CPTED provides a common sense way to improve the safety of your environment. It is a proactive crime-fighting technique that believes that the proper design and effective use of the built environment can lead to a reduction in the fear and the incidence of crime as well as an improvement in the quality of life.

CPTED works by eliminating criminal opportunities in and around your property. It need not be expensive or difficult to apply and simply involves taking advantage of your property’s natural surveillance, access control and territorial potential.

Take a fresh look at your property’s natural surveillance potential Ask yourself:

Natural Surveillance:

• Are views from neighouring properties or streets obscured by landscaping or fencing?
• Are there any hiding spots around doors and windows?
• Are there areas of contrast and shadows around the house where intruders can linger undetected?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, your property’s natural surveillance needs to be improved upon. Consider adding motion activated lights, reducing landscaping or altering fencing so that intruders can be kept under observation.

Access Control:

• Do people routinely walk over your property or fence lines?
• Can this be done in an inconspicuous manner?
• Do people access your property in ways other than you intended?
• Can second story windows be accessed (ladder stored in the back yard, etc.)

If you answered yes to any of these questions, your access control needs to be improved upon. Consider better control of undesired movements onto and within your property. Install landscaping, fencing or barriers to increase the conspicuousness of anyone breaching a boundary or reinforce an existing boundary that’s already subject to trespass.

When selecting landscaping or fencing materials, take into account maintenance requirements and the impact of mature landscaping on natural surveillance. For maximum landscaping effectiveness, consider a species with thorns.

Territorial:

• Do strangers regularly trespass on your property?
• Is your property being used as a short-cut?
• Does your property ever have an unlived-in or un-kept look?
• Are there underutilized sections of your property where people feel comfortable loitering?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then your property’s territoriality needs to be improved. Take steps to rectify this by creating or extending a sphere of influence around your property. Strategically placed markers, flowerbeds, low fences, walls, hedges, signage, better and/or more timely maintenance and assigning purposes to “left over” spaces.

Create an illusion of occupancy when you are not home. This means making sure your lawn is maintained, driveway shoveled, flyers picked up. Use timers to control lights and have someone check on your property.

Get to know who your neighbours are and participate in Neighbourhood Watch. As the summer approaches, opportunities increase to be outdoors and better able to meet the people you share your street with!

For maximum crime prevention benefits, target hardening should be applied with CPTED principles. This means good quality doors, windows and locks. For more information on Target Hardening and CPTED principles, contact the St. Albert RCMP Community Policing Unit at 458-4313.