Business as usual for crime-hit company thanks to West Midlands Police security support
A Solihull company that had been a repeat victim of crime and anti-social behaviour has received an award for the security improvements it has made thanks to support from West Midlands Police (WMP).
Urban Heard, a community interest company that specialises in youth engagement and providing training and opportunity for local young people, received a Secured by Design Award in recognition of its efforts.
The company, based in Chelmsley Wood, worked in partnership with Solihull Council and colleagues from WMP to boost their site safety for staff and visitors after receiving government funding.
Designing Out Crime Officer (DOCO) Sharon Horner, from WMP’s Crime Reduction Team, was on hand to highlight the improvements that were needed and what safety measures to put in place.
Sharon said: “It was a great opportunity to work with the team on this popular facility, and to complete the refurbishment up to Secured by Design standards.
“It shows the commitment Urban Heard and Solihull Council have to making the centre safe and secure for years to come.”
Designing Out Crime Officers
Police Designing Out Crime Officers (DOCOs) have a key role in implementing crime prevention into local communities by working closely with local planning authorities. Liaising with planners, architects, designers, developers and those responsible for the refurbishment of buildings of all types, DOCOs provide ongoing specialist advice to enable building designs to be as safe and secure as is reasonably possible, promoting an awareness of the principles of crime prevention through design to both build awareness of, and ensure the adoption of, recommended security standards and specifications.
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. These specialist officers are 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.
Secured by Design
Secured by Design (SBD) is owned by the UK Police Service with the specific aim of reducing crime and increasing safety for businesses and individuals.
SBD seeks to improve the physical security of buildings and the surrounding area using products such as doors, windows, locks and walling systems along with fencing systems that meet the SBD Police Preferred Specification security requirements.
SBD have many partner organisations, ranging from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government through to local authorities, housing associations, developers and manufacturers and work closely with standards and certification bodies.
SBD is the only way for companies to obtain police recognition for security-related products in the UK, through the Police Preferred Specification - a product-based accreditation scheme developed 25 years ago, which provides a recognised standard for all security products that effectively deter and reduce crime. SBD work with manufacturers and standards authorities to ensure that security standards are current and updated to keep pace with emerging crime trends.
Learn more about Secured by Design and our member companies at: https://www.securedbydesign.com/