Cornwall Council plan to turn off street lights opposed

Cornwall Council recently announced it has begun turning off more than half of the county’s 56,000 lights between midnight and 5am to save money and cut carbon emissions, however, this decision is being opposed due to the safeguarding risks associated with low levels of light. 

Mark Balaam, CEO and founder of Imabi and a White Ribbon ambassador, has more than 30 years of experience working in national security and intelligence agencies, and as a father of two young daughters, is vigorously opposed to the countywide ‘switch off’ of street lighting.

Speaking to The Packet about the decision, Mark said: "Part of being a White Ribbon ambassador is tackling violence against women and girls, and tackling it from the perspective of men.

"Lighting is a big factor in trying to deter crime and make people feel safer. What Cornwall is doing, and the initiative to turn off and dim lighting, raises concerns and contradicts a lot of the work people like myself and others have done. 

"Some of the areas across Cornwall will be absolutely pitch black, and because we live in a 24/7 society now, people work in different shifts, we've got 24-hour supermarkets for example, the hours of 12am to 5am aren't quite as quiet as some people may perceive.

Mark Balaam, CEO & founder of Imabi (Image: Supplied)

"We're all about creating societal change, and it would be lovely to live in a world where you don't have perpetrators of bad things walking around, but the reality is we don't live in that world at the moment and we need to do as much as possible. Things like lighting are a key factor in trying to keep people safe.

"If you're aware of your surroundings, you're a lot more confident. The moment you're relying on a torch or a phone light you've got a very small window of visibility and it immediately makes you more vulnerable. With crime rates going up, turning lights off doesn't seem like a great initiative."

When it was suggested that the initiative could give those people looking to perpetrate crimes a helping hand, Mark commented on how it could "create a playground for them."

Mark also mentioned that, alongside the potential criminal aspect of the situation, the plans could also impact on the kinds of work people were happy to take on. 

Mark continued: "It can affect people's livelihoods as well as the criminal aspect of it. Some people aren't going to take on jobs that would involve working those hours because they might feel vulnerable."