 Gated Communities and a Crime Prevention Guide HomeWhat is a Gated Community?
The term gated community is any enclosed or fenced-in residential area or neighbourhood with controlled access. Gated communities in South Africa
are also known as 1) fortified or gated enclaves, 2) enclosed neighbourhoods (these are existing neighbourhoods that are closed off through road
closures) and 3) security villages (Security villages include different types of private developments with various uses, ranging from small enclosed apart-
ment buildings and townhouse complexes to large office parks, shopping malls and luxury estates. Ref. Urban Fortresses. Karina Landman and Martin Schönteich. Gated communities in Brazil are called "condomínio fechado", and in Argentina "barrios privados".
In Fortress America: Gated Communities in the United States, we classify gated communities into three major categories. First are the Lifestyle com-munities, where the gates provide security and separation for the leisure activities within. These include retirement communities and golf and country
club leisure developments. Second are the Prestige communities, which lack the amenities of the Lifestyle communities, but where the gates still are
valued as markers of distinction and status. The Lifestyle and Prestige communities are developer-built, and primarily suburban. They range from the
enclaves of the rich and famous to the subdivisions of the working class.
The third category is the Security Zone, where trouble with crime or traffic and fear of outsiders are the most common motivations. In these cases r
esidents, not developers, install gates and fences to their previously open neighborhoods. While the image of the neighborhood that retrofits itself with
gates or barricades is of the embattled moderate-income city community, such closures occur in the inner city and in the suburbs, in neighborhoods
of great wealth and in areas of great poverty. Gating is easily done in open private-street subdivisions. In neighborhoods with public streets, it is usually
very controversial, as the streets must be taken over from the city before they can be gated off. Ref. Edward J. Blakely and Mary Gail Snyder
Advantages of living in Gated communities. Some of the benefits provided to the residents that live within them.
Peace and quiet.
Less noise and less trafic. Non residents can't simply drive through. Makes it safer for children and adults.
Security. Strictly controlled access, security walls, etc keep out people who don't belong there.
You can take a morning or an evening walk or just go jogging without feeling threatened.
It's always clean
Increase property value.
Body corporates and residents take care of and maintain a high standard of living, home quality, pools, gardens, the environment, etc.
Children, women and seniors enjoy a safer environment.
People living in upmarket gated communities enjoy added amenities, such as shops, parks, playgrounds, clubhouses, golf courses, etc
Well maintained and upmarket gated communities are free from urban decay, anti-social behaviour, ghettos, outside dangers and disorder.
Many believe that gated communities are anti-social, isolated, elitist, very much removed from normal society and life and comfortable in their
own safe environment. By cutting themselves off from broader society they undermine the ideals of an open integrated society where everyone
is equal.
Sayings and Quotes:
Some people think of gated as exclusive. Some think of it as security. But most think of privacy. Lynda Nugent Smith.
All gated communities have several things in common.
Some gated communities are doing better than others.
We deal with a lot of gated communities. The people moving there are neither racist, all caucasian or elitist. Most of them are older,
financially minded retirement age folks looking for a low yard maintenance, community activity oriented lifestyle.
Gated communities are just an extension of the white flight.
I do a lot of work in closed communities and I find them stifling, boring and dull.
The two extremes of a divided society - Gated communities for the rich and ghettos for the poor.
Gated communities, the golden ghettos.
A gated community offers the feeling of an exclusive lifestyle and added security, but how secure is it?
There are a number of reasons why so many people throughout the world and from all income groups prefer to live within the enclosures of a gated
community. One is safety. People living behind high walls and tight security feel safer, but are they safer? This argument remains controversial. A notion
that living in a gated community somehow makes owners and tenants almost immune to being victims of crime, is wrong. In reality, gated communities
can only provide a certain degree of protection against perpetrators by setting up video surveillance and closed circuit television (CCTV), security barriers,
etc. These crime fighting features are not going to stop a determined perpetrator but they can greatly deter him. In any true gated community where tight security measures are implemented and properly maintained and guards are not corrupt or just lazy make crime far less likely to occur.
