Designing out Crime

Crime is a growth industry and impossible to eradicate. Or is it? Arthur McKenzie of Benchmark Communications, organisers of Design North East visited Duncan Fisher the Architectural & Planning Liaison Officer at Northumbria Police to investigate the role of design to help fight crime.

Ten years ago an initiative was set up in the South East of England to achieve a better quality of life by addressing crime prevention at the earliest opportunity in the design and construction of homes. Whilst the driving force behind this scheme was the Association of Chief Police Officers, many others in the construction industry have since been involved including the Department of the Environment Transport and the Regions together with various trade organisations and professional bodies such as the Association of British Insurers and the Master Locksmith Association.

From this initiative came the strap line, 'Secured by Design'' which has now spread nationwide and encompasses many different types of projects in the community. It aims to encourage the building industry to adopt measures in development design to help reduce the opportunity for, and also the fear of crime by creating a safer and more secure environment while maintaining the attractiveness of a community that people want to be can be proud of.

"My role is to help and advise companies and organisations to achieve 'secured by design' status and oversee the initial construction plans of any proposition which has a direct effect on the physical development of the environment. This might include fences, doors, windows,"

explains Duncan Fisher.

"The aim of design is to achieve functional use with aesthetics. No one wants a prison atmosphere, although secure, they are far from attractive. It is all about getting the balance right where the attractiveness of the project will enhance the surrounding environment whilst maintaining security for the people who use it. This can also help in gaining planning permission, with Secure by Design certification the path through planning permission may be made easier, or should we say without it the path can be more difficult."

One such example is the Sure Start Community Programme next to Howden Metro Station. The local community use this for mother and toddler groups among others and good security is important for them to feel safe when using it. The original plans for the surrounding fence had the usual spikes on top to deter the 'wrong' visitors, however it was refused planning permission on aesthetic grounds because it was not thought to contribute to the surrounding environment. After consultation with Duncan's unit the designers came up with a different concept of using a picket fence design which acted equally as a deterrent but looked much more attractive than spikes. Another feature of the centre are the window shutters that are discreetly incorporated in with the windows and until in use are hardly visible.

An example where lack of design has had a real impact is with the high-rise tenements, thought to be the solution to poverty and housing. These ill thought out conurbations where little or no thought was given to the hostile environments they were creating helped proliferate anti social behaviour and became breeding grounds for criminality. Decent citizens were becoming frightened of their environments and hostages in their own homes.

Secure by Design will hopefully be a step towards this not happening again. Northumbria Police have embraced the concept of Secure by Design with enthusiasm and a number of guidelines have been written with many more in the process. Different types of projects are being looked at, from garages, caravan parks to schools and community centres. By addressing security problems through design many new construction projects are now enhancing community areas whilst offering increased security where natural surveillance is encouraged and crime is lessened.

Further information about how Secure by Design can help businesses and communities can be found on the web site: www.securebydesign.com

Defensive Design is as Old as Man

Ever since man retreated into caves he has attempted to defend his space, the Iron Age built barricaded communities and Medieval Castles imposed and defended incursions from high ground. Ten foot thick battlements surrounded by moats, they thought were impregnable, but technology moved in favour of the aggressor and the trebuchet put paid to their impenetrable walls.

The Second World War changed social attitudes and wealth became more visible. Communities once built in and around our industrial base fragmented as heavy industry, the pits, steelworks and shipyards and went into decline. These 'friendly' estates became breeding grounds for crime as families moved out in search of employment and defence moved from being proactive to reactive. The pattern of crime, detection and prevention completely changed. The locks were literally removed from the norms in society meaning we had to put the locks back onto our properties. Our space suddenly became defensible, criminals flourished as opportunities became more lucrative and the laws changed in favour of civil liberties.

Crime Prevention sought to combat this with some measure of success, but the criminal and hooligan was always one step ahead so it became obvious that this wasn't just a police problem, but a civic responsibility and in this regard Security by Design is most certainly a new way forward. Designing out crime is certainly not a new concept, and in a more enlightened age where the boundaries of technology can take us into new territories innovation and design can achieve a security as well as that feel good factor that good design can bring about.

Famous Quote

"Good design is about looking at everyday things with new eyes and working out how they can be made better." James Dyson, 1999.

Education

All disciplines of design are called for in society and the North East Universities can offer many courses that relate to Secure by Design:

• BA Architectural Design
  University of Newcastle School of Architecture and Town Planning Tel: 0191 222 6103
  University of Northumbria, Department of Built Environment, Tel: 0191 227 3528
• BA Hons Interior Architecture Design
  University of Teesside, School of Law, Art & Humanities, Tel: 01642 384019
• BA Product Design
  University of Northumbria School of Design Tel: 0191 227 4913
  University of Teesside Tel: 01642 342 277

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This document is reproduced with he kind permission of The Journal and Benchmark Communications.