Making Places Safe

Crime needs a place to happen.Making Places Safe from crime puts focus on the where question.

It is far easier to develop a security plan for a single place than to figure out answers to innumerable questions about who, what, when, how, and why crime might occur.A rising trend in criminal activity may require some level of intention and action to address the contributing risk factors.

Making Places SafeSome places are inherently safe. Without any thought, action, or intention required to make them that way. This does not mean that these places are 100% guaranteed safe. Yet, most would agree that it's reasonably safe. These fortunate places usually have several things in common:

Historically safe geographic area & neighborhood.The nature of the premises is low-risk (e.g. single-family home versus 24-hour store).Daily activity & visitor traffic is low-risk.The occupants or users of the place keep it reasonably safe.

Some places can be made reasonably safe by using basic security methods or compliance with regulations:

For example, minimum standards set forth by building codes, city planning, or business licenses and permits.Private places can limit or restrict access, enforce rules, and use countermeasures like video surveillance, alarm systems, and warning signs.Shopping center common area lighting and landscaping can meet minimum city planning CPTED standards.Residential structures can meet minimum building code standards with adequate door and window security features & fire safety devices.Nightclubs can meet minimum standards by complying with fire marshal building capacity, permitted use regulations, licensing & permits, and alcohol service training.

What happens if circumstances change and compliance with minimum standards no longer provides adequate security?

A good place to start is to make a new crime risk assessment as a basis for modifying the original security plan.A reasonable security plan addresses the specific circumstances of the property necessary for reducing the crime risk.No security plan is perfect, but a clearly defined plan shows a positive response to making places safe.

The security plan must be property-based.Every place is different when you consider location, design, size, layout, intended use, traffic, demographics, and activity.A corporate-wide security plan may not be adequate to address the factors identified in the local crime risk assessment.A security plan must be clearly defined and articulated for making places safe.It should leverage facility design, and use of hardware, equipment, personnel, and procedures to the extent necessary to make the property reasonably safe.A security plan does not have to address a temporary activity center that elevates the crime risk if it can be eliminated as a component of the property.A security plan should be dynamic enough to assign different levels of priority for the protection of people or property by variables in day-of-week and time-of-day.

How to make places safe for people and property are core objectives at Crime SchoolTweet ThisWho is responsible for making places safe?It's a question of who has the duty, control, authority, or undertakes by agreement. The duty for making places safe can be a complex legal question especially when disputed. In future episodes, we will interview attorneys and property management experts about the legal concepts of duty, negligence, liability, and the sometimes cooperative responsibility for making places safe.

Here is a list of who typically has responsibility for making places safe (in order of precedence):

A property owner (e.g. private or public entity).Property manager.Tenant.Lessee.Contractor.Property user.Some combination of the above.

A security plan is a blueprint for making places safe