Transport Safety

Examples of products that have been designed against crime are:

a)      Cars produced with alarm systems and tracking devices.

Cars produced with these features are more difficult to steal because alarm systems and tracking devices harden the target and increase the risk of apprehension.

b)      Biometric locks.

Biometric locks help prevent crime by target hardening.

c)      Secure bike parking stands.

This locks both wheels and the frame of the bike to the stand hardening the target and increasing the risk for a criminal.

d)      Injection molded seats.

These seats are virtually impervious to malicious criminal damage such as slashing with a knife or burning with cigarettes.

e)      Security car battery.

This car battery is designed to allow the car owner deactivate the battery on parking making it difficult for anyone without a spare battery to steal the car.

f)       Tamper evident containers.

These containers prevent retailers from substituting branded products with cheaper alternatives.

g)      Layout design of department stores.

The layout of department stores is designed to reduce anonymity, freedom from surveillance and alternative escape routes. This answers the three basic questions potential shop lifters ask. Can I be seen? If I am seen will I be noticed? If I am seen and noticed will anybody do anything about it?

These few examples were designed after extensive research and are quite effective in crime prevention. In all examples, targets have been hardened and the risk to offenders has been increased. The only limitations seen in store layout design is that many square meters that could have been used in product display are lost hence loss of revenue.

But in the long run, the gain outweighs the loss. Another limitation to these new designs is that they tend to be more expensive than conventional designs but having said this, a design approach to crime prevention provides practical solutions to problems that are often complex and multifaceted.