You can improve the sense of
safety around your home or business by using Crime Prevention Through
Environmental Design (CPTED).
Look around homes, buildings
Consider how things look around homes or buildings and how it might attract criminal
activity or livability issues. By making a few simple changes to your environment,
you can lessen the likelihood of harm.
Make changes to the environment
Use the four principles of environmental design to Increase safety.
1. Natural surveillance
Maximize visibility by:
- Improving lighting.
- Trimming trees and shrubs to improve visibility.
- Considering removing fences or tall walls that block your view
of the street.
2. Territorial reinforcement
Create a strong sense of ownership by:
- Planting grass, flowers or other shrubs and maintaining
them.
- Installing paths, fences or short walls to clearly identify
the line between your property and public property.
3. Natural access control
Control the access to a location by:
- Making sure entrances are visible, well-lit and seen by
windows.
- Creating clear entryways.
- Using signage to highlight building entrances or paths.
- Using a deadbolt to secure exterior doors.
4. Maintenance
Limit opportunities for harm by showing you care:
- Repairing visibly broken windows, fences or doors.
- Removing graffiti.
- Trimming shrubs, trees and grass regularly.
History of CPTED
The formal concept of CPTED
began in the 1960s and used to positively lower the perception of harm as well
as discourage harm that occurs in specific locations.