Planning Practice Note:
Planning Out Crime

The purpose of this Practice Note is to give advice on ways in which the design of new developments and schemes of refurbishment can help to reduce the risk of crime.

BACKGROUND
South Shropshire is a relatively safe place to live and work.  A crime and disorder audit carried out in 1998 showed that South Shropshire's recorded crime rate per 1000 population was:

• 56% of the average for the West Mercia Police Authority's area;
• 45% of the National average.

SOUTH SHROPSHIRE COMMUNITY STRATEGY
Community well-being is one of the 4 key themes of the South Shropshire Community Strategy (prepared by the South Shropshire Partnership), which forms part of the Integrated Community Strategy for Shropshire.  One of the Strategy's aims within this theme is '...the development of safe communities, reducing the occurrence and fear of crime.'

Promoting community safety, by reducing crime and disorder, is one of the many objectives which arise from the overall aims of the Strategy and the subject of this Practice Note is a small but significant component of it.

• South Shropshire Community Strategy

'SECURED BY DESIGN' 
'Secured by Design' is a police initiative to encourage the building industry to adopt crime prevention measures in the design of developments. Further advice is available from the police Architectural Liaison Officer (ALO) of the Police Force for the area. 

'Secured by Design' requires that crime reduction measures are taken into account at the earliest design stage, aiming to achieve the following: 

• reduce the opportunity for crime and the fear of crime, creating a safer and more secure environment;
• foster a greater sense of well-being,  pride and ownership for residents and users;
• buildings to include certain security standards relating to doors, windows, locks etc;
• developers who gain 'Secured by Design' approval should benefit from a significant marketing opportunity and are entitled to use the official 'Secured by Design' logo in their literature and advertising;
• greater public safety is enjoyed by all.

The 'Secured by Design' scheme is a national campaign to provide the development industry with sound advice on crime prevention issues in new developments and schemes of refurbishment.  Under the scheme, advice on best practice is available from the police Architectural Liaison Officer (ALO) of the Police Force for the area.

The object of the 'Secured by Design' scheme is to ensure that, where possible, crime prevention is taken into account at the earliest design stage of a development.  This will benefit everyone because:

• lower crime rates allow scarce police resources to be directed to areas and issues where they are most required;
• developments with lower risk of crime will foster a greater sense of well-being for their residents and users, and will thus attract higher values than would otherwise be the case;
• greater public safety is enjoyed by all.

Measures to reduce the risk of crime need not be expensive.    Indeed, by thinking of the issues at an early stage in the design process, potentially expensive remedial action can often be avoided.

LPA POLICY
It is the Council's policy to refer all major planning applications to the ALO and any minor applications that the case officer thinks may require advice.

Applicants for planning permission are advised of the desireability of building to Secured by Design standards.

ALIENATION AND 'OWNERSHIP'
It is now widely accepted that many high-crime urban areas are large-scale developments with a bleak impersonal uniformity.  Such areas engender feelings of anonymity, fear, hostility and alienation amongst those who live and work there.  Residents do not feel a sense of community or 'ownership' of their surroundings and unreported crime and vandalism create a downward spiral of environmental decline.

On the other hand, well-designed areas with a good community spirit, and where the public feels in control are far less likely to experience these problems.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES
This section sets out the general principles for designing out crime.  Developers are advised to:

• consult the ODPM publication 'Safer places - The Planning System and Crime Prevention'.  This is a very good source of advice and case studies on the value of crime prevention in the planning process, and which identifies 'Secured by Design' as a successful model;
• obtain advice from the 'Secured by Design' website (External link)
  ask the ALO for advice.

Spatial demarcation
There should be a clear distinction in the external layout of the development between:

• private spaces, which are obviously controlled by a household or business.  In these areas, strangers would be obvious.
• public spaces, which are part of the public realm and for which no one person or company is responsible.

Passive surveillance
For the public realm, the object is to design spaces for which immediate residents feel they have 'ownership'.  When this is the case, people are much more likely to:

• notice crimes being committed;
• summon the police when they are;
• report suspicious circumstances;
• remember occurrences that will help police enquiries.

This tendency is often referred to as 'passive surveillance' or 'natural surveillance'.  In areas with good conditions for passive surveillance, anyone contemplating a crime will feel less secure and the risk of a crime being committed is reduced.

Mixed uses
A high proportion of crime takes place where and when passive surveillance is poor.  This may occur in areas of single land use such as:

• town centres with no residents or activity at night;
• housing estates with few residents at home during the day.

One antidote to this is to have more developments where residential and commercial uses are mixed or close together.  Examples are:

• flats over shops;
• new housing in town centres;
• more business uses in and on the edge of residential areas;
• purpose-built mixed use developments.

However, it is more important to ensure good conditions for passive surveillance than merely to rely on a mix of land uses.

Roads and footpaths
As far as possible, roads and footpaths should be designed so as to:

• provide direct routes which will be used;
• be subject to passive surveillance and avoiding over-isolation;
• be well lit at night;
• not give easy alternative escape routes.

Neighbourhood watch schemes
Signs for neighbourhood watch schemes should follow the national pattern.  Their siting should be agreed with the Highway Authority and the Police and notified to the LPA before being installed.

Car parking
Car parks are a specialist area of design, particularly if there is a high risk of car crime.  Please ask the ALO for advice or visit the 'Secured by Design' website which provides details of the Park-Mark safer parking scheme.

Landscaping
Landscaping should be carefully considered as part of the overall design of any scheme.  It should be designed to allow passive surveillance as well as enhancing the scheme.  Prickly shrubs can be used to deter access to more private parts of the layout.

CCTV
Closed Circuit Television can be an effective way of deterring crime.  But please remember:

• CCTV cameras on or near listed buildings will require listed building consent
• the operation of a CCTV scheme may fall within the scope of the Data Protection Act.

Security lighting
This does not normally need planning permission but care should be taken that its installation does not:

• dazzle highway users;
• inconvenience neighbours.

Burglar alarms
These do not need planning permission but may require listed building consent if mounted on a listed building.

Shop fronts
Shop fronts can be strengthened to resist smash-and-grab and ram raiding.  Even on listed buildings this can usually be done without damage to the character of the building.

Security shutters
External security shutters should be avoided because:

• they detract from the appearance of the building and the area and add to any feeling of alienation;
• they prohibit surveillance of the inside of the building from the street;
• they are  unacceptable on listed buildings.

Instead consideration should be given to using laminated glass with internal roller grilles which usually do not have a detrimental effect of the character of the building or the area in general.

Bollards
These can help protect against ram-raids but the consent of the Highway Authority is usually required.

NEED FOR PLANNING PERMISSION
Many of the development types described in this Practice Note will need planning permission or listed building consent or both.  Please ask for advice early in the design process.

FURTHER INFORMATION
Further information may be obtained from:

'Safer Places - The Planning System & Crime Prevention'' (ODPM, 2004)  This is available free at:

• The Secured by Design website: 'Secured by Design' website (External link)

CONTACTS
Architectural Liaison Officer, West Mercia Police, Shrewsbury  Tel: 08457 444888 Ex 5154

© Copyright  South Shropshire District Council,
Stone House, Corve Street,
Ludlow, Shropshire, SY8 1DG.
Tel: (01584) 813000                    
Fax: (01584) 813128
e-mail: planning@southshropshire.gov.uk

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