I have put together this information following a workshop I attended recently, run by Emma McGill, Neighbourhood Support Senior Area Coordinator for the greater Wellington region.
It made me reflect of a recent contact I had with a neighbour in Ve de Glen, Pyes Pā who had endured an attack on their property and in their street. It also made me think about my rural and urban neighbours in Pyes Pā and how CPTED-ready they were.
When it comes to situational crime prevention we want to do five things:
Increase Risk - increase the visibility of criminals so they are seen, and deterrence is high.
Reduce Reward – reduce the likelihood that they will be rewarded for their effort.
Increase Effort - make it harder for the offender to commit a crime.
Reduce Stimulus – don’t lure the criminal, for example don’t put your 55” TV box out on the road
Remove Excuses - change the layout so there’s no excuse for somebody to be in the wrong place.
Every country has unique CPTED principles and in Aotearoa New Zealand we have seven.
Access control
Surveillance
Orientation & layout
Use activity mix
Territorial reinforcement ownership
Space management quality environment
Physical protection
Access Control
We need to use the obvious tools for controlling access to areas, like hedges, gates, fences, barrier arms and bollards. Access can also be controlled simply by roping off an area or using paint, for example NP for no parking painted on the concrete.
What we to do is control access to your property and create a clear path to your front door. This makes it harder for criminals and takes away excuses they might have for being in the wrong place.
We need to create clear and open lines of sight, as criminals do not like to be seen.
For example, fences should not be built to hide the line of sight as this will allow the criminal to hide behind the fence and gives them time to think about what they will do and how they will do it and use any outdoor items to help them break into your property.
In parts of Christchurch, for example, they are not allowed fences or certain types of fences in the front of their property so that people can be seen, and criminals can be seen, and it also encourages a sense of community engagement rather than acting as a barrier between neighbours, and creating isolation.
We need to show people where they shouldn’t be and show people where they should be.
Surveillance “See & Be Seen”
Criminals don’t want to be seen so make surveillance easy with well-lit areas and no hiding spots. Ensure street and walkway lights are operating and if possible install home security lighting.
CCTV cameras are helpful but not perfect so maximise the opportunity for people to see you and your property.
Find a balance between being seen and safe, and enjoying your privacy.
Don’t let trees hinder your visibility. Trim trees from knee height to 2.5m. When choosing trees to plant, choose low-maintenance trees, not trees such as conifers that require a lot of trimming. When budgets are tightened one of the first things to not do is tree maintenance.
Promote the cleanup of your neighbours’ properties and trees so criminals do not have hiding places and then excuses.
Orientation & layout
Make it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for, and particularly your front door.
Make wayfinding safe and clear, with well-lit pathways and no hidden overgrown areas.
Provide helpful signage so people clearly know where to go and feel safe, and don’t create excuses for criminals: “Oh I didn’t know this wasn’t the door, oh I didn’t know this was private property, oh I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to be here….”
Use activity mix
As a neighbourhood try to use spaces actively at different times of the day and night. Criminals avoid spaces that are popular with people.
But you don’t want to create a false sense of safety. Simply lighting up a park is not making it active, and is not enough. We need to have neighbours and people and traffic passing with their eyes and ears on that space. A space that does not have eyes and ears on the entire space should be avoided at night as it is unsafe.
Cafes are encouraged to come out from behind closed doors and onto the street, making these active spaces that deter antisocial behaviour.
Territorial reinforcement ownership
We need to clearly define private versus public spaces with tools such as plantings, hedges, fences, gates, paths, rope barriers and even paint. This way we are guiding people where they should go and not providing excuses for those who shouldn’t be in those areas to linger.
When adding fencing do not erect solid high fences that not only attract graffiti but also hide the offender. Grill fences are good because we can see our neighbours and the criminals through the fence But avoid the colour white, because at a distance white tends to block your view whereas black tends to draw your sight through the fence and you’re able to see what is happening on the other side. It is a documented optical illusion. Also prongs or points on the top of the iron fence posts are helpful at deterring criminals from scaling the fence.
Space management & quality environment
To make neighbours feel safe, we want to encourage residents to have a sense of ownership and a sense of responsibility for their neighbourhood and the spaces in their neighbourhood. Don’t leave it up to council to just know if there is graffiti, or a foot path is damaged, or if trees are overgrown, or a rubbish bin is damaged, or some street or walkway lighting is not operating. You need to tell them!
As neighbours, let’s manage our neighbourhoods and report to council so they know that action is required.
If it looks crappy it will be treated crappy by criminals.
In the Tauranga City Council Safer Communities Action and Investment Plan the first of the four focus areas is Safer Spaces and Places on page 5: Continued improvement of parks, beaches and other public spaces through CPTED wayfinding and activation.
The Western Bay of Plenty District Council Residential Design Outcomes document used to assist with the District Plan states in Topic 9 Safety and Security that: The design of new developments should incorporate CPTED.
A tidy and looked after and caring neighbourhood is not appealing to criminals.
If people don’t feel safe they will not use the space, but if they don’t use a space criminals will recognise that it’s a quiet space and move into their area.
Damage attracts Damage.
Let’s take ownership of reporting to council and responsibility for the management of our neighbourhoods.
Antenno is a mobile app that helps us report to the Western Bay of Plenty District Council and Tauranga City Council.
Notifications from Council: Antenno lets you choose the places you want to be alerted about. You can have multiple "Places" which could be the area you live in, work or where your holiday home is, for example. You can expect to see updates from council on community events, matters up for consultation, water shutdowns, changes to rubbish collections and much more.
Reporting back to Council: You can also get involved and report community issues or submit ideas with Antenno. It's a useful channel that you can feed information back and Council will receive instant alerts.
Download Antenno for free on your phone or computer from the App Store or Google Play Just search "Antenno".
For Western Bay of Plenty District Council, the simplest way to get in touch is through their Freephone line 0800 WBOPDC – 0800 926 732. Their phone lines are open 24/7.
Or the web site: www.westernbay.govt.nz/council/contact-us/contact-us?ed-step=1
where you can report issues with Drains / sewers, Dogs & animals, Graffiti & vandalism, Health & environment,
Nuisances, Parking, Parks & community facilities, Roads & footpaths, Rubbish & recycling and more.
For Tauranga City Council call 07 577 7000. They’re available 24/7, even on public holidays.
Or their web site: https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/council/contact-us/feedback-and-complaints
Physical protection
Typical physical protection tools include gates, fences, CCTV, locks on garages - any form of physical barriers to criminal activity. Make it an effort for criminals to commit a crime.
Things you can do to help your community and neighbourhood
Remove graffiti promptly - the sooner the better.
Keep your trees trimmed from knee height to 2.5m - see and be seen.
Report to council damaged walkway and streetlights that are not working, trees that need trimming, and any damage to footpaths, park seats and rubbish bins.
Start a Neighbourhood Support group in your street get to know your neighbours. When things go wrong, such as a natural disaster, you might not be able to get to church, clubs or groups immediately and it’s your neighbourhood that will be your first contact for help.
Replace old Neighbourhood Support signs with new signs that make it clear there is an active Neighbourhood Support group in the area. An old sign might look like the group may no longer operate.
People need to see themselves reflected in their community. We need to have spaces that engage our community like parks and shared spaces and libraries.
We need to have gatherings that make people feel they belong - coffee groups, men’s sheds, women’s sheds and neighbour awareness.
We need to create spaces people want to and can go (accessibility) and feel safe.
We need to support businesses, and the police to deter crime in our neighbourhoods.
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