Grand designs help stamp out crime
Tuesday, 03 June, 2008
Two Police Officers in Bradford District are helping reduce the opportunities for crime.
PC Paul Corah and PC Dan Messenger are Architectural Liaison Officers (ALOs) who work with town planners, developers and architects. They examine plans at an early stage, using their knowledge of crime pattern analysis, criminology and planning law. Developers and planners are told the risks their development might face if they go ahead as planned. An agreed consultation process means new planning applications are sent to the police for comment as well as regeneration schemes.
PC Paul Corah said, "Without our intervention many developers would continue to build vulnerable developments that would result in significant levels of crime and anti-social behaviour. Our job is to prevent this scenario and improve the quality of life for communities, reducing the demands on the police for decades to come."
In the past fifteen months Paul and Dan have given advice on nearly 13,500 houses and have been heavily involved in the Building Schools for the Future Programme in Bradford and the new Primary Care Trusts. The force recently secured a £5000 award from ACPO CPI, the company that run the 'Secured by Design' scheme, for its work on new schools in the Bradford area.
Secured by Design is the UK Police flagship initiative supporting the principles of designing out crime by use of effective crime prevention and security standards. Research shows that it can help reduce burglary and car crime by 50 per cent and criminal damage by 25 per cent. Those developments that are built following consultation with ALOs are given a Developers Award certificate.
The two Bradford District ALOs have recently relocated within the Local Authority Planning department - meaning they are on hand to offer advice and direction about crime prevention and community safety to planners.
Areas that PC Corah and PC Messenger cover include natural surveillance, defensible space, lighting, physical security, landscaping and management practices.
