ST. PAUL – The St. Paul RCMP recently shared some tips on what people can do to protect themselves and their properties from crime.
Sgt. Bobby Burgess with the St. Paul RCMP discussed Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), which is a design principle that uses the surrounding environment to reduce both the opportunity for crime and fear of crime.
CPTED is about making it harder for criminals to break into properties, says Burgess.
“So, it could be things like if there's no lighting there, if there's no locks, if there's no gates, if there's no video surveillance - the odds of you being victimized by a crime are a lot higher,” because there are nothing that deters criminals from committing property crime, he adds.
There are three ‘Ds’ in CPTED.
First is Delay, which is securing a property and its contents, to delay criminals. The idea is if it takes a criminal time to get through security functions, the more likely it is for them to be detected and caught.
Second is Detect. Property owners are encouraged to install a security system and enough night-time lightning to make it easier to spot those who may be attempting to commit a crime.
Third is Design.
“The design of your property has the most significant impact on security. Simple adjustments like installing lights and concealing valuables can have a major impact in deterring criminal,” according to information from the RCMP.
Other examples of the ‘Design’ philosophy include keeping windows and doors locked, not hiding keys on your property like under doormats, trimming trees and shrubs so as to not be used by criminals to conceal themselves, and developing security routine to ensure valuables are stored and secured every night.
“It's unfortunate that we live in a day and age where we need to be asked to prevent ourselves from becoming a victim. But that's kind of the reality of today," says Burgess.
He also invites the public of an upcoming town hall meeting to discuss crime coming up on May 23 at 6 p.m. at the St. Paul Rec Centre.
