News from Secured By Design
The Home Office New Crime Strategy
This strategy has been published by the Home Office to address crime and crime prevention. The document refers to Secured by Design (page 35) as promoting good practice in using the planning system to ensure that designers and builders consider crime prevention measures during the design stage of their proposals.
To view the strategy visit the publications section on the SBD website.
Computer and data theft protection solutions designed to take a "Bite out of Crime"
Absolute® Software Corporation ("Absolute") (TSX: ABT), the leading provider of patented, firmware-based, Computer Theft Recovery, Data Protection and Secure Asset Tracking™ solutions, today announced that its Computrace®One™ enterprise solution has been awarded a coveted Secured by Design licence from the Association of Chief Police Officers Crime Prevention Initiatives’ (ACPO CPI).
ACPO CPI operates the Secured by Design scheme to provide a reliable benchmark for security products, with the SBD logo only displayed on items that have passed a stringent standards test conducted by a suitably accredited, independent, third party testing body.
ACPO CPI General Manager, Alan McInnes said, "We are very pleased to have awarded SBD accreditation to Absolute Software’s ComputraceOne solution. This crime prevention and detection tool encompasses initiative and unique technology to ‘design out crime’ from computer theft."
Absolute Software EMEA Limited Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director, Rob Chase said the Company is very excited to receive the SBD licence for ComputraceOne.
"This award demonstrates our commitment to providing a highly effective solution for organisations to combat loss and theft of mobile computing devices, and to protect confidential data from falling into the wrong hands."
Mr Chase continued, "Every day there are more and more high profile laptop thefts being reported through the media. Recently Marks and Spencer confirmed that a laptop containing salary details, addresses, dates of birth, national insurance and phone numbers of 26,000 M&S employees had been stolen."
"Marks and Spencer now join the list of others who have experienced high profile thefts such as the NHS and Nationwide Building Society who were recently fined £980,000 as a result of just one stolen laptop."
"Our ComputraceOne solution can help customers avoid such consequences by capturing the thief and physically recovering these stolen assets, or by remotely deleting confidential data from lost or stolen computers."
Over the past ten years Absolute has proven its theft recovery capabilities on a worldwide level by reuniting thousands of people with their stolen laptops and deleting potentially compromised data from lost or stolen machines.
Ask your computer manufacturer or IT vendor for more information about how to purchase ComputraceOne. The software is embedded in laptops from the world’s largest computer manufacturers and is ready for enterprise customers to activate through the purchase of a subscription to ComputraceOne.
Secured Environments
Secured Environments is a new risk management scheme being launched on 12 April to promote good security practice in organisations by focusing on strategy, process and people.
ACPO Crime Prevention Initiatives in partnership with Perpetuity, one of the country’s leading crime and security consultancies and a spin-out from the University of Leicester, have developed the scheme which will compliment the existing ACPO-supported Secured by Design project.
ACPO CPI Managing Director, Richard Childs said, "Every organisation needs to develop its own detailed policy on security, supplemented with a security strategy that sets out how to implement that policy."
Secured Environments is a quality assurance scheme that will assess organisations to see if they have made security an inherent part of how they are managed. If they pass the standard they will be certified as being secure by ACPO CPI and awarded the ‘Police’ Secured Environments Certificate.
ACPO CPI General Manager, Mr Alan McInnes said, "Police certification schemes like this give the public, customers and staff the confidence that security is being treated seriously and is an ongoing commitment and process by organisations who achieve certification."
The scheme has been successfully piloted on a number of organisations including schools and business in different parts of the country.
A key advantage of Secured Environments is that it will help organisations to think about their risks and how to make the best use of security measures they already have.
Professor Martin Gill, Director of Perpetuity noted, "Organisations are encouraged to focus on processes and people rather than seeing investment in new technology as the sole answer; to this extent the scheme may help them save on unnecessary expenditure while developing a better overall approach to security."
The first phase of the Secured Environments is aimed at schools and business.
Association of British Insurers report supports case for SBD
The report outlines the success of SBD in reducing crime and compares the modest cost of improving security in new homes with the cost of burglary to victims and the national economy. The security upgrade can be achieved for as little as £480 and an average cost across a range of home types of £630, whereas the average cost of burglary is £3,300. This equates to net savings to the national economy of £215m in the first year and £3.2bn over 20 years.
