On the suicide watch

The Secret Parking Manager shines a light into the darkest depths of parking management, and offers some cause for hope

There can be no lower point in the world of parking management than having to experience a suicide incident involving a multi-storey car park. It makes for the bleakest of days and, personally, I feel distinctly hollowed out by such events. Each such tragedy is, of course, absolutely devastating for the individual and their own family and friends. It also adversely affects the parking staff and emergency services involved in the incident.

I remember on one of my first days in the role, reviewing a letter from the coroner requesting that we install more anti-climb barriers on the top of one of our multi-storeys following an inquest. At the time funding was not available, but I felt determined that over the years I would make every effort to try and improve the situation. Even in the shadow of the darkest of clouds, there is the fine skeins of a silver lining. From that day on I was determined to make a difference to reduce such incidents of self-harm in the future.

Historically, suicide from heights has been a problem wherever there are accessible high buildings, including places of worship, tower blocks, bridges and, as we know, multi-storey car parks. According the Office of National Statistics there were 5,821 suicides in the UK in 2017, far than more than deaths due to road traffic accidents.

Where I live and work there have been three traditional sites for people seeking to jump from. Of these three, two are multi-storeys under my stewardship. The third was a bridge which has subsequently had major engineering additions to prevent potential jump positions. Likewise, funding was found to install anti-climb barriers in place on the top of the multi-storey car parks whenever possible.

A negotiator’s perspective

For several years we have worked closely with a senior police negotiator who has provided valuable feedback on suicide incidents and delivered advice to our team. He recounted having to close the A1 for six hours when negotiating someone down from a bridge, which even got a mention in Parliament due to the traffic delays. 

The negotiator has also given us an insight into how suicide situations develop in the first place. He described a mindset where someone in distress the ‘normal’ thing to go is to a suicide venue, such as the top of a multi-storey car park. This explains why individuals drive hundreds of miles to, say Beachy Head, because when you are in a suicidal frame of mind this is where a ‘normal thinking’ person would go. This also explains why suicidal people nearly always head to the top of a multi-storey. Research indicates that a suicidal individual may have actually made several dry runs, sometimes up to six times before, finally, embarking on a fateful decision.

The negotiator’s role when attending a developing incident site is to try and make a rapid connection with the individual. His primary goal is to get them to respond. If the person preparing to jump speaks, this is positive as a connection has been made. If the person says they are going to kill themselves, the negotiator will respond: “Okay, I understand, but not today, come down and we can talk about.” This is the proper approach to take – gentle but with a clear objective of getting the individual out of immediate harm’s way. 

What parking staff can do

With such learning in mind, our parking team now maintain a weather eye on people’s movements through the car park, as such vigilance can aid early intervention. They have been advised to politely challenge anyone who appears to be near the outer edge of the car park at the higher levels. Anything that can break the individual’s dangerous train of thought can make the difference between life and a serious incident. 

The clear advice given to our parking staff is that, if they find someone on a high ledge or climbing on the fence, they should keep a respectful distance. They should try and have a calm conversation with the person, whilst discreetly contacting the emergency services. 

One thing which is never advised is to try and grab an individual who is in a potential jumping situation. This may precipitate a jump and there are examples of negotiators being pulled over the edge as well. 

Over the years, to their absolute credit, our team has used gentle persuasion to get distressed persons to wait or come down to a safer position, until the police, and sometimes an ambulance crew can arrive. Sadly, staff who have been on site in the aftermath of a self-harm incident can be disturbed. We thus take steps to provide them with support, assuming the staff member may be affected by PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). 

Managing out risk

Our parking staff and the CCTV staff work in unison to alert the emergency services, who rapidly deploy during these situations. We have upgraded the CCTV coverage of all our top decks. We now have real-time, 24-hour, systems staffed at the city centre control, which also has a direct screen link to the police control room. 

We are also hoping to acquire the latest camera technology which will provide virtual ‘trip wires’, where if someone breaches an electronic beam around the roof edge, the CCTV system prompts parking staff to investigate. Meanwhile. we have taken advice from our local police Designing Out Crime officer, who has a wealth of practical advice. This has been particularly helpful during design and construction of a new multi-storey car park.

As part of trying to break that damaging line of thought in the suicidal individual, we have placed Samaritan posters at strategic points in an attempt to signpost the person to a support service where someone can be listened to.

In today’s world, where all manner of life stresses can sometimes overwhelm individuals, it is important that we do everything that is practically possible to mitigate the chances of serious or fatal self-harm in our parking facilities.

Keep yourself and others safe. 

The Secret Parking Manager works for a local authority in England