Understanding the importance of Secured By Design

Bereco are now a fully licensed member of Secured by Design;  a national police initiative designed to help support the government initiative to reduce and prevent crime in homes across the UK. The scheme has been in place for over 20 years and has been proven to reduce home burglaries by as much as 75%!

The scheme is owned by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and is the official title for a group of national police projects that focus directly on the reduction of crime and fear of crime in homes across the country. This is often achieved through the specification and installation of joinery products supplied by Police approved companies.

The scheme aims to ‘design out’ crime through the use of high quality innovative products and processes. The main focus is at design stage to ensure that products supplied to both new build and refurbishment properties are in accordance with the requirements of the scheme.

Effective security is essential when selecting windows and doors for the home, especially in areas with particularly high crime rates. Research undertaken into the effectiveness of the SBD principles suggests that the scheme has resulted in reducing crime rates by as much as 75% in new build properties and 60% in refurbishment properties.

Windows & Doors must be security tested to PAS 24:2012 Enhanced Security performance requirements for Doors & Windows in the UK. This ensures that external door sets & windows offer a level of security suitable for domestic use, products must also meet the material specific standard for timber which is BS644-1:1989.In addition to PAS 24: 2012 windows must also meet the Enhanced Security performance required for windows for domestic applications to BS7950 and LPS1175: Issue 7 – specification for testing & classifying burglary resistance.

To become a member of SBD products must be both tested and certified by a UKAS approved body. Bereco products are backed with 3rd party certification from leading independent UKAS accredited body BM TRADA. Bereco windows and door sets are also certified by the BM TRADA Q Mark high security schemes. This means that Bereco are licensed to use the ‘Secured by Design’ logo on certified products – a symbol often used to identify products that are police preferred as part of the SBD scheme. Bereco products are approved at design stage and are subject to routine audits to ensure they continue to comply with the requirements of the scheme.

With many supplier options available, when choosing windows and doors it is essential to purchase high performance, high security products to prevent and reduce crime in the home. Evidence suggests that if secure windows and doors are not installed in the property then the home cannot be classed as secure – in domestic break in’s two thirds of burglars gain access to a property through a door and a third through a window. Reported figures that reflect domestic crimes rates show they are currently at their lowest in more than 20 years – this is said to be testament to the increase in more secure domestic housing over this period.