See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/353681316

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED): A Brief Review

Article · July 2021

DOI: 10.20935/AL2337

CITATIONS READS
3 306

4 authors:

Banuka De Silva K. S. Dharmasiri

General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University
16 PUBLICATIONS   8 CITATIONS    8 PUBLICATIONS   4 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Anuruddhika Buddhadasa K.G.N.U Rannaweera

University of Sri Jayewardenepura University of Sri Jayewardenepura
11 PUBLICATIONS   8 CITATIONS    25 PUBLICATIONS   12 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

A Criminological Analysis on Burglary Related Environmental Factors in Sri Lanka View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Banuka De Silva on 04 August 2021.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 ACADEMIA Letters
Crime prevention through environmental design
(CPTED): A brief review
K. B. N. De Silva, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of
Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka.
K. S. Dharmasiri, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of
Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka.
M. P. A. A. Buddhadasa, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice,
University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka.
K. G. N. U. Ranaweera, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice,
University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka.

CPTED (pronounced sep-ted) proposes that the design of buildings, landscaping, and outdoor
environments can encourage or discourage crime. To reduce crime and crime fear, CPTED
reduces criminal opportunity and promotes positive social interaction among users.The Prime
intention of the short article is to identify the CPTED concept and its usage for later research.
The related duration of the previous studies were 2015 to 2020; 10 articles were considered
as the secondary resources.
Vasquez et al. (2020) examined the research of ‘Appointment Robbery: Do Crime Pre-
vention Through Environmental Design Strategies Work? Voices from the Street’ that whether
or not offenders were deterred from engaging in criminal behaviour resulted from implement-
ing CPTED strategies by conducting interviews with 12 active robbers from a metropolitan
area in Texas. The findings of this study indicate that offenders indicated that territoriality,
natural surveillance, activity support, and access control all acted as deterrents when deciding
to commit robbery. The study examined Jeffery’s original CPTED theory from 1971. The
study discovered support for the four CPTED strategies as initially proposed (1).
According to Armitage and Monchuks’ (2019) study of ‘What is CPTED? Reconnecting

Academia Letters, July 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: K. B. N. De Silva, banukadesilva.tmp@sjp.ac.lk

Citation: De Silva, K.B.N., Dharmasiri, K.S., Buddhadasa, M.P.A.A., Ranaweera, K.G.N.U. (2021). Crime
prevention through environmental design (CPTED): A brief review. Academia Letters, Article 2337.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL2337.
1
theory with application in users and abusers’ words, no clear definition, scope, or fundamental
components of CPTED exist. As a result of the need for clarity and consistency, Armitage
and Monchuk present the findings from in-depth interviews with ten incarcerated adult male
burglars in England and Wales. Participants were encouraged to express their perceptions of
housing design features and their association with burglary risk. The findings confirm (and
elevate) the importance of features such as surveillance. It raises questions about terminology,
weighting, and redefinition of other design features traditionally considered critical to burglary
risk (2).
Monchuk et al. (2019) state in the book ’Towards Automating Crime Prevention through
Environmental Design (CPTED) Analysis to Predict Burglary’ that the built environment’s
design (for example, housing developments and street networks) can increase the likelihood
of crime and disorder. For instance, a housing development with insufficient surveillance
may provide an opportunity for criminals to commit residential burglary without being de-
tected. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) is a program that aims to
reduce crime and disorder by designing and manipulating the built environment. Typically,
the police play a critical role in delivering and applying CPTED by evaluating planning appli-
cations, identifying design features that may create an opportunity for crime, and providing
remedial advice. It is common practice in England and Wales for police specialists – De-
signing out Crime Officers (DOCOs) – to review architectural site plans during the planning
process. However, due to significant budget cuts to policing, the number of DOCOs decreases
while demand for new housing increases. It is demonstrated in this novel work that critical
knowledge about the opportunities for crime and disorder in the built environment can be
elicited from a purposive sample of 28 experienced DOCOs, encoded in a domain model, and
used by Automated Planning techniques to assess architectural site plans for future crime risk
automatically (3).
Armitage (2018) examines in the book chapter of ’Crime Prevention Through Environ-
mental Design’ that crime reduction differs from many others. It focuses on the environment
in which an offence occurs rather than the offender. This approach also differs in its focus on
who should be responsible for reducing crime, focusing on planners, architects, developers,
and managers of public space. The approach assumes that offenders will maximize crime
opportunities, so those opportunities must be avoided or removed (following the emergence
of a crime) (4).
Armitage (2018) examined ‘Burglars’ take on crime prevention through environmental
design (CPTED): reconsidering the relevance from an offender perspective’ through the prin-
ciples upon which it is based have seen even more significant discrepancy. Conscious that
academics and policy-makers have primarily defined these principles, this research aims to

Academia Letters, July 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: K. B. N. De Silva, banukadesilva.tmp@sjp.ac.lk

