The Bolton Industrial Estate Partnership: Mill Hill

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The Bolton Industrial Estate Partnership Mill
Hill Tonge Bridge

• Evaluation Study
• February-March 2006

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• Commissioned by Alan Simpson (Bolton Business
  Crime Reduction Unit)
• Conducted by
• Dr. Sean Stitt (Snr. Lecturer, University of
  Bolton) and Francesca Vaccaro (Research
  Assistant, Crime Solutions, University of Central
  Lancashire)

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• Introduction
• Method
• Results
• Conclusions

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Introduction aims

• To assess the practical applications of the
• Industrial Estate Partnership (IEP)
• initiatives.
• These involve the application of
• Security and anti-crime strategies
• General development of the local
• environment

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IEP initiatives

• CCTV
• Patrols
• Security Alarm
• Website
• Meetings

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Introduction context

• The IEP includes 8 industrial estates in Bolton.
• Previous review of the scheme conducted by Warne
  in 2004/05. This was carried out on five of the
  estates, not including those involved in the
  current study.
• Warne (2005) quantitative survey data.

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Introduction results of previous study (Warne,
2005)

• Statistics 78.5 decrease in incidents of crime.
• Problem of under-reporting

• Costly and time consuming to make contact
• with officers responsible for the estate
• Delayed responses to reported incidents and
  inadequacy of investigation in industrial estates
• Lack of feedback

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Method of current study

• Qualitative Research
• 12 company representatives interviewed.
• Semi-structured interviews.

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Results favorable responses

• Progressive initiative
• Community involvement
• Compulsory fees fair (50)
• Increased security (businesses and residents)
  (50)
• Actual or potential economic benefit (crime less
  likely and savings on insurance) (25)
• Improved aesthetic image (50)
• Increased individual safety (87)

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Results favorable responses

• CCTV effective (50)
• Patrols more effective than CCTV because can
  offer more prompt response (51).
• Security alarm 24-hour link most popular
  (80).
• Website 43 not aware useful
• to track crime trends.
• Meetings very useful to
• promote involvement (67)

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Results negative responses

• Practice vs. expectations
• Discriminatory practices
• Security measures should be provided by local
  Council/landlords (17)
• Examples of incidences not appropriately
  investigated, include dog attacks (42)
• Economic benefit no noticeable difference (75)
• Lack of feedback

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Results negative responses

• CCTV evidence of criminal activities persisting
  in areas covered poor quality of images should
  be monitored 24 hours.
• Patrols not sufficiently effective (evidence of
  criminal activities) 49 some cynical reactions
  (night patrols invisible)
• Security alarm and 24-hour link forced to pay
  for a new alarm to replace an existing one (20)
• Website need to promote awareness of this
  initiative
• Meetings 33 unable to attend problem of
  exclusion

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Results suggestions and requests

• Re-allocation of fees to account for companys
  income rather than property size
• Further developments such as better lighting,
  signs, street car parking/access, closing whole
  areas with fences and security gates
• Include waste management/recycling, health
  safety inspections
• Improve communication and provide consistent
  feedback
• Website introduce open forums and collate
  individual incidences into patterns

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Conclusion

• About 70 of the respondents strongly supported
  the IEP initiatives
• Many suggestions were constructively offered in
  aid of practical developments of the program
• Negative responses appeared to be generated by
  an overall lack of communication and individual
  support that had induced feelings of exclusion.

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Practical application of the study.

• Brought to the attention of local Council
• and other stakeholders
• IEP developments since the report