A New Canadian Pathway for CPTED Practitioners
By: Steve Woolrich, VP CPTED Canada
There is nothing more exciting than being part of something special and helping forge a new path. For me it all began in 1999 when I was introduced to Timothy Crowe and completed my first Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) course through the Edmonton Police Service.
Tim was an incredible teacher and he taught me the basics of the methodology. He provided me with a strong foundation that essentially sparked my passion for all the prevention-based work I’ve been doing for more than two decades. I was so intrigued by his course that I could not wait to follow it up with more training in 2000. This level two program was taught by our current president, Tom McKay and was again offered through the Edmonton Police Service. Tom was instrumental in helping me further develop my skills and solidify the fact that I would become a full-time CPTED practitioner.
Fast forward to 2022 and the launch of CPTED Canada. There is always something very special about being home-grown, and better yet – organic. Brainstorming got underway in 2021 with Tom, and CPTED Ontario. It made good sense to rebrand – there was a dedicated board, including a strong membership base. As a western Canadian practitioner my roots in CPTED were solid and I had often wondered why our country had no national entity. I reached out to another leading practitioner and close friend, Greg Smith of Urban Security Innovation. He agreed that establishing a national organization dedicated to CPTED in Canada was well worth considering.
With the launch of CPTED Canada practitioners from across the country will be able to unite and collaborate nationally. While there are many other CPTED organizations around the world, including the International CPTED Association priorities and leadership styles can often vary. The new founding board of directors of CPTED Canada will strive to ensure that the day to day operations of the organization focus on the many challenges we face in our country.
During the past two years we’ve all been faced with incredible adversity. Now, more than ever we need to come together. It’s been my experience that most of our cities are in turmoil with property crime increasing, and homelessness, mental health and addiction issues affecting us in ways we never imagined. Our police services are often ill-equipped or simply don’t have the capacity to adequately address these challenges. While properly trained CPTED professionals recognize that the methodology is not a silver bullet, they also understand that when applied correctly it can have a dramatic impact.
Case in point, an area of downtown Victoria, BC known as North Park. More specifically, St. John the Divine, an Anglican Church located in one of the most challenged areas of the city. The property is located within a block of Pandora Avenue, and last year I led a 6-month project using CPTED, and other supporting best practices to address numerous issues that the church and residents were facing. As a result of the work completed, St. John the Divine has now begun the next chapter.
In closing my inaugural blog for CPTED Canada I can’t help but think of a book I’m currently reading called The Archer, by Paulo Coelho. He writes, “your allies will not necessarily be the kind of dazzling people to whom everyone looks up to and of whom they say: “There’s none better.” On the contrary, they are people who are not afraid of making mistakes and who do, therefore, make mistakes, which is why their work often goes unrecognized. Yet they are just the kind of people who transform the world and, after many mistakes, manage to do something that can make a real difference in their community.”
It’s a new day for Canadian practitioners. It’s never been about competition or making mistakes, at least not from my perspective. Let’s be allies that can make a real difference in our country, and locally –