Designing-out Crime: Raising Awareness of Crime Reduction in the Design Industry

• NCJ Number: 194842
• Journal: Security Journal Volume: 15 Issue: 1 Dated: 2002 Pages: 49-61
• Author(s): Rosie Erol; Mike Press; Rachel Cooper; Michael Thomas
• Date Published: 2002
• Length: 13 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This paper describes research aimed at raising designers' awareness of crime in their building and environmental plans, research that was conducted as part of the British Government's Crime Reduction Program.

Abstract

The "Design Against Crime" research explored ways of using best practice in design to reduce crime. Design can be used as a tool to achieve crime prevention by incorporating into potential targets features that make criminal activity less appealing for the criminal and disrupt the causes of a criminal event. This can be done by introducing mechanisms of deterrence into a design, which prevents crime by influencing the offender's perceived risk of negative outcomes; mechanisms of discouragement, which reduce the potential reward from the crime; and mechanisms that increase the difficulty of committing the crime by physically blocking the offender's ability to commit the offense. The research methodology involved semi-structured qualitative interviews with over 40 key stakeholders in the design and related industries, so as to ascertain the current awareness of crime reduction among designers and to identify effective methods of introducing the concept of "design against crime" to both student designers and practicing professionals. Interviews were also conducted to generate case studies on product, packaging, and interior design. Findings indicate that the awareness of design for crime prevention is limited among designers and design decision-makers. Further, security-related issues, when addressed at all, are often introduced late in the development program. There is often little incentive to include crime resistance into a product or environment and frequently little perceived return on investment for the client. The inclusion of crime issues into design education at the degree level and in professional practice could provide a significant tool for raising crime awareness generally and ensuring that designing against crime becomes part of daily life. 1 figure and 25 notes