This guidance document outlines how a preventative approach to crime can be designed, implemented, and sustained in practice. It recognizes that effective crime prevention extends beyond reactive law enforcement and involves complex coordination across multiple agencies and sectors, working together for the benefit of local communities. Successful prevention depends not only on structures and tools, but also on institutional change, partnership-based decision-making, and community consent, informed by cultural context and human rights considerations, including robust oversight mechanisms. Drawing on international good practices, the guidance document presents a structured framework for preventative policing. It introduces six interrelated pillars of crime prevention, underpinned by established criminological principles and practices: 1) Community Engagement; 2) Intelligence; 3) Physical Security; 4) Environmental Design; 5) Situational Problem Solving; and 6) Technical Solutions. The guidance emphasizes that these pillars are most effective when applied in a coordinated manner and adapted to local crime patterns, risks, and social contexts. The document also highlights the importance of clear governance and role definition across national, regional, and local levels. It outlines how national strategy, regional coordination, and local delivery functions can be aligned to support implementation, learning, and continuous improvement. Throughout, attention is given to organizational culture and professional development, the role of community engagement, and the need to ensure that prevention efforts remain human-centred, respectful of human rights principles and standards, and responsive to the needs of victims and vulnerable groups. To support implementation, the guidance also identifies four core job profiles: Crime Prevention Strategic Lead; Crime Prevention Manager; Crime Prevention Practitioner, and Environmental Crime Prevention Specialist. Together, these roles reflect the strategic, managerial, practitioner, and specialist capabilities required to translate national policy into effective regional coordination and local delivery. These profiles describe core functional capabilities that can be adapted or integrated into existing structures depending on national context to support clear accountability, professional development, and sustainable capacity across the crime prevention system. They emphasize leadership, partnerships, community engagement, and technical expertise. This guidance document provides a practical framework for a preventative policing approach, clarifying how governance structures, defined professional roles, and an integrated crime prevention toolkit can be brought together to support coordinated implementation, learning, and continuous improvement. It is intended as a practical reference for policymakers, law enforcement leaders, and partners seeking to shift toward a proactive and preventative policing model and is designed to be adaptable to different legal systems, institutional capacities, and cultural contexts.
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