Letter of the Day | Are we designing crime into communities?

THE EDITOR, Madam:
Most conversations about crime begin after an incident occurs. We ask who committed the offence, how it happened and what punishment should follow. Far less attention is given to a more preventive question: are we designing and maintaining communities in ways that make crime easier to commit?
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, or CPTED, rests on a simple principle: the physical environment can influence human behaviour. 
Across Jamaica, the warning signs are familiar. A poorly lit roadway forces pedestrians through darkness. An overgrown lot blocks sightlines and creates places of concealment. An abandoned building may provide opportunities for unauthorised occupation and vandalism. A bus stop without adequate lighting, clear visibility or properly defined access points, can leave commuters feeling exposed, particularly women, children, older adults and people with disabilities. These conditions do not cause crime, but they may widen the opportunities available to those willing to offend.
Community parks often tell the story in reverse not through one sudden hazard, but through gradual decline. Once lighting fails and damaged equipment remains un-repaired, families may stop using the space. As legitimate activity declines, the “eyes on the street” that once discouraged wrongdoing may also disappear. The park does not become vulnerable overnight; it becomes vulnerable through neglect and attrition.
Housing developments can help reverse this pattern. Clearly marked entrances, visible walkways, maintained landscaping and active communal spaces support natural surveillance and strengthen residents’ sense of ownership. 
Developers who apply this lens during the planning phase may reduce the need for costly reactive security measures later. Retrofitting security features is often more expensive and disruptive than incorporating them into the original design.
The Ministry of National Security already has dedicated CPTED and in May 2025 a two-year, US$2-million initiative was launched with the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the Pan American Development Foundation and the United States Embassy to strengthen safety in five communities, including Parade Gardens and Majesty Gardens. The CREATE project combines CPTED training and improvements to community spaces with youths, family and other social interventions.
Jamaica therefore already has the institutional foundation to expand the use of CPTED. What is needed now is for these principles to move from select communities into standard practice for development projects islandwide.
Every major project whether housing, transportation, recreational or commercial should confront one essential question: will this design help people feel safer, or will it quietly create opportunities for crime?

RENEE WATKIS