Plan It Safe: From wasteland to heartland

Resources in this section include _______________________________________________ About violence against women Violence against women - Fact sheet Taking public responsibility for preventing sexual harassment in public places Taking public responsibility for preventing sexual assault in public places Designing out crime and fear of crime The principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design How to apply CPTED principles to an unsafe place Issue specific strategies Improving safety at the transport interchange Managing alcohol Removing graffiti, repairing vandalism Problem specific strategies Lighting Reducing isolation Avoiding entrapment Improving sightlines Improving signs Movement and location predicators Research The questionnaire used in the Liverpool phone-in

• 7.1% of women had experienced an incident of physical or sexual violence;
• 1.9% of women had experienced an incident of sexual violence;[2]

• unwanted comments or questions about a woman's sex life;
• suggestive behaviour, staring and leering;
• inappropriate familiarity;
• sexual or offensive jokes;
• unwanted attention, sexual propositions or repeated requests for dates;
• physical contact such as touching, molesting, fondling or unwanted physical closeness and sexual advances.[6]

• 15% of women had received unwanted comments on their body or sex life;
• 15% of women had received obscene phone calls;
• 5% of women had experienced unwanted sexual touching;
• 2% of women had witnessed indecent exposure; and
• 2% of women had been stalked.

• 49.6% of incidents occurred in dwellings;
• 30% of incidents occurred in outdoor areas such as streets, parks, parking areas and grass areas (and of these, 49% occurred in the street);
• 8.5% of incidents occurred in vehicles (and of these, 45.3% occurred in cars, and 25.7% in trains);
• 11.9% of incidents occurred in other venues relating to business, recreation and transport.[5]

• taking harassment seriously, encouraging women to report it to the police and the police taking action when it is reported.
Harassment is common in public places, often occurring near or in pubs, or on building sites. Police could provide information about the impacts of harassment on women to the offenders themselves, or to the licensee or manager of the site. Public action helps everyone to realise that harassment is a form of violence, that it can make women fearful, and that it is not okay.
• ensuring that important community assets such as transport interchanges and waiting areas are not located near hotels, or other places where harassment is common.
If it is not possible to separate land uses in this way, then create access paths so that it is not necessary to walk near the pub when leaving the station area.

• Create a defensible space: create the perception that the people who use the space have control over it and would be able to defend it if necessary.
• Promote territoriality (or ownership): spaces should be designed to foster a strong sense of ownership so that people feel welcome to use the space, are encouraged to care about it and to take some responsibility for it.
• Incorporate natural surveillance: create an environment where surveillance is a natural by-product of the design. For example, place windows with clear sight lines to parking or children's play areas.
• Enable formal surveillance: create an environment where organised forms of surveillance, such as cameras or Neighbourhood Watch, are possible.
• Include access controls: use barriers to discourage unwanted intrusion, for example a fence, hedge or garden bed. This might also mean re-routing traffic, or changing the number of entry and exit points.
• Ensure the legibility of a space: design to make it easy for people to find their way around, and be clear about what the space is to be used for.
• Harden the targets: make an object more difficult to steal, or a building more difficult to access or damage.
• Develop workable systems of management and maintenance: know who is responsible for maintenance, and encourage speedy reporting and repair of vandalised facilities as a means of deterring further vandalism.

• Does the space encourage a sense of control?
• Could people escape easily?
• How often is the space used?
• Who uses it? Is it used by individuals or groups of people?
• How many entrances and exits are there?

• Improve lighting.
• Consider the placement of shrubs and bushes in relation to paths and seating.
• Ensure there are clear sight lines, that nothing blocks vision.
• Provide a public telephone.

• Does the space help people to feel a sense of ownership?
• Do people feel welcome to use the space?
• Are people encouraged to care about what happens to it?
• Are they responsible for what happens to the space?

• Use clear signage.
• Start an Adopt-a-Park scheme, where parks are maintained by people in the community.
• Implement a community planting project.
• Involve residents in discussions about the design and maintenance of a place.
• In designing residential areas, divide larger spaces into smaller allotments which are clearly owned by one group.

• Can the area be seen from the street, footpath or nearby buildings?
• Does the area promote pedestrian traffic?
• Is the area well lit?
• Are there clear sight lines, or are parts of the space hard to see?

• Avoid narrow tunnels or alleys.
• Encourage as much legitimate use of the place as possible.
• Ensure footpaths are visible from ground floor windows.
• Locate any after hours activity on safe routes.
• Build as many different uses into an area as possible - for example, an after hours, supervised activity in a car park.
• Ensure that doors to units are not concealed and, preferably, are visible from other units.
• Consider the surveillance capacity of existing buildings - for example, do windows look out over a street or a footpath?

