The Crime Prevention Design Team (CPDT) is a dedicated team of three police staff who are Architectural Liaison Officers (ALOs) also known as Crime Prevention Design Advisors (CPDAs) within other forces.

Our job is to advise the best way to design out crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour at every stage of architectural design from pre-planning to planning process.

What can the CPDT do for me?

Architectural Liaison Officers need to be made aware of any major development within the Cambridgeshire area – early contact and involvement at the earliest possible stage will ensure a greater, positive impact as a result of our advice and will, in the long term, contribute to creating safe and sustainable communities.

Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s ALOs will not normally object to or support individual planning applications but aim to give balanced and impartial advice, by way of comments, on how planning applications may have an impact on crime and community safety. We will generally advise on measures to combat any crime risks identified.

We are trained to read, interpret and respond to planning applications and give pre-planning advice to planners, architects and developers. The advice that we give can have a long-term impact on crime reduction and reducing fear of crime in new developments, allows for alternative deployment of police resources and reducing the Carbon Cost of Crime within Cambridgeshire.

We assist local authority planners by keeping the focus on designing out crime and creating safe and sustainable communities. The long-term effect of designing out crime makes a community safer consequently reducing the fear of crime.

How does the Crime Prevention Design Team fit within Cambridgeshire Constabulary?

The Crime Prevention Design Team is managed centrally from police headquarters and has a key role to play within ‘Strategic Partnerships’ in the county of Cambridgeshire.

We consult with internal and external agencies such as command and specialist units, senior management teams, neighbourhood policing teams, community safety teams, counter terrorism security advisers, Property Services, Licensing, Association of Chief Police Officers Crime Prevention Initiatives and crime prevention and reduction advisers.

Close partnerships with constabulary departments together with other external agencies gives us a broad picture of an area on which to base our recommendations to planners.

Contact your Crime Prevention Design Team

For crime prevention design advice, please telephone a member of the team

Ted Hawkins

Principally dealing with the local authority areas of;

• Cambridgeshire City Council
• East Cambridgeshire District Council
• South Cambridgeshire District Council

John Middlemass

Principally dealing with the local authority area of;

• Peterborough City Council

George Sykes

Principally dealing with the local authority areas of;

• Fenland District Council
• Huntingdonshire District Council

The Crime Prevention Design Team can be contacted on 101 Extension 2432, or by email CPDT@cambs.pnn.police.uk