Gated communities are in the fortunate position to implement even more sophisticated security measures.
Perpetrators go after the easier targets avoiding the gated communities.
A true gated community would be pretty safe, depending upon the residents themselves.
The practice of gating and walling is not new
Gated and walled cities can be traced back to ancient times. Jericho, the world's oldest city was a fortified and walled city. And then there were castles
surrounded by walls. Walls in those days were needed for protection against enemies and bandits and to keep out unwanted persons.
1) Castles
The middle ages - In the days of feudalism stone castles were enclosed in solid tall outer walls and in some cases inner and outer walls (curtain walls)
with high towers, battlements and arrow loops. And the entire wall or walls were often surrounded by a broad, deep water filled moat. In many instances castles were built on high ground where they had a good view of the surrounding countryside.
In a great tower (inner stronghold, the keep or donjon) the best fortified part of the castle, lived the lord and his family.The area between the keep and the curtain walls was called the bailey (courtyard). Castles were originally designed and built as fortified residences, but they also served as symbols of might, power, wealth, status, authority and prestige. The only way to cross a moat and reach the castle was via the drawbridge that could be lowered or raised
by means of winches and chains from the room above the gatehouse. If someone was able to cross the bridge he could be stopped at the gatehouse, a fortified structure built into the wall over the main entrance. The gatehouse normally included defensive features: a heavy wooden door, murder holes and
a portcullis - this heavy timber or metal grill (portcullis) could be raised or lowered in front of the wooden door to block the entrance especially when the
castle came under attack. Sometimes two to four portcullises would be used to protect the entrance. Gatehouses were often defended by barbicans - a fortified structure leading to the gatehouse. See also 2) Walled Cities.
  Image 1) Warwick Castle complete with surrounding walls, towers and gatehouse. Image 2) A semi-circular barbican added to the gatehouse.
 Gatehouse entrance and portcullis.
2) Walled cities
In the middle ages people used to build defensive walls around their cities as protection against foreign invaders and bandits. Massive towers or bastions
and main and lesser city gates were incorporated into the walls. City gates were traditionally built to provide a point of controlled access to and departure
from a walled city for people, vehicles, goods and animals. (Wikipedia). The gatehouses normally included:
1) a portcullis or portcullises, (When the city or town came under attack the drawbridge was raised and the portcullis lowered to protect the entrance),
2) a heavy iron-lined door protected by a portcullis.
3) a drawbridge and
4) murder holes (hidden opening in the floor of the room above the door of a gatehouse through which soldiers dropped heavy objects or boiling liquid
down on attackers who managed to break through the drawbridge and portcullis).
Additional defensive features to strengthen and defend the main entrance were:
1) moats ( a ditch that surrounded a castle and city walls was either filled with water or left dry ),
2) barbicans (gatehouses were often defended by barbicans - a fortified structure leading to the gatehouse),
3) flanking towers (The main gate was flanked by twin towers). These towers had arrow slits (narrow openings in the wall which were used by archers).
 Carcassonne, France, showing the classic features of the curtain walls, defensive ditch with arched bridge, and cylindrical
flanking towers, with a gatehouse and additional wooden defensive structures, here defending a walled city. Photo. Pinpin
It's said: Gated communities are remarkably like the walled cities of the medieval world.
Images of modern age defensive structures
  Image 1) Devil's fork fencing (palisade fencing), razor barbed wire and a precast concrete wall with electrical fencing - a highly effective security barrier.
Image 2) Security gate, security survailance cameras and gatehouse or guardhouse.
Obstacles
In the days of castles and walled cities - medieval obstacles
Defensive mechanisms and structures such as curtain walls, towers, moats, gatehouses, barbicans, portcullises, heavy wooden doors, murder holes,
steep inclines,etc were in fact all formidable uniquely designed obstacles to give the defenders every possible advantages over the attackers - to slow
down or stop the enemy advance, to prevent them from smashing through walls, to protect the inhabitants, the castle or city. In many instances these obstacles were very effective making a castle surrender a complicated and difficult task.
