*** Please note that Crime Impact Statements instructed on or after the 12th December 2011 cannot be guaranteed to be completed before 6th Jan 2012. This is due to the closure of the Design for Security office between 23rd December 2011 and 3rd January 2012 ***
The Crime Impact Statement (CIS) is the report requested by local planning authorities, to be submitted with major planning applications. These are sometimes referred to as Crime Impact Assessments, or Design Out Crime Assessments (DOCA). The CIS is not just a report however, but a consultation and evaluation process undertaken by Design for Security.
Introduced in 2006 by Greater Manchester Police & Manchester Planning Authorities, the CIS process involves identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the crime and disorder effects of a development proposal early in the design process—prior to planning decisions being taken and commitments made. The purpose of the CIS is to ensure that design decision-makers consider crime, disorder and fear of crime before determining whether to proceed with new projects. A CIS will include all the requirements for Secured By Design accreditation, should the client wish to apply for the award.
Greater Manchester Police recommend that a Crime Impact Statement should be produced for the following types of development:
- Residential developments (new or conversions) where six or more units are created
- Office and commercial developments
- Change of use to licensed premises or bookmakers
- New build student accomodation
- Conversion to student accomodation where 10 units or more are created
- Retail schemes when 100sqm or more GFS is created, or three units are created
- All cash machines located within or outside a building in public space
- Hotels
- All schools
- All health facilities
- All new leisure/recreation facilities (public and private) or significant extensions thereof
- Nursing homes
- Religious buildings
- Transport infrastructure and stations
- Industrial developments and warehouses
Crime Impact Statements should also:
- Be produced by a competent individual/organisation that is independent of the design process
- Include current crime data as a basis for assessing potential risk
- Assess the development proposals in terms of their likely effect on crime and disorder in the area
- Identify design solutions based on analysis of the development context and the crime issues in the area, that will reduce the developments vulnerability to crime.
Where a Crime Impact Statement is required by the local authority for an outline application (where layout is not to be considered), we will provide you with a 'Crime Impact Statement: Preliminary' report. This will provide your design team with the necessary contextual crime information and site-specific design considerations in order to start to develop your layout and appearance. Subsequent reserved matters applications where layout is to be considered will require the 'Preliminary' report to be expanded to a full Crime Impact Statement. If layout is to be considered as part of your outline application, then it will require a full Crime Impact Statement. All full applications will require a full Crime Impact Statement.