ( BPA ). The assessment includes an examination of management and maintenance of the car parking facility together

with ensuring there are effective security measures such as appropriate levels of surveillance , lighting , signage , boundary protection and cleanliness .

There are nearly 5000 Park Mark award holding car parks throughout the UK , including car parks in shopping centres , hospitals , hotels , and train stations . This is around a quarter of all car parks around the country , with the smallest