While there are many debates about the correlations between crime, visibility and lighting, especially given the number of high profile cases in the news over the last year, it is clear that both men and women feel safer in adequately lit streets.
As part of the government’s plan to tackle violence against women and girls, police across the country are trialling a new online tool called StreetSafe.
The 3-month pilot enables people to report locations where they feel or have felt unsafe and identify why that location made them feel so.
Enquiries from London residents in Newington related to street lighting and poorly lit areas. The Metropolitan Police and Southwark Council surveyed the regions identified to solve their concerns.
Issues such as obstruction from overgrown greenery to faulty lamps were highlighted. One such area required new lighting, but a quick install was impossible due to local construction work.
An unexpected temporary solution was found to help residents feel safe.
The Solution
Southwark Council installed Acrospire Mobile Solar powered units to illuminate the identified road (Gaza Street).
The Defenders supplied were 8W, boosting upon PIR activation. Supplied with 4000K CCT to provide adequate lighting to support CCTC in the area.
James Brooker, Acrospire comments, “Solar lighting is making real headway in the UK. Using solar as a temporary option allows lights to be placed quickly – where needed. They operate exactly the same as the permanent lights that will eventually be installed and allow for the same or similar lighting levels.”
Solar grid-free streetlights are a sustainable and dependable light source in residential communities. They provide high standards of illumination for both pedestrians and drivers without the necessary and costly electrical groundwork required for conventional streetlights. Therefore proving ideal for a temporary solution.
“Streetsafe is an excellent tool helping our community to raise concerns and capture any safety-related issues that may have otherwise slipped through the net. Working with the police and reliable lighting partners, we can quickly solve problems. Turning to Acrospire, I was made aware of solutions that wouldn’t naturally spring to mind but helped us deliver safety - cost-effectively and quickly.” - George Livingstone, Principal Lighting Engineer, Asset Management Services, London Borough of Southwark