• What natural surveillance is possible in the area?
• Is this sufficient? Is a more formal method of surveillance necessary to promote safety and reduce fear?

• Develop and implement Neighbourhood Watch or Business Watch programs.
• Organise patrols by police.
• Arrange regular monitoring by maintenance staff.
• Use equipment such as cameras, monitors or sensor lighting.
• Employ a security firm.

• Is it clear where a public space (such as a footpath) moves to a semi-public space (such as a courtyard shared by a few households) moves to a private quality of materials like door and space (such as a private courtyard)?
• Are there many entrances and exits?
• What surveillance is possible? Are there hiding spots?
• Are there regular users of the space who become recognisable?

• Use actual barriers such as a fence, hedge or planting of shrubs to communicate changes in the use of space.
• Use symbolic barriers such as a change in floor colour, paving material or a change of level.
• Restrict access from the front to the rear of the house and use gates.
• Use signage to indicate private areas.

• Is it easy to find your way around a space?
• Is it easy to recognise the purpose of a place or a building?

• Install clear signs.
• Minimise the number of routes in and out of a space.
• Create routes which are clearly marked and safe after dark.
• Close off unsafe short-cuts.
• Ensure that new developments don't unintentionally create a new dark alley or 'tunnel'.
• Locate bus stops and interchanges near places of activity and surveillance.

• Is it easy to break into a house or building? This may depend on factors such as natural surveillance, the quality of materials like door and window frames, and ease of access to concealed windows.
• Is the area well lit?
• Is it difficult to remove graffiti? Does the design encourage vandalism?

• Improve natural surveillance by trimming hedges and trees, and improving lighting.
• Install an infra red, people sensitive, automatic lighting system.
• Use non-stick paints which make graffiti easier to remove.
• Improve the quality of materials used on door and window frames.
• Install security locks and/or alarm systems.
• Avoid using glass in vulnerable areas.

• Who is responsible for the repair and maintenance of facilities?
• Who cleans parks and walkways?
• Is there a way to notify those responsible for maintenance if repair or cleaning is needed?

• Monitor public places regularly.
• Develop policies and practices for regular maintenance of public places. These may include the speedy repair of damage and the immediate removal of graffiti, the regular cleaning of walkways and paths, and the upkeep of grounds and lighting.
• Develop a mechanism for the community to notify the owners quickly if repair and maintenance work needs to be done.

• The station is overcrowded during peak times, and there is insufficient seating for waiting passengers. At night, the opposite is often true. There are fewer people waiting, particularly fewer women and children, and the station feels deserted and isolated. Station staff are often less visible at night.
• Visibility is poor-sight lines are obstructed and/or the lighting is bad.
• Access routes are narrow and/or indirect. This sometimes leads to pedestrian congestion.
• The arrival of a bus can cause congestion and confusion.
• It is a long way from one end of the interchange to the other.
• The signs are inadequate or unclear making it hard for people to find their way around.
• The walkways to car parks, and sometimes the car parks themselves, are perceived as dangerous.
• Because movements to, from and around the interchange area are predictable, people feel vulnerable.

A commonly reported safety problem is the sprawling nature of interchange areas. Outside of peak times, there are fewer people using the area and waiting, and the area feels deserted and isolated.

• Clearly identify who is responsible for what task.
• Monitor activities and ensure each stakeholder is doing what they have agreed to.
• Evaluate safety activities to ensure they are effective.
• Let the community know what is being done to improve safety at the interchange.
• Let people know how to report problems, who they should report to, and the response they can expect. This information could be displayed throughout the interchange area - for example, in railway station waiting rooms, bus depots, taxi ranks, car park and telephone booths.
• Develop a management plan for lighting maintenance and repairs in the interchange area.
• Clearly identify the person to whom people can report broken or blown lighting, this preferably being a one-stop reporting procedure.

• Raise community awareness of the importance of the interchange area.
• Remove or close lane ways and under-passes which are perceived as unsafe.
• Provide safer access routes to all sections of the interchange area - for example, to the train station, the car park and the bus stops and taxi ranks.
• Consider creating access walkways which are well lit and safe and which do not pass by hotels.
• Integrate safety into the Council's Transport Policy.
• Install convex mirrors to remove any blind corners.
• Ensure the car parks are well lit.
• Supervise key car parks at night using council staff or security persons.

• Ensure that station managers keep up-to-date and accurate Critical Incidence Reports.
• Make people on the Interchange Taskforce aware that this information exists.
• Employ transit police to patrol trains and stations.
• Improve the management and staffing levels at the railway station.
• Install closed circuit television monitoring on stations.
• Develop and communicate a clear strategy for responding to incidents observed on closed circuit television.
• Install convex mirrors to remove any blind corners.
• Ensure the principles of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design are incorporated into any railway station redevelopment.

