Security Shutters: Designing Out Crime or Designing In Anxiety?

Abstract

The final area of enquiry was the use of security shutters in town centres, concentrating on their perceived effectiveness and acceptability to town-centre managers and to town-centre shoppers. It is a useful case study because it explores the complex relationship between the perceived effectiveness of a security measure and any unwanted and unwelcome side effects. The research shows that there is a balance to be struck between obtaining crime prevention benefits and causing an unintended and detrimental impact on the look and character of the town centre. The findings are important in their own right because they add an empirical dimension to a longstanding debate about the relative importance which should be attached to the benefits of improved security against the costs of environmental degradation. The subsequent discussion is extended to include a review of the safety and security implications of urban regeneration and renewal.