Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk documented within the relevant security standard for that type of product. It ensures that the product is sufficiently robust to resist physical attacks by casual and opportunistic criminals. The SBD focus is on the critical factors that combine to deliver a product’s performance - design, use, quality control and the ability to deter or prevent crime. Products that have met the Police Preferred Specification provide reassurance to the specifier, purchaser or user that their products have been independently tested to a relevant security standard and fully certified by an independent third-party certification body recognised by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), or tested and certified by an alternative approved body. Indeed, SBD instigated the formation of the UK Test House Studies Group and Certification Bodies Group for doorsets, windows and lock products and has chaired these groups for almost 20 years with the sole aim being to ensure there is parity between test and certification bodies. Better quality means these products last longer too, making them more cost-effective and leading to greater sustainability in crime prevention. This work to improve the physical security of buildings using SBD-accredited products is the reason why so many door and window companies are seeing huge benefits in SBD membership. There has been significant growth in demand for advice and requests for details of companies that have a membership with SBD, which has been evidenced in the increased traffic to the SBD website and the reported increased sales of SBD members’ products. The police service signpost customers looking for security products to www.securedbydesign.com, where a comprehensive list of the many hundred companies that produce the products that meet SBD Police Preferred Specification can be found. Each company has its own page on the SBD website giving full details of the company, contact information and a detailed list of all their SBD accredited products. SBD represents a powerful, trusted police brand which inspires greater public confidence in products and is the only way for companies to obtain police recognition for security-related products in the UK. For SBD membership or technical enquiries, visit www.securedbydesign.com/contact-us/sbdmembership-and-technical-enquiries . THE door industry journal summer 2022 Secured by Design Interviews with burglars suggest that they do take into account the level of security measures when deciding on a target, with two recent studies emphasising this. Therefore the importance of understanding the relevance of physical security standards cannot be overstated, as they can make a real difference to how a product performs and ultimately how secure a home or business can be. The 2018 study ‘Burglars take on crime prevention through environmental design’ conducted interviews with 22 prolific burglars who were asked to look at 16 images of housing and to describe what would attract them to specific houses when selecting targets for burglary. The images were taken in a variety of locations across England and Wales and consisted of a mix of old and new properties, from private and social housing. In the interviews, all offenders made reference to the quality of physical security being a primary determinant in deciding whether to burgle a property. The 2017 study ‘Domestic Burglary Drop and the Security Hypothesis’ cited analysis of the Crime Survey for England and Wales data over many years, which revealed that forced entry burglaries fell more than other types of burglary owing to more and better security. Other research, such as that cited in The Economic Journal in 2011, found that when legislation in The Netherlands enforced the use of ‘burglar proof’ doors and windows in all newly built homes from 1999 onwards, the burglary rate in newly-built homes reduced by 26%. It is thus clear that having doors and windows achieve an appropriate security standard is a worthwhile investment - but where do you find advice around the most appropriate doors and windows to use, given the wide range of security standards throughout the world? The Secured by Design (SBD) website has a dedicated page which explains the different security standards most commonly used in the UK for all manner of products - for example, doors, windows, security grilles, locks, alarms & barriers - www.securedbydesign.com/guidance/standards-explained . The SBD website is also the place to go to find out details of any security-related product which has achieved a security standard recognised by the Police Service - you can find out more about SBD on the adjoining page. Jon Cole, Chief Operating Officer Secured by Design A regular column by Jon Cole, Chief Operating Officer, Secured by Design, the official police security initiative, which has been delivering a wide range of crime prevention activities across the UK for over 30 years and operates a product-based police accreditation scheme for security-rated products. Jon Cole
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mzg2Nzk=