Crime prevention through environmental design

I was awarded the Advanced Certificate in Environmental Design and Crime Prevention by Oxford Brookes University in 2002, and have been a member of the Designing Out Crime Association (DOCA) since its inception in 1999. DOCA was set up to promote safer communities, reduce anti-social behaviour and improve quality of life through the application and practice of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). DOCA’s explicit purpose was to provide a multi-disciplinary forum where ideas could be exchanged and good practice developed, recognising that the police on their own did not have all the expertise and resources necessary to tackle these complex social issues. The need for better communication and understanding between three broad groups was recognised from the outset: the police and security experts; the planning and design professions; and the academic and research community. I have contributed to many training and development initiatives at regional and national level for the police and the planning profession. Examples are given below:

 

Presentations and lectures

• Presentation on planning and design for crime prevention at Police annual crime prevention (ALO/CPDA) conference, Nottingham, 2009
• Presentation on planning policy and design at Designing Out Crime Association seminar, Tally Ho (West Midlands Police training and conference centre), Birmingham, 2006
• Presentation on “Design and Community Safety” at International Federation of Landscape Architects’ World Congress, Heriott Watt University, Edinburgh, 2005
• Presentation on planning and design to Hampshire Police Architectural Liaison Officers, Police Training & Support HQ, Netley, 2004
• Visiting lecturer on Advanced Certificate in Environmental Design & Crime Prevention short course, Oxford Brookes University, 2003
• Presentation on “Design for Community Safety” at Buckinghamshire County “Planning for Community Safety” seminar, Aston Clinton, 2001
• Presented case study (Bartley Skatepark) at inaugural conference of Designing Out Crime Association, Police Training & Support HQ, Netley, 1999

Seminars and training

• Ran seminar on “Safer Places” (planning and design for crime prevention) for local authority planning officers, Eastleigh, 2004
• Ran workshops on PPG17 (open space, sport & recreation) at police annual crime prevention (ALO/CPDA) conference, Blackpool, 2003
• Ran design workshops at police annual crime prevention (ALO/CPDA) conference, Harrogate, 2000

Collaboration and publications

• Following collaboration with police over a number of years on design and crime prevention, I was the principal author (with police colleagues) of core principles of updated national police guidance ‘Secured by Design’ (‘SBD Principles’ and ‘SBD New Homes’), published online at www.securedbydesign.com in 2004
• Member of Steering Group for DTI-funded 'Partners in Innovation' research project on crime, community, design and planning in relation to sustainability of new development, in association with the Building Research Establishment. Speaker at the ‘Sustainability and Crime’ launch conference to present the outcomes in 2002
• Joint author of Supplementary Planning Guidance on “Design for Community Safety”, published by New Forest District Council in 1998, and subsequently by RUDI (Resource for Urban Development International, formerly known as Resource for Urban Design Information) on their website as best practice exemplar in 1999