Investigating the carbon costs of crime

An exciting new collaborative project between the Home Office, ACPO Secured by Design (SBD) Crime Prevention Initiatives and the University of Surrey will investigate the synergies between moving to a low crime and low carbon society.

High crime, high carbon

As noted by Ken Pease in his 2009 report, The Carbon Cost of Crime and its Implications:

“it is hard to envisage a high crime society being a low carbon society. Recognition of this would lead to a major shift in policy favouring primary crime prevention through the design, implementation and maintenance of products and services less prone to crime.”

Linking the amount of carbon to actual crime statistics has been difficult. To this end, the Home Office has ongoing interest in investigating the evidence base for evaluating the carbon cost associated with crime including what measures, policies and solutions could be offered to diminish the levels of carbon that currently prevail across society in terms of criminal activities.

Designing out crime

Established in 1989 by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), Secured By Design focuses on the design and security for new and refurbished homes, commercial premises and car parks as well as the acknowledgement of quality security products and crime prevention projects. Secured By Design is committed to designing out crime, and as part of their ongoing activities Secured By Design have been investigating the carbon cost of crime in recent years to further understand how they might be able to design out carbon costs with upfront solutions to prevent or reduce criminal activities happening in the first place.

Researching opportunities to lower crime and carbon

The new initiative will see recruitment of a student Research Engineer who will be part of the Sustainability for Engineering & Energy Systems Industrial Doctorate Centre at the University of Surrey.  The Centre aims to develop the next generation of professionals, enabling them to become effective agents of change in the transition to a more sustainable, lower carbon economy. It provides a stimulating environment for research and high-quality professional development, enabling talented researchers to drive progress towards the sustainable delivery of products and services.

Supervised jointly by Dr Angela Druckman of the Centre for Environmental Strategy at the University of Surrey, and members of the Home Office and Secured By Design, the Research Engineer will undertake a four-year doctorate which is academically equivalent to a PhD, but has one major difference – the student Research Engineer will spend the majority of his/her time at the sponsor organisations’ premises working on their research priorities. He/she will return to the Industrial Doctorate Centre for short courses, conferences and seminars designed to develop specialist technical knowledge and business skills.

The research project aims to kick off in the autumn of 2012. Recruitment for the student Research Engineer will be released soon and be available online.

For further information please contact Angela Druckman at the University of Surrey.