Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design

Personal Safety takes effort and requires change, which is why many people neglect it; they would rather stay in a state of denial, believing it won't happen to them, or cripple themselves with worst case scenarios, that although are highly improbable are almost impossible to solve. In last weeks blog I talked about dropping my kid off at school (it was his first day), and the way the school run is an opportunity to demonstrate to those that may be watching, that our children are not soft  targets; that someone is watching them and are involved in their lives. In this weeks blog, I'm going to look at CPTED, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, as schools give us many good and bad examples how their layout and environment both prevent and facilitate crime, and how we can take lessons from this, to apply to our own environments, such as home and work settings. 

My son's school, has a parking lot at the front where teachers and other staff members can park their cars. The principals parking position is clearly marked. Being the principal of any school, sets you up for potential conflict, with parents, former students, and other people associated with the school. Whilst having a designated parking spot is a privilege, and may be necessary for the smooth running of the school e.g. you don't want the head of the school, to have to search for a spot to park etc. it is a risk advertising to all and sundry that this is where the principal parks, and this is their car. Any person who has any form of grudge against the school, or the individual, knows where they will be heading at the end of the day and/or can tamper with their car e.g. cutting the brake lines. 

A while back we started filming a Home Invasion and Home Security DVD, with Dave Ashworth (a security specialist/expert). It was a simple project, where he wandered round a friend of ours house, and basically pointed out, where and how he'd be able to break in, and how quickly he'd be able to navigate his way through the house once inside (He also showed how using the natural layout of the house, how a person could restrict and slow down somebody's entry and movement during a home invasion). Something he pointed out was that the house had doors which were labelled and named e.g. the bathroom had a sign on it saying bathroom, children's bedrooms had doors with their names on etc. His point was that, an intruder would know which rooms to exclude and which ones would be of interest etc. In a home invasion or similar time is of the essence; causing an invader to hesitate, or have to check a room could gain vital seconds for people to either evacuate or get to a safe room or more defensible position. Signage is important to direct people but it can also compromise security; a balance has to be reached e.g. is it necessary to have a sign saying bathroom, when this gives an assailant/invader a room they can check off their list of ones to search. 

It is great to have your child's picture, with their name, put up on display outside their classroom, however if you have an emotionally volatile estranged partner, advertising that your child is near to this picture, is not in your child's best interest i.e. it will make it easy for them to locate your child for an abduction/hostage scenario - although such instances are rare, if you believe your child is at risk, you should request such pictures be removed etc.    

The canteen/dining area of my son's school, is right next to the entrance. Whilst it can be used as a large room to move kids into when they first enter the school, and acts as a great holding pen, it also means that anyone wanting to engage in a mass/spree shooting, has little distance to travel before they get to a large number of potential victims - should they choose a time when they know large numbers of children will be gathered in this location e.g. at lunch time. If you have a choice as to which rooms you should use as bedrooms in an apartment, house or condo, choosing rooms as far away from the main entrance will increase your personal safety.  

There is a Chinese proverb that goes along the lines of, the rabbit builds a burrow with many exits i.e. don't ever restrict yourself to having just one escape route. Look at the layout of the furniture in your house, and see if there are any enclosed areas in which you could be trapped, or your movement restricted etc. Understand what pieces of furniture could be used as barriers and obstacles to slow a person/attacker down etc. If you have areas in your home where you could be trapped look at opening them up, so this wouldn't be possible. 

CPTED, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, is not looking to create Home Alone scenarios, involving complex traps etc. but how you can use and adapt the environment around you to prevent certain crimes and assaults. It may be an effort to change the way we lead our lives, such as removing the principals parking spot notice, and replacing it with a number that the teaching staff understand to be exclusiatory but from a safety perspective it makes sense to do. Ypu should look to control your environment and use it to protect you rather than facilatate crimes and assaults against you.