Secured by Design

About Us

Secured by Design (SBD), the national police crime prevention initiative, seeks to achieve sustainable reductions in crime through design and other approaches to enable people to live in a safer society.

SBD trained officers and staff in Police Forces work closely with Local Authority planners, architects and developers from drawing board stage to ‘design out crime’ using proven crime prevention techniques in layout and landscaping and building security in a range of sectors including housing, commercial, transport, health, education and leisure.

Our SBD National Building Approval scheme, which can be used for new build or regeneration projects, can reduce costs, save time and simplify complying with Building Regulations for developers and specifiers.

We work with many other organisations, including National Government, British and European Standards authorities, trade associations and the construction industry and encourage manufacturers to achieve our Police Preferred Specification – a high standard which ensures quality over time rather than one-off testing. Independent research shows that SBD developments that include crime prevention techniques in the built environment and accredited products like doors and windows can reduce crimes like burglary by up to 75% in new-build homes and up to 63% in refurbishments. Evidence suggests these figures are sustainable year-on-year and represent a significant reduction. Falling crime brings less demand on Police and Local Authority resources and use of police accredited products means less maintenance – freeing up budgets for other priorities.

During our 27 years’ working with local communities, we have adapted to changing patterns of criminal behaviour. Our knowledge and practical guidance is captured in our building guides.

View our promotional film for more information: