Enhancing community safety with gating

The aim of the Pheasantford Green community project is to reduce incidents of anti-social behaviour (ASB) to foster a secure environment that alleviates the fear of crime.

The intended outcomes of the Pheasantford Green community project are to:

• improve resident safety

• achieve a sustained reduction in ASB

• improve the appearance of the area

• improve confidence in reporting crimes

• develop skills for students

Lancashire Constabulary have introduced a crime prevention programme to install gates on the porches of residential properties on a housing estate in Pheasantford Green, Burnley. Pheasantford Green is managed by the Calico Housing Association and offers housing to older people and those with vulnerabilities. Residents have previously expressed their concerns about drug use and ASB caused by young people.

A neighbourhood officer identified a recurring issue with frequent police attendance to the Pheasantford Green estate. To address this, the officer submitted a problem-oriented policing (POP) form. Lancashire Constabulary has an internal POP system which allows officers to report issues to a dedicated team of prevention and problem-solving officers. Calico had also received regular reports of ASB from residents who were afraid to leave their homes and feared being targeted further if they contacted the police.

Response

In response, officers from the neighbourhood policing team (NPT), the designing out crime team and staff from Calico conducted door-to-door enquiries at over 50 residences. The intention for the approach was to understand the issues facing residents and to discuss how best to respond to ASB issues. The prevention and problem-solving teams identified that ASB was most common amongst tenants who had an open shelter to their doorway at the front of their home. 

The properties on Pheasantford Green are terraced housing with each house being split into an upstairs and downstairs flat. Access to each property is through front doors. Occupants of the downstairs flats use a door with a shelter above whilst the occupants of the upstairs flats use a door with no shelter. The sheltered doorways of downstairs flats were identified by residents as areas where young people would gather and engage in ASB. A resident who had added a gate to their residence had not been experiencing the same ASB issues.   

Collaboration

Lancashire Constabulary, inspired by the idea of using gates as a crime prevention tool, collaborated with Burnley College to create a community project. One of the prevention and problem-solving officers, who had strong ties to the college, partnered with the joinery department to get students involved in the initiative. As part of their curriculum, the students visited properties in the Pheasantford Green area, to measure, build, and install wooden gates for the resident, at no cost to the residents. 

The cost of the project has been £750.00 which has included the material for the gates.  Funding has been supported by the Lancashire Constabulary in-house charity Lancashire Partnership Against Crime (LANPAC), who support community based projects. 

Lancashire Constabulary plan on conducting an evaluation which will focus on comparing the results from before and after the installation of the gates. The evaluation is due to start in January 2025. The evaluation will draw on the following data sources.

• Calico ASB data.

• Police ASB data.

• Resident surveys (this will be conducted with Calico to gather feedback from residents).

• Student surveys (collecting feedback on the community-based project).

• The gates were installed in November 2024.
• Feedback from the community, Burnley College, and the LANPAC Board of Directors has been overwhelmingly positive.
• All stakeholders involved are eager to see the successes of the initiative, and to assess the impact it will have on the community.

• Community engagement: understanding the specific concerns and needs of residents through door-to-door visits, surveys, and public meetings can foster trust and cooperation. Engaging with local stakeholders helps to build relationships and ensures that the solutions proposed are genuinely reflective of the community needs.

• Collaborative partnerships: establish strong partnerships with local organisations, housing associations, and educational institutions. Collaboration can leverage resources, expertise, and enhances community involvement by providing students with practical experiences.

• Tailored solutions: recognise that each community is unique and may require tailored solutions. Assessing the specific factors contributing to ASB in the area, such as environmental design, community demographics, and socio-economic conditions, is key to develop interventions that address these issues. Lancashire constabulary made a concerted effort to use the Scanning Analysis Response and Assessment (SARA) model for problem solving. 

In addition to anti-social behaviour, gating has been used to prevent other crime, including littering and burglary. The crime reduction toolkit includes the best-available evidence we have on alley gating to prevent burglaries.