Woodhouse Moor, Leeds
By Tom Podger
CAMPAIGNERS WHO claim a Leeds park is unsafe in the dark held a protest walk carrying torches and tea lights on Thursday night.
Around fifty people attended the Light Up Hyde Park event, organised by four students from Leeds University at Woodhouse Moor.
The campaigners, who all live within 100 metres of the park, claim it is a hotbed for crime and anti-social behaviour and say that students do not feel safe using the park as a route home from university.
They are lobbying Leeds City Council and West Yorkshire Police to place street lamps along paths, install CCTV cameras, and increase patrols in the area.
Organiser Alice Parrington, 20, said: “I’ve personally had experiences, even on the surrounding roads that do have street lighting, of being heckled, and have heard stories of a girl being chased by a man wielding a rock.
“If you look at the park and where people have to walk there are these massive black expanses.
“The demo was to get the community spirit going, to prove that this is something people care about. We’re going to reclaim the space, we don’t deserve to be afraid in and around our own homes.”
Ms Parrington and friends Mira Mookerjee, Bella Warley and Licie Gowshall, who are all second year students, have carried out extensive research, talking to other councils about park safety, including officials who run Central Park in New York.
They claim their findings show that improving street lighting and fostering community spirit deters crime.
“The officials at New York Central Park told us that the first thing they implemented to make it safer was lighting, but making people proud of their park is crucial for preventing crime.
“I think that’s going to be a very big part of what we’re trying to achieve, making people love the space and not want to commit crime here in Hyde Park,” said Ms Parrington.
However, PC Matt Guy of West Yorkshire Police does not think street lighting will deter crime and said there was absolutely no way he would recommend lights along the paths in Woodhouse Moor.
PC Guy, who works as a liaison officer for Leeds University, said: “One stream of light through the centre of the park would attract crime rather than prevent it.
“Street lights would make it easier for victims to be spotted and would also create dark patches around the park which criminals could use as cover.
“Lights can cause a false perception of safety and if more people are walking through the park at night there is likely to be an increase in criminal activity.”
PC Guy played down rumours that Woodhouse Moor was a particularly dangerous park. He said: “For one of the most densely populated areas in West Yorkshire the crime rate is not as big as people think. There has been one incident of rape in the park area and the offender has been caught and sentenced.”
However, he expressed admiration for what the campaigners were trying to achieve.
“The protest is a fantastic concept, it’s important for the student community to come together if they want to see change in the area,” he said.
A spokesman for Leeds City Council said: “The safety of residents and students in the city is of the utmost importance to the council so we’re always keen to hear people’s views and suggestions.
“Clearly this has garnered some support so we’re happy to have a look at the issue as we have with other parks in the area.
“From previous investigations in the past, however, we are conscious that lighting parks does not always mean they become the safest route, so it’s important to maintain a balance between acting on requests such as this one and encouraging the public to use already establish walking routes, particularly at night.”
2012 E-Petition
A similar e-petition was created in 2012 by Leeds University student Peter Self to in install lights and CCTV cameras in Woodhouse Moor, after a student was violently assaulted by a gang in the park. The petition was signed by over 1,400 people who believed that the council should do more to create a safe passage for residents to walk through at night. The proposal was denied by the City Council on this occasion.
Students in the area continue to feel unsafe using Woodhouse Moore as a route home and organisers of this new appeal are hopeful for a different outcome this time.
Ms Warley, a graphic design student, said she hoped councillors would change their minds this time.
“This is something we feel passionate about and it is clear that a lot of others do too. It is going to be a really lengthy process. We can’t say exactly when we’re going to deliver our proposal to the council.
“What we do know is that we’re not going to do anything without thorough research and that we’re completely confident that the changes we propose would definitely make the park safer,” she said.
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