Key issues to be addressed
In light of the above the UK Government has made Designing Out Crime (DOC) a national priority and launched the Design and Technology Alliance (DAT) to champion the message that DOC is about sustainable and innovative design of products, spaces, services and places – and enterprises. The programme is managed by the Design Council and targets a range of crime related problems, particularly those that affect young people. These are the key areas that need to be addressed:
Hot Products: 97 per cent of young people carry a ‘hot product’ with them at some point. 85 per cent frequently carry a mobile phone and 35 per cent an MP3 player. The mobile has been a significant driver of street robbery; they are still the only item stolen in 28 per cent of robberies in London. Rapidly changing technology means that other hot products, such as iPods, sat navs, laptops, PDAs and digital cameras are also crime targets.
Schools: Over the next 15 years, all secondary and 50 per cent of primary schools will be rebuilt or refurbished. So, we have a unique opportunity to design environments that discourage problems like bullying, fighting and petty theft. These often lead to wider crime problems later on, such as gang violence, muggings and anti-social behaviour. Creating a safer environment within schools, and on pupils’ journey to and from school, helps to create safer communities and reduce the risk of theft, robbery, bullying and anti-social behaviour. More effective reporting of such activity would make the Criminal Justice System more transparent and also help to empower communities.
Alcohol: Despite a fall in violent crime of 43 per cent since 1995, surveys show that drunken and rowdy behaviour remain a significant concern. In the light of extended drinking hours, fresh thinking is needed on design-led approaches to reduce the harm caused by alcohol-related crime. Making pubs and clubs safer, including the use of alternatives to glassware to prevent them being used as a weapon, will reduce the harm caused by alcohol and drugs as well as the opportunity for crime and anti-social behaviour.
Housing: Delivering the amount of housing stock recommended by the Barker Review (2005) will mean that around one-third of the entire stock will have to be re-built by 2050. It is therefore vital at this time to ensure that crime reduction is given a higher priority by architects, planners and developers. Housing is unique on this list as it is an area in which considerable work has already been done to embed design-led crime reduction approaches. These include the work of Local Authority Crime Reduction Partnerships, Police Architectural Liaison Officers and the Association of Chief Police Officers’ (ACPO) ‘Secured by Design’ scheme. Designing and building safer housing will create safer communities and reduce opportunities for crime and anti-social behaviour.
Business Crime: Businesses need to play an important role in designing their operations to minimise crime and disorder but, all too often, they are the victims of crime too. This makes is especially important to focus on those crimes of most concern to the business community, including shoplifting and other forms of retail theft. More safely designed retail outlets and shopping centres will have a positive effect on instances of retail crime and anti-social behaviour.
Prisons: At the start of 2003, over 72,000 people were in prison in the UK, the highest rate of imprisonment in Western Europe. The government think the numbers may reach 110,000 by 2010. The UK lock up more people at a higher rate than every other Western European nation; 139 people per 100,000 of the population. The annual average cost for each prisoner exceeds £40,000 (Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, 2007). This compares with only £3,000 for a probation order and £2,000 for community service. Community punishment deals with nearly four times as many people as prisons for only 40 per cent of the cost and there is little difference in the overall re-offending rates, although alternatives can be more effective. This has lead many people to ask whether prisons offer the best value for money and what might produce better, cheaper results?