In schools, design ideas are being developed to reduce bullying, fighting and petty theft. Designers are also working on ways to reduce alcohol-related antisocial and criminal behaviour, while materials experts have designed toughened glasses that lessen the damage caused by glassings in bars.

Designers can't be blamed for working on lucrative government contracts, but is the 'design establishment' compromised by aligning itself with explicitly politicised agendas like 'the war on crime'? Are designers pandering to panics about rising crime levels where in reality, crime is not escalating, despite the headlines? Is there a danger of turning communities into experimental playgrounds for designers? Or is designing out crime simply an opportunity to improve our lives for the better, and even - to quote the Design Council - 'stop violence and save lives'?

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