Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk 26 THE door industry journal winter 2024 Industry News The Benefits of SBD Secure Homes The government’s proposals to build 1.5 million homes over the next parliament, has brought about a renewed focus on the importance of building security. Poor quality housing layout and design, most prevalent in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, has often had a real and devastating impact upon the people that live within them. Many developments have been blighted by years of criminal behaviour which has been aided/supported by poor design and doors and windows that were not fit for purpose. However, when crime prevention is considered from the outset of a build, the benefits are huge, and this is especially the case when it comes to those built to Secured by Design standards. Secured by Design (SBD) is the official police security initiative that works to improve the security of all buildings and their immediate surroundings to provide safe places to live, work, shop and visit. It is currently celebrating its 35th year of delivering outstanding crime prevention benefits across a wide range of development types including residential, educational, commercial and mixed use. The effectiveness of SBD has been academically evaluated several times and each time the findings have been dramatic. In one study of 3000 local authority homes in Scotland, burglary reductions figures were seen at 91% when compared to near neighbouring developments that were not accredited to the SBD standard. Working with strategic partners SBD is delivered by all UK police forces with approximately 200 Designing Out Crime Officers (DOCOs) employed to work with strategic partners, such a local planning authorities and others, to design out crime when designs are still at the drawing board stage. How much cheaper and effective it is at that point to draw new lines on future planning proposals than it is to see a flawed development built and then a need to introduce expensive and less impactful intervention measures later to counter criminal behaviour who take advantage of the vulnerabilities they find there. Sadly, this has often been the case in the past as the Home Office’s Safer Streets Fund, now in its fifth iteration, confirms. The Safer Streets Fund (worth £50 million pounds in 2024-25) sees Police and Crime Commissioners submit applications for funding that if granted is then used to provide necessary measures to thwart the criminal who is active within the built environment. This is often used to purchase products required to augment the security of properties, or improve lighting and CCTV to generate a feeling of improved safety. With a little forethought and expertise back at that all important
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mzg2Nzk=