Design Against Crime

When undertaking any building work on your home, it is important to consider how it will affect your security. It may also be a good time to review the security of the whole house. Thames Valley Police have provided the following advice.

A high proportion of burglars enter houses from the privacy of the rear garden. It is therefore very important to make it difficult to get into the back garden or down the side of the house. This can be achieved by erecting side fencing and a locked gate, preferably at the front of the building line to prevent a recess or hiding place. If a side gate is not locked, then a bolt in the mid rail could be used, but must not be reachable from the public side of the gate. Make sure fences and walls cannot be used to gain access to windows. When the extension is finished, you could think about planting prickly bushes such as berberis below windows. This will make them less accessible.

Back doors are far more vulnerable to burglary than the front door, and should therefore be of equivalent strength if not greater than the front door. It should be fitted with three hinges, two locks and two mortice bolts. The locks fitted should conform to British Standard 3621. All ground floor and climbable windows should be installed with a key operated window lock. Automatic window locks are now available and are far easier to use. Handle locks are only as strong as the handle or window to which they are attached, a separate window lock always adds strength. UPVC windows range greatly in quality and thus the security they provide. Ask your supplier if the window complies with BS7950. This is a very good security standard. If you can't afford the most secure windows everywhere, why not specify them on the ground floor back and side windows, and opt for a cheaper version for other less vulnerable windows.

Finally, burglar alarms and movement sensor lighting are effective, as are a number of lower cost items which may deter the burglar by increasing one of three key elements; TIME, VISIBILITY AND NOISE.

If you require any further advice on crime prevention, please contact

For Crime Reduction :

Mrs Lucy Groves
Crime Reduction Department
Police Station
King George V Road
Amersham
Bucks
HP5 6AL
Tel 01494 736645 / 0845 8 505

For the Crime Prevention Design Adviser (CPDA) for Developers & Architects :

Mr Michael Clare
Crime Prevention Design
Thames Valley Police
124 Bath Road,
Taplow
Nr. Maidenhead SL6 0NX
Tel 01628 601554 / 0845 8 505

For detailed advice about other designs and standards to prevent crime please visit the web site at www.securedbydesign.com (Opens new window)