Modern social housing already receives the benefit of SBD as Housing Corporation funding is geared to achieving the standard. The ABI believes that regulation through the Sustainable & Secure Buildings Act is the way to improve security in the private housing market.
The report can be downloaded via the link
ACPO CPI comment: ACPO CPI supports the publication. Whilst the environmental aspects of the Act have an element of compulsion the security proposals are currently voluntary so the buyer would have little way of knowing whether the security provided is adequate or not.
If you are an existing home owner you can check your security using the home security sections of our web site.
MP Calls on Welsh Assembly to Act on Crime Reduction
Conwy’s Member of Parliament, David Jones, has called upon the Welsh Assembly Government to do more to promote crime reduction through the Town and Country Planning system.
Speaking after meeting North Wales Police Architectural Liaison Officer, Gerry Barlow, David Jones voiced his concern that Wales is lagging behind England in implementing the Secured by Design initiative.
David Jones said, "In England, Local Planning Authorities are explicitly required to incorporate ‘designing out crime’ measures as a condition of the grant of planning permission. This does not apply in Wales. Furthermore, it appears that the Assembly Government does not see this as a priority for many years to come."
"There is no good reason why Wales should not benefit from crime reduction measures to the same extent as the rest of the country. I have therefore written to the Assembly Minister for Environment, Planning and Countryside, Carwyn Jones, asking him to give urgent attention to this problem and to let me know when the Assembly will be bringing forward ‘designing out crime’ measures."
Raising the Bar for Private Developers
The cost of housing in today’s property market is leading buyers to expect more from their newly built homes and Southern Heritage are amongst the rising set of forward thinking companies who are providing just that.
Many private developers continue to apply SBD to affordable homes and go back to the most basic security for the remainder of the development, a decision which could have major implications for the future security of an area. By contrast, Southern Heritage ensures the entire development is SBD approved, not just the affordable element.
Their latest development, White Sand, is a new village-style living environment of traditional family homes in Camber, East Sussex. The homes blend seamlessly with the architecture of the area and are designed to provide the perfect environment for modern family life.
Project architects, Clague, consulted with local ALO Martin Garrad from the onset which will mean smooth integration of SBD as the development progresses.
As well as the obvious security benefits for home buyers, Southern Heritage can see many advantages to incorporating SBD into their developments.
Ben Richardson, director of Southern Heritage said, "At the design stages SBD is relatively easy to comply with and we see the initiative as a marketing tool with many benefits involved. We feel SBD and security is very important to home buyers and are committed to achieving SBD and working with the police to design out crime on future builds."
Stage 1 is currently under construction with all 180 properties due for completion by 2010
An SBD First for Lidl
The new Lidl supermarket in Cupar is the first commercial company in Fife to receive a Secured by Design Award. The store, which opened in April, has implemented a range of design aspects to make it a more secure shopping environment, both inside the store and outside in the surrounding area.
Fife Council, who is continually supportive of SBD, requested that Lidl contact the local ALO at the design stages to ensure SBD was implemented from the onset.
Stuart Ward, Force ALO for Fife, explained how the Lidl design team were receptive to the SBD concept and found it to be a cost effective way of ensuring security was maintained in the development as well as providing public reassurance and significantly reducing the chances of a person becoming a victim of crime when they took a trip to the store.
On presenting the Secured by Design Commercial Certificate, Chief Inspector Derek Finnie added: "This award represents a real commitment by Lidl to providing the safest possible environment for their customers whilst ensuring the long term integrity of the premises. All those involved are to be commended for their achievements."
Following discussions with the ALO and the successful achievement of SBD Commercial at the Cupar store, Lidl UK are now set to make SBD a standard for their stores throughout the UK.
