Architectural Liaison
The Fife Constabulary Force
Architectural Liaison Officer, Stuart Ward, is a specialist officer
who can provide support and advice to ensure that the opportunity
and risk for crime and anti-social behaviour is reduced
significantly from new and existing developments within the built
environment. Using Police knowledge of criminal activity &
techniques, advice can be applied in order to design out
opportunities for crime within the built environment. It is most
effective when applied at the design stage, thus reducing
the risk of criminal activity and associated on-costs to residents
/ occupants / landlords etc.
All of the advice
provided is based on C.P.T.E.D. (Crime Prevention Through
Environmental Design) Principles – estate Layout,
traffic routes, boundary / perimeter treatments, access
restrictions, lighting and physical security. It is important to
remember that all of the aforementioned are to be incorporated
sympathetically to any development to reduce the outward signs of
hardening; CPTED is empathetically applied to developments to
ensure security and safety is incorporated without affecting
aesthetics.
To ensure that the
principles of CPTED are being applied to developments within Fife,
developers will soon be required to submit a ‘Crime Impact
Statement’ along with their Planning Applications. The Police ALO,
following initial design statements at early proposals phase, will
provide the Crime Impact Statement to the developer on request. It
is a means to ensure that those involved in the planning process
are fully aware of the potential for crime and anti-social
behaviour generated by a development on completion, and if measures
have been taken by the developer to reduce this risk.
‘Secured by Design’ (SBD) is a Police initiative to encourage
industry to adopt crime reduction measures in development design to
assist in reducing the opportunity for crime and the fear of crime,
creating a safer and more secure environment. Secured by Design is
endorsed by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO),
Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland (ACPOS) and has the
backing of the Home Office Crime Reduction Unit and the Scottish
Executive. Where implemented, the initiative has been shown to
reduce all crime by up to 80%.
In Fife during the past 12 years ‘Secured by Design’ has been
implemented to over 120 projects including small, medium and large
residential developments as well as commercial applications.
For further advice and information about CPTED, Secured by
Design or the appropriate use and applications of CCTV, contact
Stuart Ward at Fife Police Headquarters on 0845 600 5702 or by
e-mail at stuart.ward@fife.pnn.police.uk