If you have an environment where the vegetation is thick and it’s easy to hide – where it’s dark at night and the shadows are deep – where there is no clear path to follow – where no windows or balconies allow people to watch over the area – where it feels abandoned and where graffiti and decay are allowed to rule, you are in a place that is ripe for crime.

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Much of the crime in our community is opportunistic. People who are prone to commit crime are generally rational. They will quickly identify places where they can offend with little chance of identification or capture. They will frequent these places - waiting for an unsuspecting person to walk by - or in the dark and hidden places, see opportunities to break into homes and building with little risk.

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It is easy to recognize these places. You walk past a dark ally in the city and the hair on the back of your neck rises. A deserted park or a rundown reserve gives you that anxious creepy feeling – you think you hear noises, you can’t wait to leave.

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 And you do. These public places belong to the community – not criminals. A good dose of thoughtful environmental design can make these areas safe and once again useful to everyone.

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CPTED – THE STRATEGY

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Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) is a strategy that aims to reduce crime by designing the built environment according to a set of guidelines.

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CPTED is based on the principle that a large number of crimes are guided by rational thought. Applying CPTED methods aims to discourage offenders by maximising the risk and effort of committing a crime - while minimising the benefits and opportunities of committing that crime.

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CPTED largely focuses on the opportunistic criminal (people make an assessment of risk and determine if they will get away with it - passively deterring crime as its not worth the risk or there is not enough reward).

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