Met Designing Out Crime Officer receives Lifetime Achievement award

Kevin began his policing career in September 2003 with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), serving on the front line for eight years before transitioning into the world of crime prevention. He quickly became immersed in the field, first as a Crime Prevention Officer in 2011, then as a Crime Prevention Design Advisor in 2012, and finally joining the newly established MPS DOCO team in September 2012, where he became one of its foundational members.

Over his 13-year career in Designing Out Crime, Kevin delivered a volume and quality of work that speaks for itself. He issued Secured by Design (SBD) certification for 17,896 residential units and over 712,000 square metres of commercial space. In addition, he laid substantial groundwork of developments on track to meet SBD certification, including 25,597 residential units and over 1.2 million square metres of commercial/retail space.

His influence goes far beyond certification. Kevin completed over 780 planning responses, conducted 116 Counter Terrorism Security Adviser (CTSA) referrals, and carried out 155 Environmental Visual Audits (EVAs), generating more than 465,000 words of observations and recommendations to shape safer, more secure environments.

During his time in the role, Kevin was also among the first DOCOs in London to successfully secure blanket SBD planning conditions, not only for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets where he was lead DOCO, but potentially the first of its kind anywhere in the country. This work laid the groundwork for embedding crime prevention principles at the earliest stages of development.

His leadership and excellence in the role were formally recognised in 2023 when he received the prestigious Bob Knights DOCO of the Year Award.

Kevin’s success has been underpinned by exceptional time management, an in-depth understanding of Secured by Design principles, persuasive negotiation skills and a strong commitment to collaborative working with local authorities and partners. The result has been a demonstrable reduction in crime, anti-social behaviour and policing demand in the areas he has supported.

Now promoted to the rank of Sergeant, Kevin has made the difficult decision to return to frontline policing, but leaves behind an exceptional legacy in the field of crime prevention.

On receiving the award, Kevin said: “I have been privileged to work in one of the most important and yet internally underrated areas of policing, and it was with great reluctance that I have moved on.

“Dealing with architects, developers and local planning teams, the DOCOs ensure that a proactive security and safety strategy is in place for all new build and many proposed refurbishment developments pre-planning. In doing so, they are raising the standards of the built environment by enhancing security measures, resulting in a better quality of living and safer working environment by reducing crime and the fear of crime held by the public.

“By ensuring success is shared through social media and advertising increases trust in the police service at a time when it is low. With so many other strands also covered including Safer Parking, Places of Worship, Sanctuary Scheme and Op Bridger, as well as supporting local policing teams with EVAs, this is an area which also generates funding through various streams assisting with the costs of modern day policing further still.

“I would like to thank all of my colleagues both past and present who I have worked with in what is a very challenging, but also a very rewarding role.”

Guy Ferguson, CEO, Police Crime Prevention Initiatives, commented: “Kevin Hook’s contribution to crime prevention and Secured by Design over more than a decade has been truly outstanding. His dedication, innovation, and leadership have helped transform planning and development practice in London. The impact of his work will be felt for years to come in the safer, more secure environments he helped create. Kevin exemplifies what it means to be a Designing Out Crime Officer, and we thank him sincerely for his service.”

Kevin was presented with the award at Secured by Design’s ATLAS training event by Police Crime Prevention Initiatives CEO Guy Ferguson and South Yorkshire Police Chief Constable Lauren Poultney, the head of profession for police Designing Out Crime Officers.

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 SBD 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.

Contact details for local DOCOs can be found here.