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87% crime reduction through
SBD initiative in Scotland
Police Scotland’s Stuart Ward showcased the success of Secured by
Design (SBD) in Scotland at SBD’s ATLAS 2019 National Training Event,
highlighting to delegates the extraordinary 87% reduction in crime in
SBD properties in East Central Scotland over the last 18 years.
» » ADDRESSING AROUND 180
Designing Out Crime Officers from
police forces around the UK, as well as
50 member company exhibitors, Stuart
spoke about the fundamental importance
of crime prevention, highlighting the
significant reductions in crime being
achieved on SBD developments in the
Fife area.
A study there, taken from more than
150 Kingdom Housing Association
developments across Fife, showed
a marked drop in crimes on the SBD
developments compared to non-SBD
developments over the 18 year period
between 1997 and 2015. The study
showed that 3,000 homes built to the
SBD standard have had 87% fewer
crimes recorded.
“The recorded crime results came
back and they were quite conclusive,”
Stuart told the delegates, “Overall 87%
fewer crimes were committed against
Secured by Design properties. That’s no
small figure.
“Secured by Design makes a massive
difference to reducing the opportunities
for crime and the amount of crimes that
have actually occurred.
“The Secured by Design initiative
meets Police Scotland’s focus on
community focussed policing and the
focus of partnership working to reduce
the risk and opportunities of crime,”
he continued, “Falling crime reduces
demand on the police and enables
police resources to be focused on more
pressing priorities”.
Stuart told the delegates how Kingdom
Housing Association, one of the largest
housing associations in Scotland, has
made it a requirement for every single
development they build to be built to
SBD standards, as not only had there
been a demand reduction on the police
service, but also there was a demand
reduction on the services of the housing
association, as the maintenance and
repair costs for these developments
were significantly lower than usual.
Crimes included in the study
were housebreaking, attempted
housebreaking, (the Scottish equivalent
of burglary and attempted burglary),
sneak in thefts (access through an
insecure door to steal) and opening of
lockfast places (locked vehicles, sheds or
outbuildings / garages).
The homes were all built to standards
set by SBD, the national police crime
prevention initiative, which has 200
officers and staff attached to Police
Forces around the UK to ‘design out
crime’ by working with architects,
developers and local authority planners
at the planning stage. Features
incorporated within an SBD development
include natural surveillance and limiting
through movement into the layout and
landscaping, and increasing the physical
security of buildings, such as attack
resistant doors, windows and locks to
deter opportunist burglars.
Over 15,000 domestic dwellings
in Scotland have been accredited by
SBD in last four years, as well as 63
non-residential SBD accreditations
such as schools, universities, research
buildings.
Stuart, who is responsible for crime
reduction and implementing SBD across
Scotland, manages the 40 Designing
Out Crime Officers who work across
the country’s 30,400 square miles land
area, which includes 790 islands. Stuart
was Scotland’s first ever Architectural
Liaison Officer and has been attending
the National Training Event for over 20
years.
Secured by Design is part of Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (PCPI), a police
owned organisation that works on behalf of the Police Service to deliver a wide
range of crime prevention and demand reduction initiatives across the UK. It is
a not-for-profit organisation and Board Members include senior police officers
from each of the four Home Nations who control and direct the work PCPI
carries out on behalf of the Police Service.
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL.CO.UK | MAY/JUN 2019
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