Archive for the 'Crime Prevention through Environmental Design' Category
Radical Common Sense To Prevent Crime
Guest Feature by Greg Saville
When Steve asked me to contribute to this blog a line from a famous play came to mind. With apologies to Skakespeare: If our prevention cause is just and our method of achieving it honorable, “methinks I could not die anywhere so contented as in the king’s company”. Steve will no doubt shudder at being prevention king. But I think he’ll agree with my message. It is called SafeGrowth.
It boils down to this:
1. There is a cloud of confusion obstructing clear-headed thinking when it comes to crime. We must deal with facts, not ideology.
2. We cannot arrest, imprison, or target harden our way out of crime.
3. There is no point in creating a safe physical place if people are disengaged from community life.
4. Crime is best tackled in the neighbourhood by harnessing the creativity and energy of neighbourhood dwellers and functional neighbourhood groups.
SafeGrowth relates to an idea rediscovered by writer Jane Jacobs – the success of a city is based in small neighbourhoods. It includes success in reducing crime.
In SafeGrowth neighbours create their own annual, measurable, safety plan. Every SafeGrowth plan uses diagnostic techniques: a crime risk matrix, crime mapping and asset mapping, safety audits, and other methods of crime prevention science.
Putting SafeGrowth into practice is not easy. How do we get neighbourhoods activated? Who wants to go to more meetings? Why can’t the police just do their job? These are the obstacles we must overcome.
One way to do that is to use radical common sense.
http://safe-growth.blogspot.com/2009/08/radical-common-sense.html
This is the idea that we cannot solve our deepest problems through traditional ways. This means accepting the criminal justice system as an adversarial, blunt tool. Instead our future exists in cooperating, sharing best practices, and accepting that our fate is tied to that of others.
Also, we must vote for provincial and federal leaders who will better resource municipalities. In turn, municipalities must refine, or create, a network of geographical neighbourhoods. They must upskill neighbourhood groups to develop annual safety plans in cooperation with service providers.
Embryonic SafeGrowth neighbourhoods are already underway in Toronto’s Jane/Finch,
http://safe-growth.blogspot.com/2009/06/waking-up-to-21st-century-prevention.html
in Saskatoon,
http://safe-growth.blogspot.com/2009/05/doin-it-right-on-wrong-side-of-town.html
and Detroit’s Central Woodward neighbourhood in the U.S.
http://www.detroit-lisc.org/display.aspx?pointer=9122
This is radical common sense in the 21st Century. Join Steve and myself in helping make this happen where you live and work.
2 commentsThe Writing is on the Wall
Ogden Point - Victoria, BC
Recently, I attended The Anti Graffiti Symposium (TAGS) in beautiful Victoria, British Columbia. Hosted by the Victoria Police Department and the Township of Esquimalt it proved to be an interesting couple of days with a variety of exceptional speakers, both local and International. The objective of the 2009 TAGS event was to educate law enforcement agencies, government, crime prevention professionals and the general public about issues of graffiti crime in their communities and to clarify some of the following questions about this type of vandalism: Who is doing it, what does it mean, how do we investigate it, how do we prevent and control it?
Speakers from as far away as Sweden and Australia joined other experts from various US cities and Canadian authorities from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to offer their insights on the subject. As a Crime Prevention practitioner specializing in Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED), it provided me with an abundance of information that can now be shared with my own community and others throughout Central Alberta. Read more »
1 commentDon’t Stop Believing
Arnel Pineda of Journey
This is an inspiring story indeed and one that should be shared, especially among those who could use a little good news now and then. All too often, in communities throughout the world we hear about our homeless and those living in poverty. Many stories are negative but as we give thanks today for all that we have, we should celebrate, for there are those that refuse to give up and serve as beacons of hope. Here is a success story that will inspire all of us and demonstrates the strength in those who “Don’t Stop Believing“.
Many communities, including Red Deer, Alberta have identified Homelessness as a priority. City council recently endorsed “Everyone’s Home” – a 5 year community initiative towards ending homelessness from 2010 – 2015 Many people and various organizations have taken the lead in getting people off the street and into necessary shelter. A social marketing campaign is also well underway in an effort to reduce discrimination and hopefully change the way we treat some of our most vulnerable community members.
1 commentSmall Communities BIG Challenges
Small rural communities throughout Central Alberta are certainly making the news this summer. Headlines like “Rocky Tops Crime Rate” and “Let’s Put a Stop to all the Trouble in Stettler.” According to Statistics Canada, Rocky Mountain House reported the highest crime rate among eight Central Alberta communities last year. The community of Stettler followed, with 16,863 criminal code incidents per 100,000 population. A Stettler resident submitted a letter to a local newspaper stating that the community has lost too many loved ones and that Stettlerites need to band together and help the RCMP do their jobs more efficiently. ”I plead for your help to make Stettler a safer place“, the resident writes.
Color your World
City Hall Park, Red Deer, Alberta
An old 1972 classic titled “Concrete Sea” by songwriter/musician Terry Jacks got me thinking about how important color really is in our communities. In the main verse of his song, Jack’s sings “No one is meant to be living here in a concrete sea”. If you look around many cities you will understand where his thoughts came from. This is especially true in many urban downtown areas of our cities, but this is starting to change and that’s encouraging.
