Bollards as CPTED

Confused about the title to this blog? You’re in good company — most people have no idea what either of these terms mean. But both are very simple concepts that can improve security.

Bollard: a short vertical post intended to control vehicular traffic

CPTED: Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design

Bollards are a simple way to increase security via environmental design.

Imagine a building with a glass faca

de. This particular building is in Denmark and situated on a quay where there is no vehicular traffic, but it helps make my point here. A car/truck/bus could easily crash into a building like this and cause significant injury to the people inside. Someone looking to intentionally cause destruction (as opposed to a traffic accident) may see an all-glass facade like this as a perfect target. (Again, we are not finding fault with this particular building in Denmark.)

Now imagine just a few steel or concrete bollards placed around this building. Paint them, decorate them, put plants on them — do whatever you want to make them visually appealing if you want. (Click here for some truly cool bollard pictures.) Suddenly you have an inexpensive yet effective security device that precludes a vehicle crashing through the glass facade.

And there you have it! Bollards as a way to improve security.