The Town of Ponoka is offering a new crime prevention program to local businesses and residents called Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED).

“CPTED focuses primarily on identifying landscaping, lighting and perimeter fencing recommendations that property owners can implement to discourage crimes from happening on their property. It’s all about helping to keep their home or business safe and more secure,” said Wes Allison, the Town of Ponoka’s Community Peace Officer (CPO).

CPO Allison has been trained on CPTED principles and on how to deliver the program by the Edmonton Police Service Crime Prevention Unit. He will be working with businesses and residents in Ponoka who would like him to come and do an assessment of their property to identify changes they can make based on CPTED principles.

“I think property owners will be surprised by how simply making some landscaping changes can help deter crime from being committed on their property,” he said. “The program has proven to be very effective in communities where it has been implemented,” he added, noting, “The assessment is free. It will then be up to the property owner to implement the recommendations that are made.”

For more information about CPTED and to book a free assessment of your property, Town of Ponoka businesses and homeowners are asked to phone the Town at 403-783-4431.