Euro Profile Cylinder Lock Advice
You may be aware of recent media reports concerning the security of Euro-profile lock cylinders. There is little evidence that this form of attack is widespread but we have produced the information below for those who have contacted us for advice. Levels of burglary have reduced significantly in recent years and there is evidence that improvements in door and lock security have contributed greatly to this. Any incidence of crime is of concern, but it is important to keep a realistic view of the risks. If you review your security regularly and only choose products tested to recognised security standards you will significantly reduce the likelihood of you or your family becoming a victim of crime.
To view the document please
The £60,000 Home - Comes with SBD as Standard
The New Year starts well as English Partnerships confirm Secured by Design as a fundamental requirement for the new dwellings being commissioned under John Prescott’s £60,000 house scheme.
When the Design for Manufacture competition was launched this time last year at the Creating Sustainable Communities Summit, it’s aims were to showcase how to build cost-effectively and at good quality across a range of housing types and help industry move from repeated research and demonstration projects to mainstream quality modern construction. With construction costs rising there was also a need to ensure first time buyers were not completely priced out of the market but there was nationwide cynicism that such a project could be successful and doubts that house builders could rise to the challenge.
Within the police, however, the apprehension was of a more specific nature with concerns that security would be one of the areas where cost savings would be made to keep within the budget, exposing home owners to increased risk of burglary and vandalism. Most of the leading bidders were major house builders who are usually very slow to consider SBD outside the affordable element and with over 1000 homes being built, that equates to a high proportion of potential crime which could easily be avoided.
English Partnerships, who are handling the bidding process, declared that the properties would be ‘designed to be secure’ which of course isn’t quite in the same league as being given a Secured by Design award. Following consultations with ALOs however, English Partnerships have now given written confirmation that all units, both private and affordable, built under the scheme will require full SBD certification by the local ALO and that the bid team will be scrutinising submissions to ensure this is part of developers applications. It would seem that persistence has paid off in ensuring that occupants of these houses will have high quality security and safer layouts despite what cost savings developers might have wanted to make under this scheme.
SBD Event Influences 70% of Delegates to Change Working Practices
Criminologist and researcher, Dr Rachel Armitage, was amongst speakers at a highly influential Secured by Design conference held in Hampshire recently. ‘The Impact of Secured by Design Conference’ comprised a targeted selection of SBD based presentations from leading speakers in their field. Organiser Malcolm Wilton, Hampshire Force Crime Reduction Co-ordinator brought together 78 prominent delegates from across the board including planners, architects, developers and housing associations and feedback from the event was excellent. The range of presentations was outstanding with input on SBD certification, ALOs – the practitioner’s perspective, the Manchester model and much more. Of those surveyed:
100% regarded the event as worthwhile or very worthwhile
93% found the seminar increased their knowledge of Secured by Design of which 45% found their knowledge increased considerably
75% would recommend the seminar to their colleagues without hesitation
70% would change their working practices as a result of attending the event
Malcolm Wilton is delighted the event was such a success and, considering the positive response, hopes it will impact positively on SBD applications in the coming months.
79% Drop in Vehicle Crime at Manchester Airport
Manchester Airport has seen vehicle crime drop by 79% over the last three years following improvements made to the public car parking areas and recently received a Park Mark™ Award in recognition of this.
Manchester Airport, which has space on site for 14,000 cars in its seven public car parks, received the award following a programme of works designed to improve the safety of its facilities. An investment of over 250,000 in the works included the installation of additional fencing, lighting and CCTV in hotspot areas.
John Spooner, managing director of Manchester Airport, said, "We want to provide safe and secure facilities for our customers and we’re delighted that the improvements we’ve made to our car parks have been officially recognised by this award. We will continue to work with the police to ensure that vehicle crime continues to drop across the airport site."
Commenting on the success of the project, Ken Upham, Greater Manchester Police Crime Reduction Advisor, said, "This award represents over three years of partnership work between Greater Manchester Police and Manchester Airport to tackle vehicle crime. The airport has willingly taken aboard our advice and has invested substantial funds into reducing crime on the airport car parks. As the figures show, their efforts have paid off with a significant drop in vehicle crime."
ACPO CPI to Sponsor Security Excellence Awards
ACPO Crime Prevention Initiatives is sponsoring the Best Security Partnering Initiative category at the Security Excellence Awards 2005 to be held at the London Hilton, Park Lane on 4th October 2005. The award will be presented on the night by ACPO President Chris Fox.