To overcome these obstacles or crash all resistance in order to have almost every advantage over the defenders and to capture the castle or walled city, attackers on the other side of the walls needed carefully planned techniques and sophisticated weapons. They just needed to find or cause a weakness
in the defenders "defence system" and exploit it.
When a castle or city could not be taken quickly by direct assault the attackers laid siege to these fortifications. They surrounded the castle or city then
used several siege techniques (cut off supplies to the castle, etc) and a variety of siege warfare weapons (siege towers, catapults, mangonels, etc) to
force it to surrender. This could take weeks, months or even years to accomplish. Many sieges failed others not.
Today - the modern versions of medieval obstacles
We surely can't build deep ditches and fill them with water, install portcullises and heavy doors, create murder holes, etc to deter perpetrators. However,
there is something we can do - implement formidable, effecient and effective security features to give gated communities every possible advantages over perpetrators.
These features (security gates and high walls, cameras, etc) translate into obstacles to hinder, delay, confront, frustrate, deter or discourage the potential perpetrator. The more obstacles can be placed in a perpetrator's way to overcome, the better. Perpetrators usually look for easy targets with the least obstacles in the way. See. Why crime prevention?
Most perpetrators are lazy and don't want to go out of their way to rob someone. They will go for the easiest target.
Gated Communities and Crime prevention.
Why crime prevention?
It is to reduce the risk of being a victim and to remove or minimize criminal opportunities before an actually crime occurs. It also deters an individual from
committing a crime.
As in the case of many private homes and businesses gated communities occasionally become targets of perpetrators. In South Africa gated enclaves
are enclosed by high walls and electrical fencing added to the top of the wall preventing anyone from climbing over it and to enhance security in general
but it's just one way to prevent crime. Additional effective safety measures are required and need to be properly implemented and maintained to further enhance the safety and protection of residents as well as properties.
Crime prevention tips: Note. These tips come from various sources.
Remember, perpetrators watch complexes and residents closely. Always be on high alert. Watch to see what he/they are up to. Alert each other of any
suspicious person/s or suspicious activities. Perpetrators will spend the time to properly target persons, residential complexes and residences. Keep in
mind that perpetrators will choose the easiest targets (soft targets) first.
Never develop a false sense of security or pretend that something bad could never happen to you or your family. Eliminate that mindset and start intro-
ducing home security before it is too late. The responsibility for security rests on your shoulders.
Keep windows, doors and garagedoors locked when you are not at home or at sleep. Quite often perpetrators just go through unlocked doors or windows.
Install a home security system and motion censors.
Perpetrators gain entry most often by kicking in doors. Install steel security gates to improve door security.
  Image 1) Security gate destroyed. Image 2) Stone in mailbox. The stone was found in the mailbox of a house that was broken into. A variety of items are
used to mark your home as a potential target.
If you have security gates on your doors, they should open outwards to ensure that they cannot be kicked in.
But be aware. Security gates can either be bent out of the frame using a car jack or perpetrators can easily bend it upwards - the two side bars of the gate
are separated from the bottom horizontal bar at it's weakest points, the bottom corners. The strength of the lower section of the security gate collapses making it easy to bend upwards. With that section out of the way the wooden door is then kicked in. See. Image 1). Security gate destroyed.
Install a security gate between your living area and your sleeping area to protect you and your family in case a perpetrator gains entry.
Do not hide keys under the doormat, in the mailbox or in a pot plant. If needed, leave a spare key with a family member or a trusted neighbour.
Store expensive jewelry, electronics, and important documents in a safe at home or even better, a safe deposit box at your local bank.
Install the right exterior doors. They should be solid wood or metal.
Conceal wiring of your security system. A perpetrator looks for places where he can disconnect it.
Install a wide-angle peephole in your front door so that you'll always know who's on the other side of the door.
Find peepholes with covers to prevent people from looking back in with special tools, like a reverse peephole viewer.
Install a peephole in the door leading from the garage to the house. If you hear suspicious sounds, you can check without opening the door. And keep that door locked at all times.
We all have tiled roofs, ensure that you secure your ceiling trapdoors.
