Designing safer spaces: How building design can help prevent crime

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Designing safer spaces: How building design can help prevent crime

In the face of rising crime and a pressing need for new housing, the design of our buildings and public spaces is taking on a new level of importance. It’s not just about bricks and mortar — it’s about creating environments that foster safety, well-being, and community resilience.

Violent crimes, such as knife attacks, and opportunistic offences like theft, have been dominating the headlines in the UK. While at the same time, ambitious housing developments and accommodation projects are reshaping our urban areas. Could better design be the answer to creating safer, more secure communities?

This question sits at the heart of the police’s Secured By Design (SBD) initiative, which has been transforming how we think about crime prevention in urban planning. By embedding safety features into the very fabric of new developments, SBD is proving that thoughtful design can deter crime, foster community wellbeing, and create places where people truly want to live.

Watch our film with Police CPI — Secured By Design, featured in Policing for a Safer Tomorrow 

Building safety from the ground up

For decades, housing developments prioritised speed and cost over safety, leading to poorly planned estates that became hotspots for crime. Today, initiatives like SBD are showing that this approach doesn’t have to be the norm.

SBD works by incorporating proven crime prevention techniques into building design. These range from physical features, such as secure entry systems and reinforced windows, to creating layouts that encourage natural surveillance and foster social cohesion. Developments built to SBD standards have seen dramatic reductions in crime. For example, one study in Scotland found an 87% decrease in recorded crimes in SBD-compliant homes compared to their non-compliant counterparts.

Michael Brooke, Deputy Chief Operating Officer of Police CPI, highlights the importance of getting it right from the start:

“We need strategic partners in planning, departments, and the private sector to work with us because it’s far too often in the past we’ve had disastrous developments where people have been wanting to move out and away from. That’s not sustainable. The answer is to design out crime at the drawing board stage. And that’s the cheapest, most effective… It costs no more to design something well than to design it poorly.”

Michael Brooke, Deputy Chief Operating Officer of Police CPI

Lessons from successful developments

The Burnt Mills housing development in Essex exemplifies the impact of SBD principles. By integrating measures such as access-controlled communal areas, clear sight lines, and CCTV monitoring, this development has become a benchmark for safe, sustainable living.

“We’ve looked at the crime trends for a particular area, and we’ve measured our response to that,” says Heather Gurden, Strategic Designing Out Crime Officer for Essex Police. “So, we have a level of confidence that when we deliver a Secure By Design home, we know that all of those considerations have been taken account of, and we can say with some certainty that people are going to have a safe environment to live in… What we want to do is when creating that sense of place, we want people then to have that respect, take ownership of it, and build on that further.”

Heather Gurden, Strategic Designing Out Crime Officer for Essex Police

Beyond the physical security measures, SBD developments also focus on creating a sense of place. By fostering pride and ownership, these spaces encourage residents to take care of their surroundings, further reducing crime and antisocial behaviour.

Safer spaces = stronger communities

The benefits of designing for safety go beyond crime prevention. 

“Crime and fear of crime impacts our well-being,” says Michelle Kradolfa, National Manager at Secured By Design. “People really relate to the neighbourhoods that they live in, and are likely to be healthier if they live in neighbourhoods where they have a sense of pride and belonging. Evidence, particularly from the World Health Organisation, have found that social cohesion and strong social networks can benefit health.

“Because of dramatically reduced crime levels, SBD estates such as this one become a place where people want to live in, rather than move away from,” she adds.

By incorporating features like outdoor communal spaces, SBD developments promote social interaction, reduce isolation, and enhance mental health. These spaces are designed to bring people together, creating strong social networks that are essential for thriving communities.

As the UK embarks on ambitious housing projects, it’s clear that safety must be a priority. By embracing initiatives like Secured By Design, developers and planners have a unique opportunity to rethink how we build our homes and cities. It’s not just about preventing crime — it’s about creating environments where people feel secure, connected, and proud to call home.

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