Improving safety and reducing crime: The power of solar lights in remote and isolated areas

With the shift towards sustainability, commercial solar lighting has become a dependable and increasingly conventional solution for lighting up outdoor public spaces including roads, streets, pathways, car parks and marine areas.

Over the past few years commercial solar lighting suppliers have also recognised an increase in demand for solar lighting solutions in remote and isolated areas, but with the purpose of reducing criminal activity and improving safety and security.

In this article, Jamie Janides, General Manager Orca Solar Lighting, looks at the role lighting plays in safety and security and why commercial grade solar lights are beneficial for remote and isolated areas.

 

The impact of lighting on safety and criminal activity: What the research shows

Lighting plays an essential role in ensuring public places are safe. Well-lit areas increase visibility and accessibility, making it easier for people to access dark areas and navigate them safely, reducing the risk of accidents.

Research has also shown that effective lighting plays a fundamental part in reducing the risk of criminal activity.

- Reductions in nighttime outdoor crimes

In a 2021 study, published by the Journal of Quantitative Criminology, the impact of improved outdoor lighting was tested in 40 different locations.

Results of the study showed that communities that were assigned more lighting experienced sizeable reductions in nighttime outdoor index crimes.

Additionally, a large decline in arrests was also observed indicating that deterrence is the most likely mechanism through which the intervention reduced crime.

- Reductions in crime and increases in nighttime activity

A study conducted by the Institute of Criminology in the UK also assessed the impact of lighting. Carried out in London, this study evaluated the impact of lighting on improvements on crime, and fear of crime.

Lighting improvements were targeted on three streets and a pedestrian footpath in three separate areas of London. The streets selected for the study were assessed as crime-prone and the impact of the lighting strategy was evaluated using attitudinal and behavioural measures, through "before" and "after" surveys of the public.

The results from each of the projects provided evidence that properly designed and focused street lighting improvements can lead to reductions in crime, disorder, and fear of crime along with increasing nighttime street activity.

- Improved lighting: an effective crime prevention tool

In Australia, the Victorian Government’s Department of Justice and Safety affirms that improved lighting can be an effective crime prevention tool as:

·        it can improve surveillance and increase the risk of offenders being detected;

·        it can be used to improve perceptions of safety in urban areas and make public spaces more inviting at night; and

·        people feel safer in well illuminated areas, increasing activity in the area, which can further improve surveillance and deter crime.

 

Remote and isolated areas are choosing solar for safety

When it comes to lighting up remote and isolated areas, reliable lighting can be a challenge.

Remote car parks, industrial areas, construction sites and park and recreational areas are often faced with having no access to mains power or dealing with an unreliable power grid supply.

When these remote and isolated locations are unable to access reliable lighting the safety and security of these spaces are compromised increasing the risk of accidents and criminal activity.

With zero or limited access to mains power, people based in remote and isolated locations have turned to solar powered lighting as a reliable and efficient lighting source to reduce the threat of crime and increase the safety of their people and assets.

Beyond the benefit of installing commercial solar lighting that operates reliably without mains power, remote and isolated customers have realised additional benefits including:

·         Reliable, all-night light for mission-critical applications

·         Easy installation

·         Saving with no upfront trenching or cabling, no ongoing diesel costs and minimal maintenance

·         Trusting their lighting is safe (with solar lights complying to Australian and New Zealand lighting and safety standards)

·         Peace of mind their solar lights will stand the test of time with solar lights being built to withstand harsh conditions and extreme weather

·         Saving over the lifecycle of the solar lights

·         Portable options so they can be relocated easily for any site changes, emergencies or re-use

·         No noise, fumes, glare or ongoing diesel usage

The flexibility of commercial solar lights also means they can be strategically installed to cover areas prone to criminal activities such as blind spots or secluded corners. The presence of effective and consistent lighting can make these areas less attractive to criminals who prefer to operate in darkness.

 

Considerations for customers

While lighting is an important strategy in improving safety and reducing criminal activity, particularly in remote and isolated areas, it’s important for customers to understand that in some situations lighting may be counterproductive.

The Victorian Government’s Department of Justice and Safety highlights two key factors:

·         Lighting an asset in an unused or isolated area without surveillance may make it easier for crimes to be committed

·         Areas not intended for nighttime use do not require illumination. Lighting an area not intended for nighttime use may give users a false sense of security.

These factors should be considered as part of the overall lighting design so it’s important that lighting solutions are designed and implemented by professionals who understand lighting design and technology, and the customer’s needs.

Reputable solar lighting suppliers will always discuss the customer’s needs including why they need lighting, lighting levels, and the outcomes they want to achieve. They will also assess the site that needs lighting to design a solar lighting solution that is fit-for-purpose and will provide lighting that can be depended on.

Reputable solar lighting suppliers will never supply a job that won’t work. If the site assessment, shading assessment and solar and radiation assessment shows that solar lighting solutions won’t meet the customer or location’s requirements, customers will have peace of mind by working with reputable suppliers who will inform them and not supply the job.