A design against crime intervention to reduce violence in the night-time economy

This article describes the research, development, implementation and evaluation of a design against crime intervention aimed at reducing violence against the person offences in Manchester's Gay Village (UK). Research found that violent crime could be understood in terms of the use and design of the environment. Violence against the person offences peaked during the weekend night-time hours, which coincided with heavy footfall on narrow, non-pedestrianised streets. The design solution – to pedestrianise the area during the weekend nights – was implemented by Manchester city council and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) on a pilot basis. An initial evaluation by GMP analysts suggests that serious violent crime fell by one offence during the pilot period when compared to the month before. A survey of users of the area during the pilot period suggests that the intervention did not increase fear of crime and was well received by members of the public