Natural surveillance

Secured by design, Commercial Developments, Version 2, 2015, published by Secured by Design, suggests that natural surveillance is: ‘An architectural design that limits the opportunity for crime by enhancing the chance that a potential offender might be or will be seen. The effectiveness of such measures relies on witnesses reacting to and or reporting what they have seen to others to enforce the law and the potential offender’s expectation of such a reaction.’

Security Overlay to the RIBA Plan of Work, published by the RIBA in 2023, states: ‘Natural surveillance can be achieved by designing the placement of physical features, activities and people in such a way that maximises visibility of the space and its users. Strategies include designing streets and public spaces to increase pedestrian and bicycle traffic, ensuring potential problem areas, such as pathways, bus stops and ATMs, are well lit, and positioning windows in new buildings to directly overlook pavements and carparks. This approach can also be adopted within internal spaces of buildings.’

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