CPTED Crime Prevention

"CPTED is the proper design and effective use of the built environment which may lead to a reduction in the fear and incidence of crime, and an improvement of the quality of life." - National Crime Prevention Institute

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- We live with crime every day. It has become, unfortunately, a fact of life. Discussions on the subject have traditionally focused much less on crime prevention than on arrest and punishment; measures that cannot be taken until after a crime has been committed. Only in the last 20 years have designers and architects begun to see the need to plan and build with more in mind than just the traditional threats of nature: fire, earthquakes and hurricanes. They must now consider the threat of crime.

Enter a new approach to crime prevention - Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design - or CPTED. Much more far-reaching than dead bolts on doors and locks on windows, CPTED crime prevention principles can be applied easily and inexpensively to building or remodeling, and have been implemented in communities across the nation. The results have been impressive; in some CPTED communities, criminal activity has decreased by as much as 40 percent. What is the secret to CPTED crime prevention? Design that eliminates or reduces criminal behavior and at the same time encourages people to "keep an eye out" for each other. These are just a few of the ingredients that go into creating an effective CPTED crime prevention environment; that is, a safer more livable community.

The Four Strategies of CPTED

1. Natural Surveillance - A design concept directed primarily at keeping intruders easily observable. Promoted by features that maximize visibility of people, parking areas and building entrances: doors and windows that look out on to streets and parking areas; pedestrian-friendly sidewalks and streets; front porches; adequate nighttime lighting.

2. Territorial Reinforcement - Physical design can create or extend a sphere of influence. Users then develop a sense of territorial control while potential offenders, perceiving this control, are discouraged. Promoted by features that define property lines and distinguish private spaces from public spaces using landscape plantings, pavement designs, gateway treatments, and "CPTED" fences.

3. Natural Access Control - A design concept directed primarily at decreasing crime opportunity by denying access to crime targets and creating in offenders a perception of risk. Gained by designing streets, sidewalks, building entrances and neighborhood gateways to clearly indicate public routes and discouraging access to private areas with structural elements.

4. Target Hardening - Accomplished by features that prohibit entry or access: window locks, dead bolts for doors, interior door hinges.

Presented along with each of these CPTED strategies are guidelines which, as a homeowner, builder or remodeler, you can apply to reduce the fear and incidence of crime and improve the quality of life.

CPTED and the National Crime Prevention Council

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) theories contend that law enforcement officers, architects, city planners, landscape and interior designers and resident volunteers can create a climate of safety in a community, right from the start. CPTED’s goal is to prevent crime through designing a physical environment that positively influences human behavior – people who use the area regularly perceive it as safe, and would-be criminals see the area as a highly risky place to commit crime.

CPTED is based on four principles; natural access control, natural surveillance, territorial reinforcement, and target hardening. National Crime Prevention Council’s (NCPC) courses help participants put the theories behind CPTED into action for their communities. As a result of this training, participants will learn:

The theory behind CPTED, including an overview of the history of crime and physical environment
Basics of CPTED principles and how they apply to problem solving, community planning, and safety and security assessments
Exercises about successful applications of CPTED to specific crimes and "hot spot" locations
Specific practical techniques, including street and security lighting, landscaping, barriers, traffic calming, target hardening, and more
The role of maintenance, ordinances, and other local laws in strategies to prevent crime and improve quality of life in neighborhoods
How to conduct a community safety assessment utilizing tools based on CPTED principles

These courses are designed for local law enforcement professionals, local government and private residential and commercial planners, government officials, business leaders, community activists and others who are looking for innovative ways to prevent crime in their communities.

Please contact me for additional information:

Robert Otterstatter

National Crime Prevention Council
1000 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Thirteenth Floor
Washington, DC 20036-5325

tel (202) 261-4169 - direct line
fax (202) 296-1356

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