INDUSTRYNEWS
SPONSORED BY DUFFELLS
New access control guidance
released in light of growing
demand for care home security
Following the publication of
the Francis Report earlier
this year, patient safety and
welfare within the care sector
is crucial now more than
ever. As such, the Access
Control Section of the British
Security Industry Association
(BSIA) has released a free
guide to aid care homes in
understanding the benefits
of access control security
systems.
A recent survey of BSIA
Access Control members
aimed to discover trends
in care home security over
the last year. Over 60% of
respondents felt that the use
of private security measures in
the care sector had increased
over the last twelve months,
with a further 60% anticipating
them to increase further over
the course of the next year.
The survey also revealed
that resident safety and
well-being has, and will
remain to be, a primary focus
in the sector, with 100% of
survey respondents believing
that the awareness of duty
of care among care home
management has increased
over the past year.
“Care homes have a number
of vital considerations when
it comes to resident safety,”
explains Mike Sussman,
Chairman of the BSIA’s Access
Control Section. “Whether
it is the security of personal
possessions, the well-being
of residents or the risk of
unauthorised visitors, access
control systems can play a
fundamental part in ensuring
a high standard of care and
safety.
“This new guide
demonstrates just how
influential access control
systems have already been
within the care sector, helping
to secure care homes while
providing multiple added
benefits, such as staff time and
attendance management.”
To put these benefits into
perspective, the helpful guide
incorporates a number of
case studies provided by
BSIA Access Control Section
members, who have a wealth
of experience in securing a
wide range of industries and
have all been inspected to high
quality British and European
standards.
Download a copy of the
BSIA’s Guide to Access
Control in Care Homes here.
Vacant property protection still
paramount one year on
1st September marked the
one year anniversary of
the anti-squatting law that
made residential squatting
a criminal offence. The
milestone also saw squatters’
internet sites encouraging
action in order to mark the
anniversary.
The Vacant Property
Protection Group of the British
Security Industry Association
(BSIA) is reiterating to owners
and landlords of vacant
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THE SEP/OCT 2013 ISSUE
SPONSORED BY ADVANCED KEYS
commercial properties the
importance of securing and
protecting their premises.
Section 144 of the Legal Aid,
Sentencing and Punishment Act
2012 criminalised squatting in
homes and all other residential
buildings for the first time
in England and Wales last
September, making the offence
punishable by a maximum
prison term of up to six months,
a maximum £5000 fine or both.
However, the law does not
include commercial premises,
and as a result, more vacant
commercial properties have
found themselves as the target
of squatters over the last year.
Simon Alderson, Chairman
of the BSIA’s Vacant Property
Protection Group and
Commercial Director of BSIA
member VPS, comments:
“There is strong evidence
that squatting in commercial
properties has doubled since the
new law came into being.
“Whether it will be expanded
to include commercial premises
is still very much an unknown,
so in the meantime, owners are
strongly advised to review their
security arrangements and to
implement measures to protect
vacant property. Prevention is
far easier and cheaper than the
cure.”
When securing vacant
commercial properties, there
are various factors that property
owners should consider. One
of the most important actions
that owners should take is to
allocate clear responsibility for
all aspects of vacant property
management, this includes
managing the shutdown of
the building, conducting a risk
assessment and taking action
to reduce the different types of
risks.
The BSIA’s free ‘Property
Owner’s Guide to Vacant
Property Security’ can be
downloaded from its website.
Last month, the BSIA’s Vacant
Property Protection Group also
released its official Code of
Practice, providing guidelines
for the provision of security for
vacant properties. The Code of
Practice can be downloaded
free of charge here: http://
bsia.co.uk/app/images/
publications/154-vacantproperty-protection-cop.pdf
www.bsia.co.uk/home
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