Laois Offaly Garda becomes first in Ireland to secure a Designing Out Crime Diploma

Laois Offaly Garda Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Graham Kavanagh has become the first Garda in Ireland to secure a Diploma in Designing Out Crime.

The Diploma, which is aimed at creating safer built environments, is a recognised qualification both for police Designing Out Crime Officers and for others who engage in designing out crime as part of a specialist role.

It enables Sgt Kavanagh to provide specialist advice and guidance regarding the built environment at every stage of architectural design from pre-planning to the full development in order to minimise crime, fear of crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour.

The Diploma was delivered through the UK based Police Crime Prevention Academy which provides courses to police services on crime prevention. 

“We’re delighted that Graham has become the first Garda officer to undertake the Level 5 course and achieve the Diploma, he’s a passionate advocate of designing out crime and crime prevention and is very highly regarded by his peers. Achieving the diploma is a testament to Graham’s knowledge and hard work and gives the recognition he deserves for the work he does to keep people and communities safe,” said Head of the Academy, Guy Collyer.

"Achieving the Level 5 Designing Out Crime qualification was an enjoyable journey. The evidence-based nature of attaining the qualification brought me in contact with professionals in the field of architecture, planning, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) practitioners and also afforded me the chance to link in with Accredited UK based DOCOs who work hard every day to design safer communities. This is something that as Crime Prevention Officers we are striving to achieve in the Republic of Ireland. We have more Crime Prevention Officers on the Level 4 and 5 pathways which is only positive," said Sgt Kavanagh. 

He was presented with his certificate by the Academy’s Course Tutor Pete Connolly and Superintendent Sean Fallon of the Garda National Community Engagement Bureau at the Garda College where the delivery of a Level 4 Crime Prevention Practitioner training to fifteen Garda Crime Prevention Officers by the Academy was taking place.