• Ensure the principles of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design are incorporated into all redevelopments of railway stations and adjacent areas.

• Co-ordinate the bus and train timetables, and provide adequate services, so that people wait for as little time as possible.
• Provide more frequent services at night.
• Display clear and easy-to-read bus timetables.
• Provide taxi ranks close to other activities, but preferably not near hotels, so people don't have to wait in isolated places. Provide additional taxi services at hotels at peak times such as closing times, so that patrons can be dispersed quickly.

• Participate in a safety audit of your interchange area.
• Report your safety concerns to the designated authority on an ongoing basis.

• Increase the number of patrols of the interchange area, particularly around peak times.
• Install and maintain telephones in the area.

• Install and maintain telephones in the area.
• Provide emergency contact information in phone booths.
• Let people know to whom they can report damaged telephones.

• Is the redesigned facility based on CPTED principles? (City Rail's responsibility)
• Will the materials used in the rebuilding minimise the likelihood of graffiti and vandalism?
• Does the redesign include improvements to those areas which adjoin your bus/ rail interchange that are also identified as unsafe - for example, laneways and pedestrian underpasses or overpasses? (Local council's responsibility)
• Is a suitable police presence planned for?
• Does the station redesign have space for a transit police person? (City Rail's responsibility)
• Will the station be staffed at all times?
• Will there be CCTV Monitoring?. If yes, where will the cameras be located, and what will be the response procedure if an incident is observed?

• a clear understanding of who is responsible for maintaining the interchange area. This includes responding to graffiti and vandalism. There may be a number of groups responsible - each for a different part of the interchange area.
• a clear, women-friendly method of reporting incidents or concerns. This will need to include a complaints procedure.
• a procedure for responding to all incidents, concerns and complaints.

The pub near the railway station [is unsafe]. I have to go past there. Pub violence spills out onto the street and on to the bystanders.

People from the pubs wander over. It's worse at night with the drug element.[12]

Close attention should be paid to land surrounding licensed premises. Even in the most positive scenario, alcohol related crime will occur, often within close walking distance.[19]

• the speed with which people leave, or are dispersed after closing time;[17] and
• whether there are bottlenecks or gathering areas outside the venue.[18]

• consider the density of venues at the planning and development application stage;
• install emergency information and telephones;
• keep areas near licensed premises, especially car parks, well lit;
• make sure car parks which are near licensed premises are also near observation points such as police, fire or ambulance stations;
• enable an increased taxi service to operate close to hotels to help disperse patrons quickly at closing time.

• Locate hotels away from public transport where possible.
• Create activity paths so that users of public transport don't have to walk past hotels to access important locations.
• Locate the taxi rank close to the station and bus stops rather than near a hotel.

• Establish alcohol-free zones.
• Place clear signs on alcohol-free zones so the community is well aware that alcohol is not permitted and police can take action to monitor the place.

• Develop a Code of Practice for responsible service of alcohol.
• Locate outdoor drinking areas away from the street.

• Provide adequate transport services at closing time to allow the rapid dispersal of hotel patrons.

• Monitor and police alcohol-free zones.
• Monitor and patrol activity around hotels, particularly at closing times.
• Implement licensing regulations.

• Apply to council to establish alcohol - free zones.
• Respect and adhere to responsible server policies.
• Respect alcohol-free zones.
• Report any concerns about alcohol related behaviour to the licensing police at the local police station.

• look better than what it is covering;
• sometimes be funny or clever;
• be seen as a form of community art, and legitimate form of self expression;
• be politically motivated, often with ‘socially aware’ causes - for example, BUGA UP graffitists target billboards which promote unhealthy products. In the famous Berlei case, five young women ‘counter-artworked’ a billboard which portrayed women in a sexist and violent way. The ‘offenders’ were taken to court, but Magistrate Pat O’Shane dismissed the charges, saying the women’s actions were justified.

• a desire for self expression;
• having something to say - socially or politically;
• taking a risk of being caught;
• knowing that adults find the graffiti ugly; or
• vandalism.

Vandalism 'looks bad, costs money, reduces the quality of life for those it affects, and often frightems people vulnerable to crime'.

• to acquire money or property - for example, damaging coin telephone boxes;
• as a tactic to achieve another end - for example, the removal of a particular object or building from an area;
• to gain revenge;
• as part of a game or competition - for example, who can break the most windows;
• as an expression of rage and frustration - for example, scratching the paint work on expensive cars; or
• to destroy property defined by youth as unimportant or of no value - for example, slashing railway seats.

