It's not about profit

Installers may be intrigued to learn that the police force has recently introduced its own limited company, with directors, company secretary and all, as the latest move in its overall strategy to drive down crime.

The full title of the new organisation is the Association of Chief Police Officers Crime Prevention Initiatives Ltd, and no, it is not 'The Police Plc' as some might mistakenly like to infer. This is not about profit. Rather, its purpose is to encourage and help promote the use of tried and tested products and practices that can be proven to be effective, and the accent is firmly on proven.

So before you rush to the phone or your computer to offer your views on the latest panel, sounder or quad PIR, just hold on for a minute or two because it is not quite so simple as that. We need to look at where this all started.

Many of us can, no doubt, think back to the time when Crime Prevention Officers (CPOs) began to make an appearance. Many became increasingly sucked into the intruder alarm area of activity, whether they had the experience or not, and we still expected them to immediately master the jargon, have an in depth technical understanding of systems, the ability to sift the wheat from the chaff when it came to installers' competence.

Not really fair of us – look at the changing technology for a start, let alone the changing face of the major players. AFA became Thorn became ADT, and on ... And how do you measure and prove what's the best? Some of the 51 UK forces (43 English, 7 Scottish and one Northern Irish) were able to dedicate more time and effort than others. The Crime Prevention College at Stafford (now York) provided specialist training. Some CPOs loved the job, mastered it and provided real direction to the public in their search for help to protect property.

With experience, vision widened: crime prevention was clearly a wider issue and the concept of "design against crime" was developed. Physical security was important, the electronic security sector was exploding in the 80's and research showed that environmental features could influence crime.

The grandly titled Architectural Liaison Officer (ALO) was born out of a need to get the message through to architects that on new estates, dark alleys, warren like pedestrian underpasses and dimly lit areas all provided the natural habitat for the local villains. A better design meant a safer environment and, in turn, improved the quality of life for the law abiding locals.

In the south east, local forces combined to set up Secured By Design (SBD) to widen the benefits of the ALO scheme, the thinking being to 'badge' it and make it attractive to the building industry. Sponsorship from some of the larger security companies helped, but created potential problems: The danger existed of implying that the police thereby endorsed such companies or their products ... and anyway, in any manufacturer's product list some products are better than others. Furthermore, what if one of the better products failed for whatever reason? Would the police be unfairly held liable? This is a 'no win' situation for the police.

Homes built with realistic security
The Home Office provided some funds and the project went national then international as the Dutch police liked what they saw and introduced a similar initiative. The success was greater than could be anticipated and several thousand homes were built with realistic levels of security.

In 1999 research from the University of Huddersfield recorded a reduction in crime levels of over 50 per cent in one SBD estate and over 66 per cent in another. People felt safer too and were generally less worried than others living in non-SBD homes. SBD householders in their homes enjoyed a clear field of view as they looked out of their window. This natural surveillance, in effect, made offenders decide "it's too open and too difficult here".

Attention was given to pavements. A 50 yard ramp might look nice but would it encourage skateboarding youths to use it all hours and make life difficult for slow moving elderly people? A purpose built skateboard area elsewhere might be a better option for all concerned.

Subways were considered. If you can see daylight from both ends and there are no blind spots useful to drug users, pushers, muggers and the like so much the better. Toilets could be sited away from play areas to discourage those who prey on children. Vandalism and damage reduction means less maintenance time and cost and higher occupancy levels in the rented sector.

Over the years the police built their relationship with architects not to change their perception of design but to increase awareness of the importance of security aspects. Today Secured By Design is a registered trademark and is owned by ACPO CPI Ltd who, since 1999, have handled it on behalf of the police force as a whole.

Companies can now say they have individual ‘police preferred specification’ products, indicating they meet a standard that the police have said is OK

Having a limited company allows ACPO to enter into commercial arrangements with the private sector. Instead of the sponsorship route, companies are licensed to use the SBD badge but only after being properly tested to a standard that can be measured – and this part is critical. For example, all parts of an external door must meet PAS 23 or 24, which means that they must be attack tested by a UKAS test house and that they must be 'fit for the purpose'.

Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPS) and other standards with measurability are welcomed.

Even more attractive perhaps would be the 'police approved' tag so loved by alarm installers who managed to get on to the so called 'police approved lists', now abolished.

This phrase has been rejected by the Home Office on the grounds that the police should 'support but not endorse'.

Companies can now say that they have individual 'police preferred specification' products, indicating that they meet a standard that the police have said is OK. The aim is to prevent abuse of the system by companies suggesting that all their products meet the standard when not all have been tested. Clear conduct rules have been introduced.

Fifty companies are already licensed to use 'police preferred specification' and numbers are growing. It started with house security. Doors, windows and locks were addressed first, and each can be tested against a publicly available standard.

Retainer Group were the first property marking company to sign up with their etching kits. Dalen, producers of computer security devices were quick to see the potential and were early signatories. Alarm installers will be interested to know that Smokecloak, the Milton Keynes based smoke generating manufacturer is the first electronics company to make the grade.

Control panels and PIRs
Regarding control panels and PIRs: one initial hurdle for them to be included would be the need for the industry to settle on a definition of the term "confirmed alarm". Another obstacle would be to establish both measurability of effectiveness and be able to quality control the process.

Once manufacturers are accepted, ACPO CPI charge a licensing fee based on turnover, and the licence fee covers all products that comply. The company receives no other funding and the fees are used to cover administration operating costs and development into other areas. The organisation is a 'Not for profit' one.

Participating companies have the benefit of using the SBD logo and 'police preferred specification' legend on literature and packaging and a web site (www.securedbydesign.com) lists specifications, licensees and includes a hyperlink to their own web sites.

Seen against the backdrop of the need for 'verifiable' effectiveness wherever possible, the police's stipulation that all inspectorates need to meet UKAS standards can be seen in context as part of a much greater overall plan that in no way was intended as a controversial move.