§ Dr. MarekTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence he has evaluated on the role of street lighting in deterring criminal activity. [22815]
§ Mr. MichaelThe Home Office Crime Prevention Unit published two papers on street lighting in 1991. The first reported the results of an independent evaluation of a major street lighting programme in the London Borough of Wandsworth, which concluded there was little impact on crime. The second reviewed a number of evaluations of street lighting initiatives and concluded that there was little scope to reduce crime by improving street lighting generally. However, it did report that improved street lighting could help in local "blackspots" where lighting was particularly poor and when it was part of a package of measures. A recent report by Dr. Kate Painter, University of Cambridge, concludes that improved street lighting reduced crime on a high crime estate in Dudley, West Midlands. The Home Office is currently examining this report and will also review existing evidence and published research on the subject.