Reduce burglary by 75% by designing houses the right way …
Thu, 03 Mar 2011 12:46:00 GMT
Researchers at the University of Huddersfield have discovered that you can reduce the chance of your house being burgled by 75% by designing it in the right way.
The Applied Criminology Centre's evaluation of Secured by Design (SBD) housing in West Yorkshire found that crime rates were lower in SBD estates than non-SBD estates, with not just burglary, but also criminal damage and vehicle crime reduced by the implementation of this scheme.
Rachel Armitage
Secured by Design is an award-winning scheme which encourages developers of housing to design out crime at the planning stage. Research conducted by the Centre's Dr Rachel Armitage in 1999 showed that SBD housing in West Yorkshire was safer and that residents experienced less fear of crime. West Yorkshire Police, with whom the University works closely, invited Dr Armitage and Research Assistant Leanne Monchuk to repeat their evaluation of 1999, with the updated study showing an even more positive result.
Leanne Monchuk
Secured by Design is a simple, effective and cost-effective scheme which can prevent crime from taking place in the first place. Not only does this cut the cost of crime to society, it also prevents the traumatic experience of being a victim of burglary. The nationwide initiative sees local police working closely with architects at the planning stage to ensure that estates and buildings are erected in such a way as to discourage criminal activity, by eliminating alleyways, for example, or by clearly marking individual boundaries. As Dr Armitage explains, however, SBD is not in any way designed to be a stronghold barring people out of the area:
"Secured by Design is not about creating a fortress with locks and bolts and metal grills. It is about designing the layout of an estate to ensure that residents can see each others' properties, to increase the likelihood that offenders will be noticed and to make potential offenders feel uncomfortable about entering an area," she says.
The scheme also has positive implications for cutting the long-term cost of maintaining housing estates: "SBD is sustainable, which means that estates do not need to be rebuilt or regenerated in the same way as non-SBD areas," Dr Armitage adds. "A truly sustainable development is one where people want to live, where they feel safe and are safe and don’t feel they have to move. Designing secure houses increases sustainability and ultimately cuts the financial, emotional and environmental costs of crime."
