MARK SWANBOROUGH , ENGINEERING LEADER , UL SOLUTIONS

First , let ’ s look at the security aspect – the original focus of Secured by Design ( SBD ), 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 accreditation scheme provides a recognised standard for all security products that can deter and reduce crime . Secured by Design allows the SBD logo to be used for products that have successfully tested to the Secured by Design requirements .

The fact is , we have been trying to improve the security of buildings for more than 2,000 years . According to Crimestoppers , someone burgles a home every 40 seconds in the UK , and when the clocks go back each autumn , the number of break-ins rises by a

third . The Office for National Statistics reports that , in incidents of domestic burglary where the offender entered the dwelling , the offender gained entry through a door about 70 % of the time and through a window about 30 % of the time . Scarily , in over half of these incidents , someone was at home at the time .

SBD first set out to tackle these problems in the 1990s , and today many hundreds of companies produce thousands of attack-resistant crime prevention products which have achieved SBD ’ s police preferred specification . Through this approach , SBD has been credited with helping to substantially reduce breakins and burglaries . Windows and doors complying with SBD specifications form part of the front line of defence against unlawful entry . They can help homeowners enjoy greater security and reduce their household insurance premiums . It is no wonder that it appears in so many project requirements from developers and construction clients .

Once upon a time , the scheme relied on the police taking sledgehammers to doors and crowbars to windows . Thankfully that is no longer the case . SBD does not do any product testing itself . Instead , this is carried out by a handful of organisations , including UL Solutions which is recognised by SBD as a certification body and also has SBD-recognised testing laboratories .

The testing process we apply is rigorous . The objective is to protect properties against the threat of opportunistic criminals , so the well-established PAS 24 security standard is designed to ensure that products are resistant to the specific break-in methods commonly used by casual thieves and burglars in the UK . It applies to both doors and windows .

Manufacturers submit products for PAS 24 testing , which involves various attack methods on the door or window . First , the test assessor attempts to open the door or window by operating , releasing and disengaging the locks and hinges . In a later test , carried out after the loading tests , the assessor tries to release the fasteners on the door or window . After that , a manual cutting test is conducted where the assessor tries to gain access

by making a hole in the door or window . Soft- and hardbody impact tests are carried out to see if a product could withstand , for example , an intruder kicking the door or window ( soft impact ) or using a sledgehammer ( hard impact ). The next stage involves applying a sequence of loading tests where the assessor simulates the pressures that would be put on a product if the intruder used crow bars . The manual infill test challenges the assessor to remove gaskets , beads and security devices in under three minutes , and the infill from the outside of the door or window . The hardware is also tested for resistance to manual attack . This multi-stage test includes trying to remove , dislodge , break , twist and bend parts of the product to gain entry . If you ’ ve got a destructive frame of mind , being a PAS

62 NOVEMBER 2022

CLEARVIEW-UK . COM