Citation: De Silva, K.B.N., Dharmasiri, K.S., Buddhadasa, M.P.A.A., Ranaweera, K.G.N.U. (2021). Crime
prevention through environmental design (CPTED): A brief review. Academia Letters, Article 2337.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL2337.
2
rectify this imbalance. A sample of 22 incarcerated prolific burglars from three prisons (Eng-
land) was asked to describe their response to 16 images of residential housing. The results
confirm that the design of residential housing influences burglars’ decision making but that the
principles of CPTED should be re-examined, with surveillance and physical security a clear
deterrent. However, management and maintenance and defensible space are not considered
necessary in offender decision making (5).
Also, Amithage (2018) describes the scheme of police-recorded or self-reported crime in
the research of ’Domestic Burglary: Burglar Responses to Target Attractiveness.’ Secured
by Design (SBD) is a place-based approach to crime reduction that combines physical secu-
rity standards with broader principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
(CPTED). Each police force’s Designing Out Crime Officers (DOCO), Architectural Liaison
Officers (ALOs), and Crime Prevention Design Advisors (CPDA) implement SBD, which
was developed in England in 1989. Amithage (2018) evaluated the scheme’s effectiveness;
thus far, studies have focused exclusively on police-recorded or self-reported crime. This
study augments that collection of evaluations by including offender perceptions. Twenty-two
seasoned burglars were tasked with the task of interpreting a series of sixteen images of res-
idential housing. The findings confirm that housing design significantly influences offender
decision-making, with surveillance risk and physical security standards serving as primary
deterrents. The findings identify areas for improvement within the scheme, most notably in
terms of defensible space, management, and maintenance concepts (6).
Monchuk et al. (2018) described in the research of ‘Is It Just a Guessing Game? The Ap-
plication of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) to Predict Burglary’
that Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) is an approach that focuses
on reducing crime through the built environment’s design. DOCOs are responsible for deliv-
ering CPTED by assessing planning applications, identifying criminogenic design features,
and providing remedial advice. Twenty-eight experienced DOCOs from across England and
Wales assessed the site plan for a ten-year-old residential development and identified high-
crime areas. The predicted locations were compared to four years of police-recorded crime
data. DOCOs are capable, to varying degrees, of identifying locations with higher levels of
crime and disorder. They did, however, differ significantly in terms of the number of locations
where they anticipated burglary (7).
Peeters et al. (2018) stated in the research of ‘Adding to the mix: a multilevel analysis of
residential burglary’ that environmental research on the burglary vulnerability of residential
properties typically focuses on either the houses that have been burgled or the streets on which
they are located. This research examines burglary vulnerability at the house and street-level
using a fixed-effects model and a broader perspective using tangible CPTED measures. The

Academia Letters, July 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: K. B. N. De Silva, banukadesilva.tmp@sjp.ac.lk

Citation: De Silva, K.B.N., Dharmasiri, K.S., Buddhadasa, M.P.A.A., Ranaweera, K.G.N.U. (2021). Crime
prevention through environmental design (CPTED): A brief review. Academia Letters, Article 2337.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL2337.
3
findings indicate that residence type, visibility, and boundary height all have significant ef-
fects, such as street type and antisocial behaviour indicators. Additionally, these street-level
variables appear to exacerbate some of the vulnerabilities at the house level. Peeters et al.
(2018) argue that any assessment of burglary risk should consider both the house and street
levels (8).
Montoya et al. (2016) have done an article on ’The Relation Between Residential Property
and Its Surroundings and Day- and Night-Time Residential Burglary.’ The purpose of this
article is to examine how residential property and its surroundings affect residential burglary
during the day and night. The study is founded on territoriality, surveillance, access con-
trol, target hardening, image maintenance, and activity support. The data were gathered by
observing 851 houses in Enschede, half of which were burglarized and half were not. To pre-
dict day- and night-time burglaries, multilevel multinomial regression models were estimated.
The findings indicate that territoriality and access control positively correlate with daytime
burglary, whereas access control and target hardening negatively correlate with night-time
burglary. The analysis takes into account the availability of offenders, the attractiveness of
targets, and residential stability. The conclusion is that two distinct frameworks for burglary
prevention are required: one for daytime burglary and another for night-time burglary (9).
Cozens et al. (2015) reviewed the current ‘Crime Prevention state through Environmental
Design (CPTED)’. It defines how it is commonly understood and conceptualized and gives a
brief history. CPTED is becoming a more popular crime prevention strategy in Europe, North
America, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and South Africa. This review examines some of the
evidence for CPTED and examines the main criticisms of the field (10).
In conclusion, Urban and architectural design and the management of built and natural
environments are used to prevent crime through CPTED. So that residents can gain territorial
control of areas and reduce crime, CPTED strategies aim to reduce victimization, deter of-
fender decisions, and build community among residents. CPTED is also known as Designing
Out Crime, defensible space, and other similar terms. The proper design and use of the built
environment can reduce crime fear and incidence and improve quality of life. Territoriality,
Surveillance, and Access Control make up CPTED. Together, these elements improve overall
premise and personal security. Crime is discouraged by Placing physical features, activities,
and people where they can be seen. Entrances, exits, fencing, and lighting can be strategically
placed to deter crime. Access Control denies or restricts access to a crime target while con-
trolling or restricting the offender’s movement. When the opportunity to commit a crime is
reduced or eliminated, crime decreases, CPTED works by removing opportunities for criminal
activity on and around the property; it can make victims’ property less desirable as a target.
Inadequate maintenance creates an atmosphere of fear and the perception that undesirable

