Articles

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

By Joe Zaccaria, CPP

Many of these stores also suffered from poor interior and exterior lighting. Many were built during the US energy crisis, when conservation was a priority. Poor lighting selection and placement created entrapment zones in which criminals could hide undetected during evening hours.

Security design professionals decided that CPTED principles were needed to enhance security and decrease the risk of criminal activities on the properties. They removed or repositioned the sales signage, increased both interior and exterior lighting, and positioned the cashier in the center of the store on a raised platform, easily visible from the street. Public telephones were removed from the building skirting and placed out at the end of the curb, where most store billboards were also re-located. Automatic cash drop technology was installed, removing large quantities of cash from the cashier’s control. Entrapment zones were eliminated, leaving potential criminals vulnerable and exposed.

The results were immediate and dramatic: armed robbers began passing over the renovated, modern convenience stores in favor of independently owned shops which were slower to change their old-fashioned lay-outs. Today, when even the choice of landscaping can be of crucial importance to the overall success of a facility’s security design, a knowledgeable CPTED-qualified professional should be considered an invaluable part of the design team from its very inception. The result will be the maintenance of a user-friendly, attractive environment, without sacrificing those all-important features that insure the security of facilities, assets, and personnel.