We live with crime every day and
unfortunately it has become an all too common fact of life.
Traditional methods of crime prevention have been reactive rather than
proactive; focusing more on arrest, detention, and target-hardening
applications after the problem arises. But there are other options
available.
Enter a different way to approach crime prevention. Although
not a new concept, Crime Prevention Through Environmental
Design, also known as CPTED (pronounced Sep-ted), is making
its way into many communities.
This concept and practice is far more important that dead-bolt locks and
surveillance cameras, and can be less expensive and easily applied to new
construction or renovation projects. Most designers and architects
already integrate resistance to natural threats such as fires,
earthquakes, floods, etc. into their plans. However, in recent years
because of CPTED principles, some have begun to recognize criminal
behavior as a threat in its own right.
What is the secret of CPTED? It is the use of "design" to eliminate
or discourage criminal behavior, while encouraging others to "keep and eye
out" for one another.
"The proper design and effective use of the built environment can
lead to a reduction in the fear and incidence of crime and an improvement
in the quality of life."
CPTED as defined by the National Crime Prevention
Institute.
By reviewing your comprehensive
plan and using CPTED principles, you can reduce crime. For
instance, where do you place parking lots and how they are designed?
Where are the telephones located? Or consider the placement of trash
receptacles or smoking areas? Aesthetics and convenience is not
always the correct answer, ...especially when you inadvertently create a
potentially fertile area for criminal activity.
CPTED Strategies
Crime prevention strategies have been around for hundreds of years, but it
has only been within the past few decades that urban experts have explored
the relationship between the designed environment and criminal behavior.
The standard CPTED strategies are:
P
Natural Surveillance
P
Natural Access Control
P
Territorial Reinforcement
P
Maintenance
Natural Surveillance
Natural surveillance involves the placement of physical features,
activities, and people in a way that maximizes visibility, thereby making
intruders apparent to others. People are less likely to commit
criminal acts or engage in inappropriate behavior if the possibility of
detection is probable.
Several features that maximize the
visibility of people, parking areas or structures are :
P Unobstructed Doors and Windows
P Pedestrian-friendly Sidewalks and
Driveways
P Front Porches
P Appropriate Illumination
Natural Access Control
This is a design concept directed primarily at decreasing crime
opportunity by denying access to crime targets and creating a perception
of risk for the offender.
People are physically guided through a space using strategically placed
streets, walkways, building entrances, landscaping and neighborhood
gateways. This discourages access to private areas and structural
elements.
Territorial Reinforcement
This is another design concept that can create or extend a sphere
of influence. Users develop a sense of territorial control and
ownership while potential offenders are discouraged because they too
perceive this control.
This concept includes features that define property lines, use of signage,
and clear distinctions between private and public spaces. This
limits the ability of the criminal to create confusion, which is an ally
to the criminal.
Maintenance
This concept goes hand-in-hand with territorial reinforcement and
allows for the continued use of a space for its intended purpose.
By taking care of an area or building you send a clear message to
potential offenders that you take care of your property and will do
whatever it takes to ensure this.
Who should Use CPTED?
The answer to that question
lies in ones imagination alone. The truth is that anyone can
use CPTED. Any construction firm, shopping center, homeowner, park
or school superintendent, transportation coordinator, hospital
administrator, or city manager can utilize the concept. The list is
endless.
Conclusion
By using properly applied CPTED principles in new
design/construction and remodeling projects, we can reduce the fear and
incidence of crime and realize an improvement in the quality of life.
This concept combined with target-hardening techniques can go a long
way in preventing criminal behavior around your property or business.
"CPTED is not the total answer to community problems, but it does
provide the community with the means to eliminate or reduce environmental
obstacles to social, cultural, or managerial control. Think of CPTED
as another tool in your toolbox to prevent crime."
Timothy D. Crowe, Criminologist and CPTED Practitioner
For Further
Information Contact:
Fort Wayne Police Department Crime Prevention Bureau
1320 East Creighton Avenue
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46803
260-427-1207
The City of Fort Wayne
Community & Economic Planning Department
One Main Street, Room 800
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802
260-427-1129