City Hall Park in Red Deer, Alberta is a prime example and a popular gathering place throughout the summer months. Think about how you feel and act when you see color and you will appreciate how important it can be in various settings. As crime prevention practitioners, urban designers, architects and anyone dealing with the built environment, learn to utilize more color. Colorful landscaping arrangements in our green spaces, textured pathways that incorporate color, and murals are only a few great examples of how we can use color to brighten up our lives. Read more »
4 commentsBuilding Strong Communities
No simple task, not in the insect world or in our own communities. It takes a lot work and on-going commitment from everyone involved. The key word is being “involved”! Just as honeybees work collectively so should we, building strong communities that will sustain us on a long-term basis. We want to feel safe and secure in our neighborhoods and the good news is … it’s achievable. Remember the film titled “Field of Dreams”? I’m reminded of the one liner – if you build it he will come. As a Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) practitioner, I’ve adapted this statement a bit – if you build it properly they will stay!
Webster’s dictionary defines “Community” as an interacting population of various kinds of individuals in a common location. Interacting with our neighbors and striving for more cohesion among residents helps build strong communities. Today, we are more isolated, working more and more and socializing less and less. How many of us know our surrounding neighbors, especially if we reside in condos or apartments. It often seems like we are more interested in keeping up with the Jones’s rather than socializing with them. This brings us to another important question, our quality of life. The CPTED concept, coined by criminologist C. Ray Jeffery supports the idea that the proper design and effective use of the built environment can lead to a reduction in the fear and incidence of crime and to an improvement in the quality of life. Read more »
5 commentsTaking it to the Streets
There is no doubt that activity on our streets creates a vibrant community atmosphere while promoting health and wellness. ReThink Red Deer is collaborating with other organizations and businesses in the city to plan a series of activities this summer. The pilot project called “Summer Active Streets” is A Community Active Transportation Celebration that everyone can enjoy.
The intent is to increase awareness of the health, social and environmental benefits of reducing our use of private vehicles in favor of other modes of transportation – either self-propelled or multiple rider (car pools, transit).
Activities kick off with a “Street Films” video and discussion on Monday, April 27th at the Red Deer College – Margaret Parsons Theatre from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. ReThink Red Deer will also collaborate with The City of Red Deer in promoting a “Bike to Work Breakfast” on Thursday, May 21st.
The emphasis is on fun events that have positive spin-offs in terms of personal health, environmental health and community spirit – events that encourage people to walk, bike, take transit, car pool, skateboard or find alternate ways to get around the city.
2 commentsSolutions for Safe Communities
By: Steve Woolrich
Utilizing and supporting Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) practices can help enhance communities by reducing crime and loss and raising awareness about our built environments. CPTED strategies are effective but require a well-balanced approach to crime prevention and ideally incorporate Crime Prevention through Social Development (CPSD). With this in mind, I encourage partnerships which help foster a “culture of caring” for our communities and each other.
It is through these partnerships that we can successfully apply both CPTED and CPSD throughout our communities and ensure safe growth and sustainability. Embracing community-based crime prevention initiatives such as this and working together helps forge new alliances and collectively engages our communities. What is truly exciting about this is that we can begin to improve the “quality of life” in our neighborhoods and reduce the fear of crime. Could this have a dramatic impact on overall well-being and happiness? Mark Anielski from Edmonton, Alberta is a well-being economist with an incredible perspective on this. If we could sustain our “community” well-being and happiness I suggest there would be a significant reduction in crime. Mark embraces the principles of sustainability and writes “to sustain something means to hold up something, to give support or relief to, to provide for sustenance or nourishment or to support something as true, legal or just. To sustain the life and real wealth of a community means to ensure that the basic needs of all individuals of a community are being met.”
No commentsInternational CPTED Association (ICA)
By: Steve Woolrich
If there is one thing that will serve everyone’s best interest in various crime prevention circles, it’s sharing information among professionals. The ICA already realizes the importance of working together and they have been doing it for years. This past October the organization held its International conference in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. For those CPTED practitioners such as myself it was “time well spent” and a great opportunity for networking.
Opportunities such as this are rare and you realize your not alone, there are others who are willing to share their expertise, partner and help make a difference. This year, numerous professionals from around the world gathered to share their knowledge. Presenters from South Africa, Australia, Mexico, Chile, Europe and Canada gathered while making themselves accessible to all participants over the three days. Do I view these professionals as competition within my industry? Absolutely not, I embrace them as colleagues that would be willing to assist me or anyone else that supports a community-based crime prevention philosophy.
To find out more visit the ICA at www.cpted.net
1 commentRed Deer College Students Hold Great Potential
By: Steve Woolrich
The RDC slogan is certainly thought provoking and after meeting some of the students from Sociology 325A earlier today, I was impressed. I was invited by their instructor to speak on the subject of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED). It took me back to my college days when we had the privilege of having guest speakers come in and share their experience on various subjects. I wondered how the class would react but it was quickly evident that the subject matter was of interest, what a relief.
My presentation highlighted the key principles of CPTED, also available on this site. However, this class currently studying criminology received my pictorial version. A picture paints a thousand words and in this case, photos can be a very powerful way of learning the impact CPTED can have on any physical space. It was interesting to see some of the class reactions and there were some great questions raised by these upcoming professionals.
In one of the handouts I was given in preparation for my visit, an anonymous quote read “Crime, like disease, is not interesting; it is something to be done away with by general consent, and that is all about it.” I suggested that our mission should be to empower communities to reduce the incidence and fear of crime by supporting a proactive, comprehensive and sustainable approach to crime prevention. These students will be the next generation of experts in professions such as sociology, criminology, policing, security and corrections. Their future actions should not be underestimated and they do “understand” the important roles they will play. I concluded with a quote from John F. Kennedy that reads “There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.”
No comments