Academia Letters, July 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: K. B. N. De Silva, banukadesilva.tmp@sjp.ac.lk

Citation: De Silva, K.B.N., Dharmasiri, K.S., Buddhadasa, M.P.A.A., Ranaweera, K.G.N.U. (2021). Crime
prevention through environmental design (CPTED): A brief review. Academia Letters, Article 2337.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL2337.
4
behaviour occurs here.

References
1. Vasquez, A. G., Rodríguez, A., Suh, J., & Martinez-Cosio, M. (2020). Appointment
Robbery: Do Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Strategies Work? Voices
from the Street. undefined. Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/
Appointment-Robbery%3A-Do-Crime-Prevention-Through-Vasquez-Rodr%C3%ADguez/
c8c543283e755deee01ee862f0d7f6bd9f1e7c11

2. Armitage, R., & Monchuk, L. (2019). What is CPTED? Reconnecting theory with
application in the words of users and abusers. undefined. Retrieved from https://www.
semanticscholar.org/paper/What-is-CPTED-Reconnecting-theory-with-application-Armitage-
Monchuk/bea7f9a2f9abee0096ba5ec4c77bc5f3b57bd3f8

3. Monchuk, L., Parkinson, S., & Kitchen, J. (2019). Towards Automating Crime Preven-
tion through Environmental Design (CPTED) Analysis to Predict Burglary. undefined.
Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/

4. Armitage, R. (2018). Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. undefined.

Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Crime-Prevention-Through-Environmental-
Design-Armitage/c6939fc9d6aa211d9a2c86fdb0a8a167a61be426

5. Armitage, R. (2018). Burglars’ take on crime prevention through environmental design

(CPTED): reconsidering the relevance from an offender perspective. undefined. Re-
trieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Burglars%E2%80%99-take-on-crime-
prevention-through-design-Armitage/fd19d538d33063ab44906cc62449a7b41211f894

6. Armitage, R. (2018). Domestic Burglary: Burglar Responses to Target Attractiveness.

undefined. Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Domestic-Burglary%3A-
Burglar-Responses-to-Target-Armitage/98e5368174733993f476a5d778edc54895c67fd9

7. Monchuk, L., Pease, K., & Armitage, R. (2018). Is It Just a Guessing Game? The
Application of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) to Predict
Burglary. undefined. Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Is-It-Just-
a-Guessing-Game-The-Application-of-Crime-Monchuk-Pease/

8. Peeters, M., Van Daele, S., & Beken, T. V. (2018). Adding to the mix: a multilevel anal-
ysis of residential burglary. undefined. Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Adding-
to-the-mix%3A-a-multilevel-analysis-of-Peeters-Daele/

Academia Letters, July 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: K. B. N. De Silva, banukadesilva.tmp@sjp.ac.lk

Citation: De Silva, K.B.N., Dharmasiri, K.S., Buddhadasa, M.P.A.A., Ranaweera, K.G.N.U. (2021). Crime
prevention through environmental design (CPTED): A brief review. Academia Letters, Article 2337.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL2337.
5
 9. Montoya, L., Junger, M., & Ongena, Y. (2016). The Relation Between Residential
Property and Its Surroundings and Day- and Night-Time Residential Burglary. unde-
fined. Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-Relation-Between-
Residential-Property-and-Its-Montoya-Junger/969816efe3595aef1a27cb62f0111cc73e794e49

10. Cozens, D. P. M., & Love, T. (2015). A Review and Current Status of Crime Preven-
tion through Environmental Design (CPTED). undefined. Retrieved from https://www.
semanticscholar.org/paper/A-Review-and-Current-Status-of-Crime-Prevention-Cozens-
Love/1637cd4198e2c6e032441edc6785f1182804759f

Academia Letters, July 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: K. B. N. De Silva, banukadesilva.tmp@sjp.ac.lk

Citation: De Silva, K.B.N., Dharmasiri, K.S., Buddhadasa, M.P.A.A., Ranaweera, K.G.N.U. (2021). Crime
prevention through environmental design (CPTED): A brief review. Academia Letters, Article 2337.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL2337.
6

View publication stats