what is “crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED)?

The concepts of CPTED are proven to reduce the risk of unwanted users taking advantage of your facility. This is accomplished by addressing four areas: Natural Surveillance, Territorial Reinforcement, Natural Access Control, and Maintenance. CPTED recommendations are designed to make your environment more appealing to the wanted user, which in turn drives away the unwanted user. With Natural Surveillance, you are increasing the number of positive eyes on your facility and human eyes are proven to be a far more effective deterrent than cameras. With Territorial Reinforcement, you are showing pride in your facility in a way that appeals to the wanted user. With Natural Access Control, you are guiding facility users to desired locations through the use of landscaping, building structure, and signage. Finally, Maintenance is the piece that holds the other concepts together and shows both wanted and unwanted users that you are committed to keeping your facility safe and appealing for your people.

why should we bring in a safety/security consultant instead of going directly to a contractor?

Peace of mind. Village Security does not have any agreements with alarm contractors, camera companies, etc. This means we do not stand to benefit from “upselling” a client on mechanical interventions. Our recommendations are unique to each client and are designed to provide you with maximum benefit based on the goals and budget that you provide. In other words, think of your safety program like a new house - if you do not want a “cookie cutter” home, you take your wants and wishes to an architect for a blue-print so your contractor knows what he needs to build YOUR home. Village Security is the architect to your safety program that allows you to maximize your return on investment.

Do we really need a crisis plan or can we just define some evacuation routes and leave the rest to emergency personnel?

Evacuation routes are essential, but how do they actually help you get through the situation? The answer is, they don’t. There is more to getting through a crisis than defining a route to a safe location. Who is in charge? What happens if our safety team fails? How/when does control of the facility transition to emergency responders? How do we ensure that our people are accounted for and back with their families? Crisis Plans help both your organization and emergency responders. They make your worst day significantly more manageable and allow emergency personnel to be more efficient in providing assistance.

other questions?

Send us an email at contact@villagesecurityconsulting.com