Clyde shopping centre in Clydebank has been awarded the Safer Parking standard for all of its centre's car parks. Bill Hunter, centre manager, says: "We are dedicated to providing a safe, secure and welcoming shopping environment at Clyde shopping centre, with a high standard of services for all of our customers.

"We are proud to have achieved Park Mark status for all of the centre's car parks in recognition of the safety measures which have been implemented, and hope that our customers continue to enjoy parking and shopping at Clyde."

The centre previously received the award for its multi-deck car park in 2004, but a series of new initiatives and increased safety measures, including new CCTV cameras, dedicated car park attendant, security patrols, new customer service/security patrol vehicle, as well as general car park upgrading works, have led to the Park Mark safer parking standard being awarded to the multi-deck and all three surface car parks.

The Harlequin shopping centre in Watford has been accredited with the Park Mark award after the centre met the guidelines that ensure measures are put in place to deter criminal activity and antisocial behaviour. Good lighting, signage and cleanliness are just a few of the steps that have been taken by The Harlequin to prevent crime and reduce the fear of crime within the parking facility.

"We are thrilled to offer our customers the satisfaction of knowing that when they use our shopping centre their car will be safe and in a well-managed facility," says Michael Stevens, general manager at The Harlequin. "All of the town centre car parks offer the high standards and safety only provided by a Park Mark-recognised car park, we are proud to say that we've achieved the award."

The multi-storey car park at The Potteries is the first car park in Stoke-on-Trent to have been awarded the Park Mark certificate for its safety and is still less expensive than other pay-on-exit car parks in the city centre.

Since April, shoppers, visitors and employees of The Potteries have been able to park in the new long-stay pay-and-display car park on Bryan Street between 7am and 6.30pm for a fixed charge of £3.50. Parking is free overnight between 6.30pm and 7am. For blue badge holders parking is free on Bryan Street.

Meanwhile, the hourly rate for the centre's multi-storey car park, run in conjunction with Euro Car Parks, has increased to £1.10 an hour - the first increase in over six years.

Paul Lancaster, general manager of The Potteries, says: "We have developed this initiative due to a high demand for car parking in the city centre for people who work or want to shop a bit longer. We envisage the new long-stay car park to be very popular.

"Our price charges in the multi-storey reflect our continual investment in a safe and clean environment. These charges are very competitive compared to the other pay-on-exit sites in the city."

The Junction has also announced that all 14 parks in its retail park portfolio have been awarded the Park Mark accreditation for its high safety standards, a first for this industry.

The accreditation follows an extremely meticulous inspection on all parks by the police in each location, from Aberdeen to Portsmouth.

Peter Collinson, head of operations at The Junction, has actively sought to achieve this nationally recognised award for all parks, which aims to reduce crime on car parks by helping to create an environment where customers feel safe, to encourage repeat custom and ensure customers that their safety is of a high priority.

Working with its on-site car park management consultants, Euro Car Parks (ECPfm), AEJ Management, and Town & City Parking (TCP), The Junction put measures in place to proactively deter criminal activity and antisocial behaviour at each park. In demonstrating that these initiatives can prevent crime and reduce the fear of crime in their parking area, The Junction was granted the Park Mark one by one.

Collinson says: "These awards benchmark our parking facilities and demonstrate our commitment to creating a high-quality, family-friendly car park environment on our parks. Through working together with our partners, we have achieved excellence and provided a first-class service.

"In addition to this, our fourth independent customer survey has just been conducted, and year-on-year the service has improved and now we are sustaining it at a high level. Our dedication to providing a quality service is unrivalled."

Mark Parish, key account manager at ECPfm, which regulated the mid region, adds: "From cleaning to implementing CCTV cameras, each park has been greatly improved over the past few years, and therefore these awards are well deserved."

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