Articles

Why Choose Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) For Your Next Building Project?

By Joe Zaccaria, CPP

Security should be more holistic in nature, and a balance should be struck among security design, equipment, and interactive human factors. This is where a qualified CPTED professional adds value to the project team, interacting with the architect and the other team members, and together with them formulating options for consideration by the owner. If the CPTED designer is not a salesman for specific equipment, then he can act as a client advocate in this process.

While CPTED principles work extremely well with newly-constructed environments, existing spaces can also benefit from a CPTED design review, in the form of reduced criminal activity, decreased vulnerability, and enhanced feeling of security on the part of staff and visitors.

A good example of CPTED design can be found in the modern major convenience store chains. In the past, clerks were placed in a small corner, generally behind a brick wall to maximize floor space for sellable goods. The clerk could not be seen by a passing police officer on patrol, and sale signage further hampered natural surveillance. To make matters worse, there was often clutter and confusion in front of these stores in the evening hours, due partly to the fact that public telephones ­ which encouraged loitering -- were often installed there. Armed robberies were common, and police had difficulty detecting a robbery in progress, despite increased patrols and undercover surveillance.