Designing Out Crime Officers at the Ideal Home Show

Officers from the Met will be on hand in the Future Living Home, a central feature of the Show Village, to explain the security features incorporated in to the home, features that can be barely noticeable but which will assist in preventing crime.

Visitors to the show will then be able to visit the Home Security Advice stand and talk to officers about the latest on home security, tips about how to improve home security, as well as finding out about the police recognised security features incorporated in the show home from the partners who have collaborated on it - Britelite Windows, Jacksons Fencing, Patlock, Securikey and Yale.

The London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service are also partners at the show, providing home safety tips and advice on preventing and dealing with accidents in the home. 

Topics covered by the experts at the Home Security Advice stand will range from garage, shed and garden security, such as the type and orientation of fencing, outside lighting and garden landscaping finishes, through to the physical security of a house – doors, windows, roof lights, locks, CCTV and alarm systems. 

There will also be experts available to discuss cyber security, child safe cyber advice, positioning of safes, personal property placement and protective products for vehicle keys and contactless payment cards.

The theme of the house and stand will be how the public can keep their homes safe from burglars by following the Met’s ‘3 Step Protect’ advice – protecting valuables, safeguarding the building and securing the outside.

There will also be presentations in the show’s Super Theatre on making homes a safe place to live, how to protect homes against the risks posed by new technology & how to keep children safe online.

Officers will also be running an interactive Virtual Reality crime prevention experience in the show’s Expert Advice Hub between 11:00 and 15:00 daily.

Helen Harper, the Met’s Crime Prevention Commander said: “We are delighted to be part of the Future Living Home at this year’s Ideal Home Show and we are very excited to be running an interactive Virtual Reality crime prevention experience at the show. Crime prevention and the protection of your property is crucial and one the Metropolitan Police are keen to highlight with the Met’s 3 Step Protect Advice.

“Specialist MPS Designing Out Crime Officers will be available to deliver bespoke advice and guidance to the public and promoting realistic and cost effective crime prevention measures that will reduce the chance of becoming a victim of theft or burglary. 

“We are also pleased to be partnering with blue light partners and Secured by Design, who hold the police preferred specification for crime prevention and security products. In addition, prevention specialists from the London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade will be present to deliver health and fire safety advice”.

Guy Ferguson, CEO of Secured by Design said: “I am pleased to support the Metropolitan Police at this prestigious show, which will enable the Designing Out Crime Officers to highlight to people the steps they can take to make their homes as safe and secure as is reasonably possible.

“I urge you to visit the Future Living Home and the Home Security Advice stand and speak to these specialist officers, they are able to provide free security advice and guidance around what to look for in a security product, and the simple steps people can take to look after themselves and work with us to prevent crime”.

Ben Evans, London Ambulance Service Assistant Director of Operations for North East London said: “It is great to see blue-light collaboration between the London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade and the Metropolitan Police Service not just out on the road, but also in our joint ambitions and efforts to support making London the safest global city.

“This includes sharing with the wider community the important safety measures we can all make to prevent and treat accidents in the home, the benefits of learning CPR and to talk to members of the public about the importance of using 111 and 999 services appropriately when they need us.

“We are delighted to stand by our blue-light colleagues today and be part of the Future Living Home at this year’s Ideal Home Show. I encourage Londoners to visit the stand over the next two weeks to meet our colleagues and hear first-hand about our services and how we are working together to promote safety in the home".

The Met officers at the show will be specialist police Designing Out Crime Officers (DOCOs), who are experts in crime prevention measures for residential and commercial properties.  Every police force around the UK has DOCOs, who work closely with developers,  architects and local authority planners to incorporate proven crime prevention and designing out crime measures and techniques into the physical security of buildings.

DOCOs also seek to improve the physical security of buildings by encouraging the use of products that meet Secured by Design’s Police Preferred Specification, which means they are sufficiently robust to resist physical attack by opportunist burglars.

Secured by Design (SBD) has been involved in pioneering work with national and local government and a wide range of organisations to improve the physical security of buildings, particularly in the residential marketplace, over the last 30 years.  This work has involved tackling the wide variations in the quality of products installed during the housing boom of the 1960s, 70s and 80s when security was barely considered and windows could be lifted out almost as easily as they were installed.

To combat the rise in burglary that resulted, SBD set about looking at the quality of the products being sold against those originally tested. With SBD driving the market, test houses were created and certification bodies set up to ensure quality assurance over time.

SBD provides a recognised standard for all security products that can deter and reduce crime and keep people safe. SBD’s Police Preferred Specification is awarded only when products are deemed to meet its rigorous police security requirements.

The Ideal Home Show runs from Friday 11th to Sunday 27th March at Olympia London.

Further information on Metropolitan Police and Secured by Design collaboration at the Ideal Home Show can be found here: https://www.securedbydesign.com/ideal-home-show-22