Crime prevention through environmental design in New South Wales

Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) involves the manipulation of the built environment to reduce crime risks. The introduction of the 'Crime Prevention and the Assessment of Development Applications: Guidelines under Section 79c of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979' (S79c Guidelines) stimulated work in this area in New South Wales (NSW) in April 2001. While the S79c Guidelines have never been formally evaluated, a growing body of research projects have been conducted that shed some light on contemporary CPTED practice in NSW. Taken together, the findings arising from this research suggest that there has been an increased acknowledgement of CPTED in planning circles, but there have been numerous implementation challenges. The Guidelines speak little to built environment professionals and provide limited guidance to consent authorities; crime risk assessments are generally undertaken late in the development process; and operational policing issues have in some instances undermined police-council liaison. After reviewing these and other key implementation challenges, a series of recommendations are made to improve CPTED practice in NSW.