By Cst. Reid Nichol & Cst. Dale Brenneis

Edmonton Police Service – Crime Prevention Unit

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) is a widely accepted set of crime prevention principles.  The CPTED premise is that the proper design and effective use of the physical environment can reduce the perception of fear and incidence of crime.  This leads to an improvement in the quality of life. 

CPTED starts by asking simple questions in relation to the intended use, physical or implied borders, and physical structure of a space, with a focus on the end users.  Understanding who the desired users, potential offenders, and potential witnesses are is key in the decision making process. 

CPTED focuses on 4 main concepts:

Natural surveillance is a design concept that focuses on keeping intruders under observation through the normal and routine use of a space; creating the sense of seeing and being seen. 

Natural Access control is a strategy used to control access to a location. Potential offenders are forced to pass through areas under natural surveillance and thereby create a perception of risk. 

Territorial Reinforcement is about claiming ownership of one’s property and defining changes from public to private space.

Maintenance is regular care and upkeep of property.  A regular and consistent maintenance plan speaks to pride of ownership, and is necessary for CPTED to be effective at a property.

The EPS partners with various public and private agencies and businesses to proactively apply CPTED principles across Edmonton, and there are a number of EPS members that are trained to conduct CPTED audits.  CPTED can be applied to an existing community, home, building, school, playground, park, or business.  The same set of principles can also be applied to site plans, or locations that are being redeveloped.  For more information about CPTED or to register for an upcoming CPTED course, visit www.edmontonpolice.ca, or call 780-421-3425.