Summary of CPTED audit tool examples
| Jurisdiction: organisation | Name and purpose | No. of items and CPTED categories | Directions for use |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2004) | Safer places: the planning system and crime prevention Guide for local authorities to prevent crime and improve community safety | 39 variables across seven CPTED elements of access and movement, layout, surveillance, ownership, physical protection, activity and management and maintenance | A brief overview of when audits should be undertaken and who should be involved. Audit checklist provided but no audit tool template |
| New Zealand Ministry of Justice (2005a, 2005b) | National guidelines for CPTED in New Zealand. Guide for local authorities to reduce crime and fear of crime | 133 “considerations” across seven elements of safe movement and access, sightlines, layout, activity mix, ownership, maintenance and physical protection | A detailed 50-page guide outlined the “who”, “what”, “where”, “why” and “how” of conducting CPTED audits, although no audit template was provided (p. 1) |
| United States: Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (Coe, 2005) | CPTED site assessment and safety audit. To identify and enhance community safety factors and deter potential offenders | 171 items across 22 categories including general impressions, lighting, signage, sightlines, movement, entrapment, activity uses, maintenance, territoriality and landscaping | An eight-page implementation and data analysis guide was provided for two checklist templates |
| Brisbane, Queensland, Australia: Mihinjac (2010) | Queen street mall CPTED survey Purpose not otherwise specified | 38 items across seven categories of territoriality, surveillance, access, image and maintenance, activity support, signage and general impressions | Checklist template provided but no directions for use, implementation or data analysis |
| Australia: Queensland Police Service (Aquilina, 2011) | CPTED practical worksheet Purpose not otherwise specified | 64 items across 12 categories including designation, definition, design and others as per above | A five-step process included a checklist template, but no implementation or data analysis guidance provided |
| United Nations/Canada: Women In Cities International (2011) | The women’s safety audit Checklist template for assessing site safety for women To be used across 5 geographical areas of streets, residential areas, parks, markets, and bus stops | 74 CPTED items across five domains included lighting, sightlines, signage, maintenance, presence of emergency services, guardianship, ownership, activity support and perceptions of safety | The audit template process included the use of maps, advising local authorities, training participants, conducting audits in groups to ensure safety and triangulating audit data with other crime and safety sources to confirm results |
| Colorado, United States: Alternation (Saville, 1991) | The neighbourhood (sic) safety audit. Purpose not otherwise specified | 71 items across 17 domains including general impressions, lighting, signage, sightlines, aesthetic, entrapment, land use, maintenance, physical and social cohesion, risk of crime and potential solutions | A four-day certificate level course covering 3 generations of CPTED, audit time, auditor mix and analysis for audit facilitators to use the checklist template with local people (Alternation, 2022) |
| Australia: Queensland Government (Queensland Police Service, 2021) | Crime prevention through environmental design: Guidelines for Queensland For local government, police, businesses, and community groups to identify and reduce crime opportunities to build safer and prosperous communities | Seven categories of activation, surveillance, ownership, stakeholder management, legibility, territoriality and vulnerability | Discussed each CPTED category and recommended “a regular auditing system of CPTED principles and practices” but did not provide an audit checklist, template or further guidance on the conduct of audits or data analysis (p. 14) |
| Perth, Western Australia: Cozens et al. (2023) | Town Centre CPTED audit tool Collaboration between local council, police, business and charity groups to reduce fear and crime | 35 items across five physical CPTED domains, including image, land use, surveillance, ownership, maintenance and night use (Cozens and Babb, 2018) | Described as “best practice” standard (p. 15) items were rated 1–5 by 16 CPTED students and two staff across four audits at 20-m intervals throughout the audit area. Data was cross referenced with a local crime and fear of crime survey. The original audit tool is freely available |
| Jurisdiction: organisation | Name and purpose | No. of items and CPTED categories | Directions for use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safer places: the planning system and crime prevention Guide for local authorities to prevent crime and improve community safety | 39 variables across seven CPTED elements of access and movement, layout, surveillance, ownership, physical protection, activity and management and maintenance | A brief overview of when audits should be undertaken and who should be involved. Audit checklist provided but no audit tool template | |
| National guidelines for CPTED in New Zealand. Guide for local authorities to reduce crime and fear of crime | 133 “considerations” across seven elements of safe movement and access, sightlines, layout, activity mix, ownership, maintenance and physical protection | A detailed 50-page guide outlined the “who”, “what”, “where”, “why” and “how” of conducting CPTED audits, although no audit template was provided (p. 1) | |
| United States: Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning ( | CPTED site assessment and safety audit. To identify and enhance community safety factors and deter potential offenders | 171 items across 22 categories including general impressions, lighting, signage, sightlines, movement, entrapment, activity uses, maintenance, territoriality and landscaping | An eight-page implementation and data analysis guide was provided for two checklist templates |
| Brisbane, Queensland, Australia: | Queen street mall CPTED survey Purpose not otherwise specified | 38 items across seven categories of territoriality, surveillance, access, image and maintenance, activity support, signage and general impressions | Checklist template provided but no directions for use, implementation or data analysis |
| Australia: Queensland Police Service ( | CPTED practical worksheet Purpose not otherwise specified | 64 items across 12 categories including designation, definition, design and others as per above | A five-step process included a checklist template, but no implementation or data analysis guidance provided |
| United Nations/Canada: | The women’s safety audit Checklist template for assessing site safety for women To be used across 5 geographical areas of streets, residential areas, parks, markets, and bus stops | 74 CPTED items across five domains included lighting, sightlines, signage, maintenance, presence of emergency services, guardianship, ownership, activity support and perceptions of safety | The audit template process included the use of maps, advising local authorities, training participants, conducting audits in groups to ensure safety and triangulating audit data with other crime and safety sources to confirm results |
| Colorado, United States: Alternation ( | The neighbourhood (sic) safety audit. Purpose not otherwise specified | 71 items across 17 domains including general impressions, lighting, signage, sightlines, aesthetic, entrapment, land use, maintenance, physical and social cohesion, risk of crime and potential solutions | A four-day certificate level course covering 3 generations of CPTED, audit time, auditor mix and analysis for audit facilitators to use the checklist template with local people ( |
| Australia: Queensland Government ( | Crime prevention through environmental design: Guidelines for Queensland For local government, police, businesses, and community groups to identify and reduce crime opportunities to build safer and prosperous communities | Seven categories of activation, surveillance, ownership, stakeholder management, legibility, territoriality and vulnerability | Discussed each CPTED category and recommended “a regular auditing system of CPTED principles and practices” but did not provide an audit checklist, template or further guidance on the conduct of audits or data analysis (p. 14) |
| Perth, Western Australia: | Town Centre CPTED audit tool Collaboration between local council, police, business and charity groups to reduce fear and crime | 35 items across five physical CPTED domains, including image, land use, surveillance, ownership, maintenance and night use ( | Described as “best practice” standard (p. 15) items were rated 1–5 by 16 CPTED students and two staff across four audits at 20-m intervals throughout the audit area. Data was cross referenced with a local crime and fear of crime survey. The original audit tool is freely available |
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