Crime Prevention Design Advisor
The Home Quality Mark, defines a Crime Prevention Design Advisor (CPDA) as:
| … a specialist crime prevention officer, trained at the Home Office Crime Reduction College, who deals with crime risk and designing out crime advice for the built environment. In addition to physical security measures, the officer will consider defensible space, access, crime and movement generators, all of which can contribute to a reduction in crime and disorder. |
For more information see: http://www.securedbydesign.com
An Architectural Liaison Officer (ALO) is the title given to the the Crime Prevention Design Advisor in some police forces.
A Designing Out Crime Officer (DOCO) was previously known as an ALO or CPDA.
Security Overlay to the RIBA Plan of Work, published by the RIBA in 2023, states: ‘DOCOs (Designing Out Crime Officers) are police staff who provide specialist advice and guidance regarding the built environment at every stage of architectural design from pre-planning to the full development control process to minimise crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour. The relevant contacts can be found at SBD National Network of DOCOs.’
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