The UK Police has launched a new guide to offer advice to construction sites on how to reduce the risk of theft, criminal damage, arson and anti-social behaviour and to help contractors meet completion dates and development costs.
The guide provides advice on how to secure a site from the moment the hoarding goes up until the moment the development is handed over to the end user. The guide applies to all employees onsite regardless of size and is based on proven crime prevention principles that have demonstrated reduced criminal activity by creating safer, more secure and sustainable environments.
Construction site crimes are estimated to cost the industry £800 million a year but the new guide, guide from Secured by Design (SBD), the police security initiative, aims to reduce this through advice on such matters as perimeter security, site access, site offices, vehicle and plant protection, CCTV, site offices and also advice on how to deal with trespassers.
A number of collaborators have contributed to the guide including: the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), Police Scotland, the Considerate Constructors Scheme, the London Fire Brigade (LFB), the National Business Crime Centre, Sold Secure, the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) and the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC).
Michael Brook, Head of Operational Services at Police Crime Prevention initiatives said “This SBD guide is designed to be risk commensurate and provide advice on how to secure the site from the moment the hoarding goes up until the moment the development is handed over to the client or end user.
“The advice is based on proven crime prevention principles that are known to reduce criminal opportunity by creating safer, more secure and sustainable environments. It applies to all construction sites regardless of their size and is intended for all staff including security personnel.”
Stuart Ward, national designing out crime manager at Police Scotland, said: “Crime affecting the construction industry is known to have a negative impact on the ability of contractors to meet ‘on time and within budget delivery’ of development work. This new publication by Secured by Design and UK Police Forces, provides quality and credible advice that can be applied from the design stages through to the completion of construction and which can have a positive impact in reducing the risk of crime and anti-social activity against construction sites. “Throughout the UK the use of this guide and implementation of its recommendations where appropriate will significantly reduce the cost of crime both in terms of finance and reputation. The guide can be used as an excellent start point for security measures to be applied, and further advice can be sought from the local Police Designing Out Crime Officers, who can also assist in providing supplementary support.”
PC James Smith from the Metropolitan Police Service, said: “With the amount of construction work happening across the country, it is important that crime prevention advice be freely available to all tradespeople to help protect construction sites and equipment. I think this guidance will go some way to assisting the industry and helping improve security on building sites.”