• during 1986, four young people were killed while engaging in graffiti on train carriages;
• in 1985-86, there were 343 reported incidents of vandalism which led to 1306 train delays;
• during 1984-85, the cost of repairing damage due to vandalism and cleaning graffiti in trains is estimated to have been $4.76 million (cleaning graffiti accounts for 5% of this cost);

• Designate responsibility for removing graffiti and repairing vandalism.
• Ensure a prompt response to remove graffiti and repair vandalism. Some councils allow a 24-hour response time.
• Ensure that the responsible departments or services have access to graffiti removing chemicals.
• Allocate funds to clean the graffiti backlog and repair vandalised areas.

• Collect information about graffiti and vandalism.
• Create a reporting mechanism so members of the community can report incidents of graffiti and vandalism.
• Trial and introduce Park Watch schemes. Similar to Neighbourhood Watch, these schemes ask members of the community to notify a designated person if they see graffiti or vandalism.

• Apply environmental design principles to specific sites - for example, manipulate lighting, accessibility, landscaping and surveillance to make vandalism more difficult.
• Use materials which are harder to graffiti and easy to clean.
• Try to avoid large blank spaces on walls. If these exist, they might be better used creatively for murals.

• Improve facilities for young people - for example, sports facilities.
• Provide alternative artistic outlets for graffitists such as a graffiti mural program or community arts program.

• Tell members of the community that they can report vandalism and graffiti, and how to report it and to whom.
• Let young people know about recreational facilities and activities. Consider communicating information on household items such as fridge magnets.

• Integrate graffiti removal and vandal repair activities with the local council.
• Create a reporting mechanism so members of the community can report incidents of graffiti and vandalism on and around trains and other transport facilities. If such a mechanism already exists, let people know about it.

• Report incidents of vandalism and graffiti to the local council or City Rail.
• Become active in Park Watch schemes.
• Let local council know what facilities young people want.
• Work with the local council to develop these facilities.

• Conduct a lighting audit.
• Install adequate lighting in key public places identified by women as unsafe.
• Set minimum standards for lighting and incorporate these standards into Development Control Plans.
• Whitewash the walls and ceilings in car parks to improve light in the space.
• Ensure that tree foliage does not obstruct the light or create shadows.
• Co-ordinate improved lighting along access routes by asking shops and buildings to improve their lighting, and by illuminating or closing off laneways along these routes.
• Work with electricity suppliers to develop and monitor a lighting management policy.
• Establish a one-stop reporting point for community members to report broken lighting in council areas and in the transport interchange.

• Turn on verandah and entrance lights.
• Report blown or broken lights in streets, parks and reserves to the local electricity authority (usually the company you pay your power bill to).
• Report blown or broken lights on the railway station to the station master.

• Light premises at night.
• Create well lit, interesting shop fronts.

• Let people know how they can report blown or broken lighting on streets, parks and reserves.
• Repair damaged lighting promptly.

A schoolyard is an example of an area which becomes isolated at certain times of the day.

• Design in 'natural surveillance - for example, make sure that windows overlook walkways.
• Consider traffic calming for example, speed humps which slow down traffic.

• Consider employing security guards to patrol key areas.

Clear emergency 'help points' ensure that people can get help in public places when needed.

	CASE STUDY - PARRAMATTA
	Encouraging people to use public places at night Church Street Mall faces a problem increasingly common in suburban CBDs. Its once pivotal role in the shopping centre has been overtaken by the arrival and continual growth of a mega-shopping centre. Although the mall was busy during the day, (9,000 workers use it during lunch time) it was dark and deserted at night-time. The combination of darkness and loneliness created a feeling of danger and the area was avoided by more and more people. The council established a Safety and Security Taskforce and a master plan was developed for the refurbishment of the mall. 'As it was looking a bit forlorn at night, we decided to invest in some good under-awning lights' said Parramatta Major Centre manager, John Carse. While lighting is usually the concern of individual shopkeepers and landlords, the council used some of its public works budget to install the lights and also pays the electricity bill. Also on the drawing boards are plans to rationalise the street furniture (including playground equipment), tree plantings and attempts to encourage restaurants with outdoor seating into the mall. 'What we have to do is encourage people to use the mall both during the day and at night' said John Carse. 'There are thousands of people there at lunch time and there is no crime to speak of because the number of people provide that sense of security. What we have to create is the reasons why people would want to use the mall. If we can get restaurants and entertainment in there, it will not only be safer but it will also bring an economic resurgence.’ The establishment of the Safety and Security Taskforce itself has been as important as changing designs. The meetings quickly realised that while increasing the number of police on the street might help, a community-wide approach was needed. 'The taskforce has police, council staff, local parliamentarians, businesses and residents and that alone has meant we have better communication and co-ordination between all those groups' said Mr Carse. 'Police can react to crime and they do beat policing but they can't redesign the streets. We've learnt that crime prevention works best when the entire community is involved. We can't fob everything off onto the police - we have to ask what can we do as a community. If we want a better quality of life, we all have to be prepared to contribute to it.'

