Have you ever heard of CPTED? If you answered no, you would be with the majority of people. CPTED stands for Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. This blog post will give you a quick and easy explanation of what CPTED is and why it’s so important.
Several years ago, I discussed crime, security, and public safety issues with a quality auditor. They were assessing my old place of work at the time. The auditor asked me if CPTED principles had been implemented. I had no clue. I didn’t even know what those letters meant. I seriously had to google, “What is CPTED?”. Who knew a five-letter acronym would lead me to the next big chapter of my life? Long story short, CPTED is now my biggest passion, and that conversation has led me to be a proud CPTED practitioner. I am forever grateful for this introduction to crime prevention through environmental design.
Now that you’ve heard of CPTED and have seen what these letters stand for, what does CPTED mean? Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design or CPTED (pronounced ‘sep-ted’) is known worldwide as Designing Out Crime, defensible space, and other similar terms. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design is a multi-disciplinary approach to crime prevention that uses urban and architectural design and the management of the built and natural environments. CPTED strategies aim to reduce victimization, deter offender decisions that precede criminal acts, and build community among inhabitants. This allows inhabitants to gain territorial control of areas, reduce crime, and minimize the fear of crime.
For example, have you ever visited a gas station and noticed that most windows are covered with signs? These large product advertisements block the view from the gas pump to the inside of the store, and if you are inside the store looking out, your view is now blocked as well. This is considered poor natural surveillance.
The recommendation would be to have visibility in both directions to see and be seen. Should there be an incident at the pump or inside the store, it’s important to have natural surveillance for an individual to render aid, call first responders, and respond to the incident. Potential criminals are unlikely to attempt a crime if they risk being observed. Natural surveillance is not only crucial in public spaces like gas stations and other businesses
but also your home.
Natural Surveillance is just one of the overlapping concepts that comprise CPTED. As you learn more, you will find that there are many things you can do to improve your environment and make it as safe as possible.
CPTED principles serve as crime prevention tools that can be applied in various settings, such as at home, in your community, at work, in your place of worship, or within your school system. To remain effective, they require ongoing maintenance. Utilize this blog as a resource to learn, inform yourself, and educate others about the beneficial effects of integrating CPTED principles into your environment.
Keep following our blog to learn more. Up next, we'll cover lighting. How would you describe the lighting around you, and do you think it has a significant impact?
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