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When motorists enter a car park, they want to feel safe as they and their passengers walk to and from their car. And they leave their vehicle behind, expecting it to be just as they left it when they return.

The public generally view managed parking facilities as safer places to park. Parking operators, such as Q-Park, take pride in providing parking facilities where customers can confidently leave their vehicle, knowing the environment is safer for them, their passengers and vehicle.

Serious incidents at publicly available car parks are rare. However, parking operators across Europe report a new trend: while serious crime involving parked vehicles has declined or stabilised, nuisance inside parking facilities persists.

Loitering, drug use, vandalism and other forms of antisocial behaviour is becoming more common, even in well-designed and closely monitored car parks. This changing pattern is increasing pressure on operators and reinforcing the need for additional security measures and coordinated action with local authorities.

Car parking standards

Across Europe, parking associations work together with the police and local authorities to make car parks safer to use. In the UK, the Safer Parking Scheme and Park Mark Award help motorists find car parks that have been assessed by the police and are safer to use.

Security and safety measures in our DNA

At Q-Park, we take crime prevention seriously. And to make our parking facilities as safe as possible, we have embedded many security measures, including those recommended by Park Mark, in our parking facility design principles.

Transparency enhances safety

To ensure social safety, we create open concepts with clear lines of sight rather than solid walls that block visibility. We strive to eliminate areas in which people could conceal themselves.

We create open spaces with wide spans and as few columns as possible, to ensure good visibility, even when the parking deck is full. Our parking spaces are wider than the industry average to alleviate the risks of bumps and scratches.

We want customers to feel safe when walking to and from their car, so we install bright lighting and incorporate glass wherever we can: in doors, partitions and lifts. And we use clear floor markings for pedestrians.

Our main pedestrian access points, from the parking decks and from the outside, are as visible and transparent as possible.

Clear signage guides customers

Clear wayfinding signage within our parking facilities helps pedestrians and motorists find their way safely around the facility. Our signage is colour coded for simplicity.

• Red: for motorists

• Green: for pedestrians

• Light blue: for EV charging points

Good lighting enhances safety

We have developed lighting guidelines for all our parking facilities. This includes different light intensities at various locations with smart controls to maximise efficiency.

On parking decks:

• Light fittings are always the lowest technical installation, so technical equipment, such as ventilation ducts never cast a shadow.

• Where possible, light fittings run parallel with driving aisles, positioned above the parking spaces so not to interfere with wayfinding signage.

We specify different light intensity levels (lux) for parking spaces and driving aisles, and in pedestrian areas such as lifts and stairwells and at the payment machines. This increases customers’ sense of safety and increases visibility on CCTV footage. 

Multiple security measures in place

Q-Park takes the safety and security of customer vehicles very seriously. Various measures to reduce crime and optimise our customers' sense of safety and security are in place at all our parking facilities.

Eyes and ears everywhere

Cameras are installed in all our parking facilities for security purposes and for automatic number plate recognition (ANPR). Where we install cameras, we make it clear to people that they and their vehicle are on camera.

We monitor the footage 24/7 and use smart technology to increase our efficiency. If we notice something suspicious or out of the ordinary, we send a Parking Host or call for external assistance when necessary.

We work together with the police and other local authorities to facilitate surveillance which helps to reduce and prevent nuisance in parking facilities. When dealing with difficult situations, our Parking Hosts have multiple options to address issues, including but not limited to police and social services. 

We report and monitor incidents and we provide training and development programmes for our employees, focusing on personal safety and safety measures in and around our parking facilities.

Available to help customers

Customers sometimes need assistance. They can contact our international service desk (QCR) 24/7 from various points in and around the parking facility. There are call buttons at the pedestrian doors and payment machines, and at the access and exit barriers.

In many car parks, customers can also speak to a Parking Host on site who can assist with any queries that they may have. We know that having a physical presence in the parking facility contributes to customer’s peace of mind about the security of their vehicle.

The QCR gives customers instant access to multi-lingual Parking Hosts in our Q-Park Control Room (QCR). They provide help and support with queries relating to the payment system or accessing or exiting the parking facility. For other vehicle issues, they can send a Parking Host or breakdown assistance if necessary.

Cards are safer than cash

Thanks to ANPR and our Parking as a Smart Service (PaSS) infrastructure, we have substantially reduced the number of cash transactions. We have several ways to encourage non-cash payments, customers can:

• pre-book, and pay in advance;

• use the Q-Park App, and pay in arrears;

• present a bank or credit card instead of taking a paper ticket.

Some of our parking facilities are even ‘card-only’. As a result, payment machines contain little or no cash and are therefore less attractive to thieves.

QR codes for authorised access

We endeavour to make our parking facilities as secure as possible. We install speed gates at vehicle entrance and exit zones to prevent unauthorised access via this route.

Customers returning to their vehicle need to scan their ticket or a QR code to open the pedestrian door. This code is in the Q-Park App or in the pre-booking confirmation e-mail.

We do not tolerate antisocial behaviour

Even with all these security measures in place, unauthorised people may still enter the parking facility. Occasionally, this results in antisocial behaviour, which we take very seriously. If an individual causes a nuisance or disturbance to others, it may be recorded by smart cameras, and we take appropriate action.

If theft from cars becomes an issue, in consultation with the municipality and local police, we will launch our flexible prevent smash & grab campaign which delivers the message to motorists at the right time and place. It makes prudent use of the specific ‘time and place’ to convey the message, raising customer awareness and encouraging them to change their behaviour in the long-term.

We notice that all these measures yield results. The combination of visible cameras, posters, and surveillance by our Parking Hosts and the police form effective deterrents and really do reduce nuisance caused by vagrants, drunks, smash & grab and the like. 

Parking Hosts will ask anyone loitering or causing a nuisance to leave and, if necessary, can escalate by calling the authorities for assistance.

Parking facilities in tip-top condition

Our car parks are clean. It’s a known fact that a clean and tidy environment encourages people to keep it that way.

Our calm colour scheme, good lighting and glass partitions make our parking facilities visually appealing which creates a positive, welcoming atmosphere.

Our Parking Hosts also play their part. When they are not answering customer queries, they are doing their rounds in the parking facility and keeping an eye out for anything unusual. They undertake quick repairs and preventive servicing, perform routine inspections and use a custom-built app to report damage or maintenance needs.

Keeping our parking facilities clean and tidy is one of the ways in which we provide quality in parking.