How do you define community? Do you mark your community boundaries by a zip code or membership by birth to an ethnic group, or by speaking some words that puts you in with a religious organization?

What does safety mean to you? Is safety simply the absence of crime?

How do your answers to these questions shape your approach to public safety?

Some good questions.

The questions on safety are something we have been considering in my workplace. I have a workshop I will be running called Creating Community:Safe Places. When I created it the basis was a combination of ABCD and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). I start by working with people on building a sense of community and connection in their street and then move onto some small actions they can take to feel safe in their homes e.g. trimming vegetation, locking doors. The focus is not on crime but in designing in safety (to rephrase safer by design). The focus is on creating an environment where children can grow and develop in a harm free way. The aim is not to get distracted by crime discussions as this often creates a tangential dialogue about “poor” parenting and “bad” youth plus harsh penalties. Safety is bigger than crime.