ABSTRACT
Motorway service areas (MSAs) tend to be crime hot spots. The main data source used to identify crime patterns in MSAs comprised police crime records. We turn now to a more detailed account of the crime patterns within MSAs. The pattern of time windows for crimes in lorry parks is very different from that for thefts from cars in car parks. While there may in some cases be some scope for further MSA improvements, for crime prevention in relation to operators' property, personnel, it is likely that there is rather more scope for further preventive work in relation to the public as victims. Crime patterns vary by MSA. Police data are a useful resource for smart crime prevention to check what the crime problems are, to understand them and to inform ideas what might be done to reduce them. Routine attention to crime prevention could be improved by making reported crime one of the performance indicators used by central management.
