One act, many ripples - Everyone practices crime prevention

The sculpture 'Wonderland', in front of Calgary office tower near the CPTED Conference venue. Like the thousands of strands forming this single face, individual acts of connection can create something far greater than any one person could achieve alone.

by Larry Leach

During our recent SafeGrowth Summit in Calgary, a phrase came out of my mouth that deserves a little more development: Every community member practices crime prevention.

A few days prior to our Summit, we launched the 2026 Canada/US International Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design conference. I facilitated a panel on Empowering Communities First and invited my friend Pete DeJong to talk about his history helping vulnerable neighbours. That is when his discussion really triggered surprise in the audience.

Pete started his journey by talking with unhoused people in his neighbourhood. He discovered that one thing they often needed was socks. To someone on the street, socks matter. For example, wet and cold feet are a real discomfort and health risk that lead to mobility problems, infections, and pain. So, he began carrying extra socks in his vehicle. Offering someone a pair of socks became a way to start a conversation. 

Over time, those conversations helped him connect several people with detox and recovery services, eventually leading him to full-time work at the Calgary Dream Centre. The Centre is a faith-based nonprofit that provides the unhoused options for residential addiction treatment, transitional and affordable housing, vocational training, and ongoing recovery support.

Conference discussions in Calgary. Larry Leach ran a session titled Empowering Communities First - The Missing Link in CPTED Implementation  

After Pete's presentation, he was surrounded by CPTED practitioners, planners, architects and police officers, who had plenty of questions. His story came up repeatedly during our SafeGrowth Summit. His method of connecting with others on the street struck a chord. Pete didn't take a course, watch a TED Talk or start an organization. He simply talked to someone and took action. That resonated.

It begs the question: What can one person do to prevent crime?

ONE ACT, MANY RIPPLES

Pete's simple gesture of handing out socks eventually connected him to an established recovery organization. That's a good example of how individual altruism can develop into sustained community involvement.

When you lock your door, talk to your neighbours, walk your dog, organize a community event or help someone who needs a hand, you are already doing things that can contribute to a safer neighbourhood. 

These everyday actions frequently appear in CPTED. Natural surveillance happens when neighbours are present, paying attention to their surroundings, and looking out for one another. Maintenance and territorial reinforcement show up when people care for their properties and fix up shared spaces. Activity support and social cohesion grow when neighbours organize events, help one another and take an interest in what happens down the street. 

Conference presenters, organizers and members of the SafeGrowth Network working together to deliver a successful event. This was the 30th year anniversary celebration of the International CPTED Association - Calgary is the same city where the ICA was born in 1996.

To residents who practice CPTED, these are familiar preventive actions. But they are also regular things many people do every day. Individual actions are not the same as an organized crime prevention program. But they are the building blocks of something much more powerful. We call it AIM. 

AIM – A TOOL TO UNIFY 

Some of these ideas come alive in Second Generation CPTED strategies such as social cohesion and community culture. Neighbours might begin by cleaning up a neglected corner, helping a vulnerable resident or improving a poorly maintained public space. Once they start working together on a tangible problem, they begin building relationships, learning whom they can count on and discovering what they can accomplish together. That is neighbourhood Action In Motion - AIM. 

Immediate improvement from CPTED strategies matter, but so does what happens afterward. Action that produces a single improvement can be empowering to one person. But action that spreads to others for the common safety of the whole neighbourhood, is far more powerful. 

AIM for neighbourhood prevention. Calgary's 12CSI neighbourhood association collaborates in collective preventive action. 

In addition, people who have successfully worked together once, are better prepared to tackle the next problem. They learn prevention skills and they eventually get more proficient at applying them. If they transfer their skills to others from something as simple using socks to start a conversation, that can cascade throughout the entire neighbourhood. 

There is a catch, however. When these efforts remain isolated, they can leave important problems untouched. The principle of AIM can address this problem. Individual actions, when shared, can bring residents and local organizations together. They can identify shared concerns and build on the resources already in the neighbourhood. Individual actions can grow into coordinated, locally rooted response.

As we saw with the inspiration of Pete DeJong, when that neighbourhood action begins to take hold, the ripple effects can reach well beyond the original problem. What began with a pair of socks can grow into neighbours working together, building relationships and taking action on problems that matter. That is how CPTED becomes more than a collection of tactics. It becomes part of the life of a neighbourhood.