Design Against Crime Research Centre
DAC is a socially responsive, practice-led research centre located
at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, University of the Arts London
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RSA Design Directions Brief: Design out shoplifting
Reviewing the dark side of shopping
Launched 23rd September 2009
The Brief
Can the design of shop furniture, products, packaging, retail space large and small, display areas, security procedures, retail management and the myriad of other factors in this environment – even the experience of shopping itself – reduce shoplifting and improve ambiance without turning a small newsagent or a large department store into Alcatraz?
This project is open to undergraduates, postgraduates and those in the first year following graduation.A Shoplifting Ning was set up as a forum for discussion.
Please download the full brief here
Please look at resources here
DAC on "Designed World", BBC Scotland
Design Against Crime was featured as part of the BBC's Designed World
series hghlighting the observation of human behaviour as the starting
point for DAC's designing. "We'll never eliminate crime but we can design products to help reduce
it. The Design Against Crime Research Centre creates innovative
anti-theft bags and bike stands. This doesn't sound promising but
their work is shown here to be effective and innovative whilst managing
to look great. Its important, says one team member, not to turn the
world into a fortress."
Click here to watch
DAC is in the 'Design Week Hot 50' 2009
Design Week 05 February 2009
While crime has reduced in the past decade, technology and society has evolved, creating new crime challenges. Design, therefore, has an important role to play in preventing crime and reducing criminal activity.
Design Against Crime is an initiative that was first launched in 1999. The Design Against Crime Research Centre was set up in 2001 by director Dr Lorraine Gamman. It received designation status in July 2005, becoming permanently based at Central St Martins College of Art and Design. DAC aims to challenge designers into creating products, services and environments that factor security into their work and make it visually pleasing, as well as crime-proof.
DAC is independently funded, but is recognised worldwide. The Australian government is, for example, working with a local design school, investing £1.4m into a similar programme, following the DAC initiative.
In a separate move, the Home Office and the Design Council are collaborating on the Designing Out Crime programme. In November 2008, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith agreed £1.6m backing for the Design and Technology Alliance, headed by Sebastian Conran, to develop innovative design solutions against crime over the next three years.
The programme breaks down into five areas: reducing bullying in schools, led by Sir John Sorrell; making 'hot' products more crime-proof, led by Joe McGeehan, director of the Centre for Communications Research at Bristol University; embedding crime-reducing approaches to housing, led by forensic psychologist Ken Pease; reducing alcohol-related crime, led by the Royal College of Art's Professor Jeremy Myerson; and minimising crime against businesses, led by Gamman.
Grippa, June-August 2008 testing: London-Barcelona / Grippa, Junio-Agosto 2008: prueba: Londres-Barcelona
The DAC Research Centre in partnership with the UCL Jill Dando Institute for Crime Science and in collaboration with Elisava school of design (Barcelona), have worked with two bars in London (Wetherspoons) and two bars in Barcelona (Glaciar and Horiginal) to assess the usability of the latest DAC bag hanging Grippa design prototypes.
Grippa, Junio-Agosto 2008: prueba: Londres-Barcelona
El DAC Research Centre (Centro de Investigación de Diseño contra el Crimen) en asociación con el UCL Jill Dando Institute for Crime and Science (Instituto de Investigación para Crimen y Ciencia Jill Dando), en colaboración con Elisava Escuela de Diseño (Barcelona) han trabajado con dos bares en Londres (Wetherspoons) y dos bares en Barcelona (Glaciar y Horiginal) para determinar la usabilidad de los mas recientes prototipos diseñados del clip/gancho Grippa para colgar bolsos.
Home Office Design and Technology Alliance Membership
Professor Lorraine Gamman, Director of DACRC is a member of the government's Design and Technology Alliance, an independent group of designers committed to raising the profile of crime prevention.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6940485.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6939816.stm