• Install 'help points' like telephones, emergency phones and alarms in isolated places - for example, along highways and motorways and in parks after dark.
• Maintain emergency help facilities such as emergency telephones, alarms etc.
• Clearly identify help points, advertise their presence, explain how to use them.

• Hold events such as fairs, festivals, markets or entertainment in parks, car parks or malls, particularly at night.
• Encourage cafes, restaurants and food vendors to open outdoor or ‘on the street’ servicing to promote active night life in the area.
• Hold activities around recreational facilities to help attract new and more frequent users.
• Encourage sporting clubs to hold training sessions outdoors.

• Move bus stops nearer to shops and petrol stations where there is already some evening activity. It is usually not desirable to move bus stops nearer to hotels.

• Conduct regular police patrols of the local area, particularly at night.
• Work in partnership with other agencies to address 'hot spots and trouble spots'.

• Reduce the number of carriages on trains so passengers are concentrated and are less likely to travel in empty compartments.
• Continue to maintain blue lights on train carriages so people can travel with the guard.
• Make sure there are guards or a station master on railway stations at night.
• Let people know that the guards are there, and where to find them.
• Consider 24-hour staffing at transport stops if services run all night.
• Install Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) on railway stations.
• Develop a clear strategy of response to CCTV. Who will monitor the screens? Will they be linked to the police? If someone is being attacked, how effective would the CCTV system be in getting help to that person?
• Consider employing conductors on evening buses.
• Consider varying the stops on bus services at night - for example, can buses drop people closer to their homes late at night?

• Cafes and food vendors could consider outdoor services to encourage people to use the streets at night.
• Shops can create interesting and inviting shop fronts which are well lit.

• Participate in community activities.
• Report any unusual activities or suspicious behaviour.

Entrapment spots are small, confined spaces, often adjacent to well-travelled routes, and shielded on three sides by some type of barrier - for example, walls, fences, or bushes.

• 'Plan and design out 'entrapment spots, making sure that new designs do not contain small, confined and unused spaces which could provide the opportunity for entrapment.
• Close off entrapment spaces or lock them up after hours - for example, when a building is closed, lock the entrance of the stairwell which leads to it.
• Limit access to areas such as loading docks and storage areas.
• Make sure the area is well lit.
• Improve visibility with aids such as convex mirrors.
• Clearly identify any dead end lanes by using clear signs and markers.

‘I hate using......the stations, all those tunnels, you don’t know what’s around the next corner.’

Respondent to the Liverpool women’s safety phone-in.

• walls and ‘blind’ corners
• fences we can’t see through
• large columns
• alcoves adjacent to paths
• trees and bushes

An example of a poor sightline is a winding path through the backs of houses, which creates many blind corners.

• ‘Plan and design out’ features which could conceal offenders.
• 'Plan and design out' any sharp corners and barriers people can't see through.
• Use alternative materials. For example cyclone, wrought iron or the tubular pool type fencing allows people to see through a fence.
• Consider using transparent reinforced glass and plastic for walls to eliminate 'blind' corners. These materials could also be considered for stairwells, corridors and lifts.
• Use security mirrors (convex mirrors) which enable people to see 'around' the corners and blind spots in stairwells, carparks and corridors.
• On the street and along walkways in parks, plant trees and bushes with foliage concentrated at the top rather than at the bottom - for example, native gums.

Trees with foliage concentrated at the top rather than the bottom, can improve street level vision.

• display street names;
• indicate directions at the exit of railway stations or at the disembarkation point of a bus;
• display easy-to-read bus and train timetables;
• show motorists which roads lead where;
• mark levels and sections in car parks to help people remember where their cars are parked;
• indicate that a street or lane is a dead end.
• advertise the closing times of car parks and malls.
• let people know when the last bus and train is running.

A stairway connecting a pedestrian access route to the town centre.

• Where possible, remove them - for example, replace pedestrian underpasses with safer above-ground pedestrian crossings.
• Improve visibility within a confined space by using mirrors or transparent doors.
• Ensure the paths are well lit.
• Install emergency telephones, intercoms or video surveillance cameras.
• Provide alternative routes at certain times of the day or night.