Never allow anyone into your home you don't know. And never trust anyone you don't know.
Keep your cell phone ready to call the police or a friend.
Never let people know when you’re away from home on Twitter and Facebook or in a conversation with or presence of strangers.
A note on burgular bars, set them inside the window, this way the glass has to be broken to get at them.
In South Africa perpetrators use a variety of items to mark your home as a potential target. Check your street, gate, driveway and areas around the house
for items and signs that seem suspicious: a plastic bag stuck on the fence, a stone or stones in the driveway or on a wall, a stray cooldrink can in front of
your property, signs on the wall, bottles, etc. Remove them whether they seem suspicious or not. See. Image 2) Stone in mailbox.
Do not give out security gate remote control codes or keypad codes to anyone. If someone asks you for it, ask why the code is needed.
Beware of persons posing as a delivery man, etc.
Get to know your neighbours and their daily patterns.
Consider careful screening of prospective tenants.
Make up a list of names, addresses, phone numbers and emails of your neighbours and if possible the residents.
Always notify a close neighbour when you go on vacation. Provide contact details in case of emergency. Use timers to switch lights on and off when you're
away for extended periods.
Know your neighbourhood and the daily patterns.
If you use labour from the street,eg: a gardener. Request identification.
Keep an eye on gardeners, carpet cleaners, electricians or whoever is allowed access into your garden or home. Many perpetrators use this cover to
check out homes.
Don’t leave objects outside that can be used to break into your house.
Report any suspicious persons that are parked in your area or just driving around. If possible, write down the license plate numbers and description of the
car.
Inform residents of current crime trends, crime activities or to be on the lookout for suspicious persons or activities.
Make sure there aren't tall bushes that someone can hide behind. Trim bushes and keep shrubs below 700mm.
Avoid placing bins or benches near walls as these could be used as ladders for perpetrators.
Do not admit strangers into the complex or your house. Request identification where necessary.
Ensure that entrances - driveways, gates, doors and pathways - are well lit. Dark places conceal perpetrators and their actions.
Sliding glass doors are easy targets for the perpetrator and are frequent points of entry. The locks on sliding glass doors can be quickly pried open. The
doors can also be easily removed from their tracks unless they are properly secured. To prevent removal of doors, install pan head (large head) sheet
metal screws in upper track at both ends and the middle so frame just clears the head of the screws. To secure a door in position, you can also drill a hole
at a downward angle in the overlapping frames of the door at the top center. Then insert a steel pin or a heavy nail. A metal bar that attaches to the side
frame and fits across the middle of the sliding door, running parallel to the floor, can be used to prevent opening of the door. (City of Orland Police Depart-
ment, US.)
Avoid everyday predictable activity patterns.
Don't display gifts or other valuables where they can easily been seen from a window or doorway. And don't leave any valuables unattended near a window.
Avoid attracting perpetrators. Don't leave possesions, bicycles, etc, outside. Put them away.
Roll up the windows and lock the car, even if it's parked in front of your home.
Don't leave valuables and keys in the vehicle.
Install a mechanical device that locks the steering wheel, column, or brakes.
Controlled access to an apartment complex is an essential crime prevention feature. And ensure gate is closed before you proceed. An open gate allows
perpetrators to enter the complex unlawfully.
Start an internal patrolling program. It's extremely effective.
It is imperative that internal patrolling and those concerned with crime prevention avoid releasing essential information to every Tom, Dick and Harry.
Start a Gated Community Watch program. Residents should organize their very own Gated Community Watch Group. Gated Community Watch (GCW) is
simply an organized group of owners and tenants who are dedicated to stopping crime before it takes place in a their complex. How? By letting potential perpetrators know they are being watched or by means of reporting a suspicious person or activity. Any one can join.
We can achieve safe and secure gated communities, only if we work together
  Images: 1) Authorised Vehicle stickers - Owners and tenants in the complex are issued with motor vehicle identity stickers. These stickers must be displayed on the windshields or windows of their motor vehicles. 2) A Gated Community Watch (GCW) sign.
|