There are practical things that you can do to make your home less likely to be burgled or vandalised. For existing homeowners, this is also particularly important as holiday seasons approach when many families are away and the home may be unoccupied for a long period.
The first thing is that you should ensure that the design allows for clear sight lines and natural surveillance. Think about low walls or visually permeable fencing. For example an open rail fence can be seen through. Effective lighting and appropriate landscaping which does not obscure lines of sight are also very useful ways to assist “designing out crime” whereas a brick fence cannot.
Many security features such as deadlocks, bolts, alarms, security film and screens can all be incorporated into the new building or retrofitted into existing buildings.
State and Local governments are also looking at suburban and street design in an attempt to reduce crime. For example designing out underpasses, subways, narrow passageways or other isolated areas are strategies to reduce crime. Mixed-use development such as residential/office buildings can improve the efficiency and amenity of neighbourhoods, reduce travel time and provide increased human activity at times (like weekends) in areas which would otherwise be deserted.
If you are interested in obtaining further information the Office of Crime Prevention (Tel 9222 9733) has produced a free booklet “Designing out Crime : Designing in People” Contact them to obtain your copy.