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Pennine Housing introduced concierges at the Mixenden estate in Halifax to put a stop to petty crime. The service operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and it's free to our residents, paid for through the housing revenue account.

They save us money – in 1993, the cost of repairing vandalised areas for the year was £31,000; in the last year it has been £766.

We have a team of 10 concierges, who work 12-hour shifts on a rota system, and one supervisor. Their hours are 7pm to 7am or 7am to 7pm, with four working the day shift and two working at night – with a good rest in between. The concierges were all men, but we've just recruited the first woman.

The complex includes four blocks of 90 flats and 90 houses, with CCTV coverage. The concierges work from a central office where they view the CCTV screens.

They also carry out checks in the communal areas of the flats and the stairwells of all 15 floors. They walk up and down three or four times a night – definitely not a job for the lazy.

Thanks to these new security measures, the estate is now a crime-free area. The service has put a stop to antisocial behaviour in communal areas, like children getting in and messing around with the lifts. Everyone feels much safer, particularly the single women who live here. They're able to go out at night, get a taxi back and not feel vulnerable while walking around the complex.