Practice Profile: Alley Gating in the United Kingdom

This is a situational crime-prevention strategy, mainly implemented in the United Kingdom, that uses lockable gates to control access to alleys behind rows of homes, where crimes frequently occur. The practice is rated Promising for reducing property offenses.

Practice Goal/Practice Components

Alley Gating refers to the installation of lockable gates, usually made from steel or iron, which block entry to an alley or network of alleys located behind rows of homes. This practice has mainly been implemented in the United Kingdom. Alley gates are designed to limit access to alleys and consequently the crime opportunities they afford. Alley gates come in various forms, including opaque or transparent, self-closing or manually operated, single-leaf or double-leaf, or plain or ornate. While the gates themselves vary in design, their common purpose is to allow alley access only to legitimate users in possession of a key or passcode and to control access to potential crime victims.

Practice Theory

Situational crime prevention focuses on reducing the opportunities for crime, by increasing the perceived effort and risk for committing a crime, reducing the rewards of offending, and removing excuses and provocations for offending. It is believed that alley gates may reduce crime by restricting access to alleys (thereby increasing effort and risk), which have long been associated as a platform for criminal behavior (Seymour et al. 2010).  

Alleys can attract individuals who commit crime because of the perceived availability of crime opportunities. Alleys can also contribute to the occurrence of crime by providing a convergent setting for those who commit offenses and their potential victims without adequate guardianship. In addition, alleys may facilitate crime by providing inconspicuous access to alley-adjacent properties and a means by which to escape and evade detection.  

Finally, when there is uncertainty over their management and ownership, alleys can provide a location for illegally discarding waste, committing arson, or writing or painting graffiti. Thus, by restricting access to alleys, it is believed that criminal activities would be reduced.

These sources were used in the development of the practice profile:

These sources were used in the development of the practice profile:

Following are CrimeSolutions-rated programs that are related to this practice:

Alley-Gating in Liverpool (England)

Why might a practice's outcome ratings differ from the ratings of specific programs encompassed by that practice?