Now into their seventh year the Security Excellence Awards have rightly become known as the industry's Oscars and are the only awards to recognise excellence and the importance of improving standards across the security sector.
Organised by Security Management Today (SMT), Security Installer and CCTV Today magazines, this sparkling event attracts the attention of hundreds of the industry's key players and figureheads - be they members of leading trade associations, training or inspection bodies, in-house or contract security managers, installers or security consultants.
ACPO CPI, who manages the Secured by Design initiative, believes that encouraging others to raise standards is vital both in terms of crime prevention and reducing the fear of crime in our communities.
Home Office Scoop Double Award during SBD Week
The new Home Office HQ at Marsham Street has qualified for the Secured by Design Award and Safer Parking Park Mark Award. The awards were presented during Secured by Design Week by ACPO President Mr. Chris Fox to the Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP Minister of State for Policing, Security and Community Safety. Also present were Commander James Smith of the Metropolitan Police and CPDA for the City of Westminster Gordon Semple.
In keeping with the concepts promoted by Secured by Design the new building demonstrates how, with a little imagination in the selection of materials and components, it is possible to combine design with security to produce a secure yet aesthetically pleasing and functional building.
Commenting on the success of the Secured by Design initiative Hazel Blears said: One of the reasons that burglary is now over 25 per cent lower than it was in 1999 is because of initiatives like Secured by Design. People now realise that there are ways of making it very hard for burglars to go about their business. As a result, fear of crime is also coming down. Because householders want to feel secure in their own homes, architects, developers and home-improvement stores are responding to that. Good design can also revitalise neighbourhoods, transform derelict sites and create an environment which people enjoy living in and criminals find hard to operate in.
Glasgow Sees Massive 75% drop in Housebreaking After SBD Installation
Results are in from the much anticipated evaluation report of Secured by Design installations in Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) communities and crime reduction figures appear to have exceeded all expectation.
The report is an evaluation of the impact that SBD has had on the crime of housebreaking on a sample of GHA houses, and comprises both a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the initiative.
The quantitative element of the evaluation compared recorded crime levels before and after installation of SBD doors and windows in three GHA areas of the city. This comprised of a sample of 1571 houses out of the 11,500 houses that have received SBD doors. The sample areas chosen all had doors installed for a period in excess of six months.
The qualitative element involved a sample of tenants in receipt of SBD doors, recruited to an externally facilitated focus group. The purpose of the group was to assess tenant perception of crime and fear of crime for the area that they live in and the physical security of their houses.
To read the Summary Evaluation
Government launches new Planning out Crime Guide
Safer Places – The Planning System & Crime Prevention has just been released following consultation with academic sources and professionals, including planning officers and the police. Secured by Design features as a model project and in many of the case studies identified.
The launch event on 28th April 2004 was attended by the Planning Minister, Keith Hill and Hazel Blears, Home Office Minister responsible for Crime Prevention. Keith Hill said, "This guide sets out how we expect local planners, architects and developers to play their part in planning out crime."
Hazel Blears said, "I am sure this toolkit will both challenge and inspire developers and planners to help achieve the safe and secure society we all want to see". The guide was also welcomed by the Association of Chief Police Officers..
To read the guide
Porsche dealership wins Secured by Design award
Geoff Williams, Assistant Chief Constable for Sussex Police has presented the Secured by Design award to the new Porsche Mid-Sussex dealership in Burgess Hill, West Sussex.
Close co-operation from the planning stage onwards ensured that SBD principles were followed. As well as being visually aesthetic, the building incorporates a number of excellent design features that reduce the risk of crime. These include a recommended perimeter treatment, the use of quality materials and a high standard of access control systems. Advice was also taken from Sussex Police on the design for the CCTV system, lighting and electronic monitoring systems.
The ABI (Association of British Insurers) and its members have a vested interest in security being effective. Just published is their report Securing the Nation: the case for safer homes, which encourages the government to use the Sustainable and Secure Buildings Act 2004 to make Secured by Design physical security measures compulsory for new homes.
click here. click hereclick herewww.abi.org.uk/securingthenation
