Designing out Crime Officers – behind the badge

How long have you been a DOCO and do you enjoy the job?

I’ve been a DOCO for 3 years and I love the job. It’s very tangible and rewarding. For the first time in my career I have the time to step back and think about what’s happening and also come up with solutions to problems. My career to date has been more about being reactive to situations, which is obviously incredibly important to help fight immediate crime, but now I can also be proactive. I think stepping back is the key because DOCOs can sometimes come up with obvious solutions to problems that others don’t have time to see.

When it comes to long-term strategy around fighting crime I would say being a DOCO is also one of the most important roles in policing. Let’s take the recent new trend in EV charging cables being stolen for example - we can’t send uniformed police to patrol and protect them as that’s clearly not possible, but we can find design solutions to make it more difficult for the criminal to take them.

I also think designing out crime touches all aspects of our lives – from current trends solar farm or EV cable thefts, making safer homes, to the high street and the nighttime economy. We have to take design measures seriously because they can have a big impact not only on reducing criminal theft, but also on people’s safety which is non -negotiable.

What did you do before you were a DOCO?

I’ve worked for 32 years in the force at Nottingham. It was always a lifelong ambition to work in the police and it really was my lifetime calling. Don’t get me wrong it wasn’t for the faint hearted, especially when I started as a young 18 year old Police Constable and I walked into some shocking scenarios. I’ve worked my way up the ranks in my career and spent some time working in CID and intelligence, I was also the Neighbourhood Police Area Commander.

But it’s not just practical policing skills you bring to the role?

In 2022 I completed a Masters in Crime and Disorder and wrote a paper about violence in the nighttime economy. It was very interesting and I could really see how design can play a big part in crime. When people are out in the evening, they are already in a kind of flight or fight mode, testosterone is high and there are lots of trigger points. They have to ‘fight’ their way into the club, ‘fight’ their way to the bar, ‘fight’ to get attention and finally at the end of the evening ‘fight’ to get a taxi or ‘fight’ to get served in the fast food joint. Mix in alcohol or drugs and situations that would be tolerated in day light hours can just explode in this environment. These problems could be ‘designed out’ for example fast food joints could have a one way entrance and a second exit point so people aren’t bumping into each other and it’s a way of reducing these flash points.

What do you enjoy about design and architecture?

My dad was actually an architect so I always had an appreciation of buildings and he would often point out styles and designs, or unusual buildings. Often when I’m by somewhere like the Lace Market, the old historic quarter in the centre of Nottingham, I’m looking at the buildings and I appreciate the design and the history.

I think my Dad would have been really interested in my role as a DOCO.

What projects are you currently working on?

What I love about the job is the variety, every day is different. Just to give you an indication of the breath of projects I’m working on, on my list today I have to sign off a  children’s home which is being built to SBD standards, I’m going to a power station next week to give them some advice as they are dealing with some issues around crime and I’m advising on a commercial site build that is being developed into a large data centre.

How do you view the support you have as a DOCO?

I want to say a big thanks to Amanda Mullholland and the PCPA (Police Crime Prevention Academy) and the regular CPD events have been so helpful. The level 5 Designing out Crime National Vocational Qualification has been absolutely fabulous. I’ve really expanded my knowledge. I’ve also attended three ATLAS events now and I find it a great event to network with other DOCOs, get support and advice, and find out about latest technologies and get guidance. It’s a great community and I wish other areas of policing had this kind of support.

What would you recommend to new DOCOs?

I would say unless you’re good at memorising data it can feel overwhelming to learn about LPS, PAS24 and all these other standards for doors, windows etc. I really recommend visiting some of the testing houses or manufacturers to see their products first hand and witness the testing process in person to really understand why those levels exist, and what they mean. For example we had a jewellers that was broken into so I went to see Warrior Doors about possible secure door solutions and even had a go at testing a SR3 door with a sledgehammer (which I couldn’t break by the way!). But it then meant I could go back to the developer and feel confident that I could recommend this product or others knowing what it could withstand.

Any final words to anyone thinking about becoming a DOCO?

Please don’t hesitate to contact me because I’m happy to chat to anyone who is thinking about changing lane and is interested in a career as a DOCO.

You can find Nick or other DOCOs in your area here

What is Secured by Design?

Secured by Design (SBD) is the official police security initiative that works to improve the security of buildings and their immediate surroundings to provide safe places to live, work, shop and visit.

SBD’s product based accreditation scheme – the Police Preferred Specification - provides a recognised standard for all security products that can deter and reduce crime.

There are currently many hundreds of companies producing thousands of attack resistant crime prevention products, across 30 different crime categories, which have achieved Police Preferred Specification.

Improved security

Developers around the UK can achieve SBD awards for incorporating crime prevention measures and techniques into their developments in all kinds of building sectors, such as residential, education, health, transport, commercial, retail, sport and leisure. Indeed, SBD can be used as evidence to discharge third-party obligations under Part Q of Schedule 1 (Security) to the English Building Regulations, the Scottish Building Standard 4.13 (Security) and Welsh Building Regulations Part Q (Security – Dwellings). These awards are gained by working with police Designing Out Crime Officers (DOCOs), who advise architects, developers and local authority planners long before construction begins – and continue to provide advice and guidance until the development is complete. 

Academic and other research shows that improving standards of security in brand new and refurbished properties, helps deter and reduce crime. Reducing crime and the fear of crime has direct links to better physical and mental well-being, such as with regard to high volume crimes like domestic abuse.    

The built environment influences the behaviour of people who work, live, socialise or simply pass through. SBD seeks to create environments where the law-abiding feel safe and secure whilst at the same time causing the criminal or anti-social to feel vulnerable to detection and thereby influence behaviour in a positive way. This continues to be a key objective for SBD.

Find out more about Secured by Design Developers Awards here.

SBD Design Guides

SBD has produced a series of authoritative Design Guides to assist the building, design and construction industry to incorporate security into developments to comply with the Building Regulations in England, Scotland and Wales and meet the requirements of SBD.

These Design Guides, available to download for free at the SBD website, have been updated over the years to keep pace with changing patterns of criminal behaviour and advances in building design and new technology.

They are a valuable source of reference to architects, developers, self-builders, local authority planners and police officers and cover a range of building sectors, including residential, education, health, transport and commercial.  

Police Designing Out Crime Officers

DOCOs provide specialist crime reduction advice to the public, businesses and colleagues about premises or property security. They also work with building developers, architects, and council planning departments regarding new developments and refurbishments, to 'design out' crimes like burglary and anti-social behaviour (ASB) by providing advice on street lighting, building and street layout, entrances and exits - as well as preferred standards and specifications for doors, windows, and locks, under the Secured by Design initiative. 

DOCOs are able to deliver site specific interventions required to help design out crime in areas that suffer disproportionately from acquisitive crime, based on local crime pattern analysis, police, local authority and community engagement and the collective knowledge and experience of how criminals behave.

DOCOs are specialist problem solvers, working every day to make a positive difference, changing lives for the better and helping people to be safe and secure in their homes.