New wave of crime-busting alleygates set to swing into place

(Date of issue: Thursday, 23 July 2009)

Another step towards building safer communities in Carlisle is set to get underway. Installation of the first set of gates for Denton Holme is set to begin next Monday (27 July), with gates being installed in the back alleys between Nelson Street and St James’s Road and Nelson Street and Clifton Street.

Gates will be put in place at a number of sites across three wards in the City, St.Aidan’s, Currock and Denton Holme. These were chosen after consultation between residents, the Police, Carlisle City Council and Cumbria County Council. The installation programme will run from the end of July through to the beginning of October. (A full list of locations to be gated can be found in Notes to Editors.)

The crime busting gates are being funded by Carlisle and Eden CDRP, who have provided two thirds of the cost, totalling £31,205, alongside Cumbria County Council's Carlisle Local Area Committee who agreed to provide the final third required, totalling £18,665.

Residents living in homes that back onto the proposed alleys were asked for their formal opinions on the gates during 2008. The areas to be gated were chosen because they had become hotspots for trouble and disorder over a period of time and would benefit from the installation of alleygates helping to reduce crime and the fear of crime in those areas. As well as stopping would-be offenders getting into the alleys or climbing over walls to break into homes or sheds.

Quotes

Cllr Mike Mitchelson, Leader of Carlisle City Council, said:

“Anti-social behaviour affects people’s lives, the introduction of alleygates in Currock, St Aidan’s and Denton Holme is a significant step that will allow the real day to day issues that affect residents lives to be dealt with effectively and help to create safer and stronger communities in those areas.”

Jane Muller, Chair of Carlisle & Eden CDRP, said:

“Anti-Social Behaviour needs to be dealt with; closing back alleys in hotspot areas is a step in the right direction. This joint approach to tackling local issues is part of the CDRP’s determination to continue to work with the local residents to support improvements to the quality of life for people living in Carlisle and Eden.”

Cumbria County Councillor John Mallinson, chair of Carlisle Local Committee, said:

"I am sure that these new alleygates will be warmly welcomed by local people, as they will help prevent the types of anti-social behaviour that have plagued them. This initiative is another great example of what can be achieved through partnership working. Antisocial behaviour needs to be dealt with and by closing these back lanes we will be making people’s lives better."

North Cumbria Chief Superintendent Steve Johnson, said:

“The alleygates project is a significant step towards making these areas safer places to live, this can only be achieved by the police working in partnership with the local community and our partner agencies. We recognise that anti-social behaviour affects people’s quality of life, this approach enables us to address residents concerns and deal with local issues effectively and at the earliest opportunity.’’

Cllr Hugh McDevitt for Denton Holme ward, said:

“The alleygates will give the people back their lanes, allowing resident’s children to play in a safe environment away from speeding cars and motorbikes. Most of these houses have a very small yard with not enough room for a table and two chairs, now if space allows within the lanes, they will be able to hold social events.”

Background: Why install Alleygates?

It is a fact that gates reduce crime and anti-social behaviour associated with alleyways. They restrict entry only to the residents who live there, businesses and other persons with genuine legitimate access. Alley gates reduce instances of burglary, theft, anti-social behaviour, fly tipping, drug use and vandalism in an alleyway an added bonus is that gated areas give your kids a safe place for kids to play and your insurance premiums may well drop. (Please check with your insurer).

There are approximately 139 adopted back streets and alleyways and 46 Un-adopted back streets and alleyways in the Carlisle District Authority area. The residents of St Aidan’s, Currock and Denton Holme wanted us to do something to help them as those areas had been identified as suffering from anti-social behaviour, fly tipping, criminal damage, graffiti and burglary. Alleygating was seen as the best way forward for dealing with these local problems. Studies carried out in other areas of the country where gates have been installed have shown significant drops in all of these types of incident for example in Central Ward / Hindpool Ward in Barrow where gates have been installed.

If you stop access to unauthorised people, it impacts on all types of crime, an analysis of recorded crime in Liverpool during 2002 showed that 72% percent of all burglaries in terraced housing were committed at the rear of the property. With the installation of alleygates these figures fell by 50%. Gates not only reduce crime they also increase the quality of life for the residents, by reducing the fear of crime, this fear causes stress and impacts on residents health, they develop a ‘shut door’ mentality and won’t go out, alleygates will help to bring people back into the community and remove the fear factor.

Who will maintain the Alleygates?

At the sites the City Council, will look after the maintenance and upkeep of the gates.

The gates have been designed to:

· Restrict access to the back of people’s homes.

· Make it very difficult for criminals to climb over them.

· Be robust, long lasting and resilient to attack.

· Be low maintenance.

· Give an unrestricted view down the alley.

· Be easy to operate by residents.

· Give value for money.

· Be aesthetically acceptable.

Will the alleygate be fixed to my property?

Alley gateposts are concreted into the ground, they are self-supporting and generally do not need fixing to any property. However owners of property may be asked to give permission for a temporary bracket to be attached to their property, in order to hold the gatepost upright whilst the concrete sets.

Are the alleygates self closing?

Alley gates are heavy and will not close automatically. The gates are fitted with a hold back bar or drop bolt to enable them to be held in the open position if required. It is the users responsibility to utilise the hold back bar or bolt, remembering to close the gate after use.

Who will get a key?

When installed, each set of alleygates is fitted with number sequence lock unique to that alley. All households or businesses within an alleygated block are entitled to a key/code for their gates; it would be appreciated if you treated the key as you would your front/rear door key, as misuse or loss could impact on the security of the resident’s properties.

When the Alleygate is locked, how will the emergency services and council services gain access?

All the emergency services and appropriate council services have been issued with alleygate key /codes to ensure that they have access to your alleyway.

What about the collection of refuse?

Residents will continue to be responsible for the safe disposal of rubbish. If fly tipping occurs you can contact Environmental Services on 01228 817200 however under recent legislation they are obliged to charge the land owner for the removal of any waste on private land. Dumping waste anywhere is illegal, alleygating may make it easier to identify people who fly tip! If there is a problem residents’ within the alleygating scheme may contact the nominated officer.

Cleaner Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005

On 1st April 2006 the sections of the Cleaner Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, which relates to alley gates, came into force. This legislation amends The Highways Act 1980 with the insertion of sections 129a to 129F. This empowers the local authority to make a ‘gating order’ where it can be shown that persistent crime and anti-social behaviour is expressly facilitated by the use of certain rights of way. The act sets out the general principles, asserting that a council must be satisfied, before making an order, that the area surrounding the relevant highway suffers from crime or anti social behaviour and gating would act as a useful crime / anti-social behaviour reduction method.