National Home Security Month & the ‘Secured by Design’ Initiative
October has once again been designated as National Home Security Month.
With the winter months nearly upon us and the reduced daylight hours on their way, it’s a good time to take a moment to assess just how secure your home is and whether you’re taking the right measures to deter any would-be thieves.
Crime on the Increase
After more than a decade of declining numbers, the last two years have seen increases in both reported burglary and robbery statistics.
The latest report by the Office of National Statistics shows that there were over 430,000 domestic burglaries reported to the police in the 12 months up to March 2018; this is a six per cent increase on the previous period.
It is estimated that a burglary happens in the UK every 40 seconds, with 40 per cent occurring when a house is empty.
It is important that homeowners look to help reverse this trend by ensuring their property is properly protected.
Secured by Design
At Window Wise there are three main considerations when we install replacement doors and windows for our customers; the design and aesthetic of the product, the energy efficiency rating, and the level of security it provides to the property.
For the latter of those three, an important factor is ‘Secured by Design’.
Secured by Design is a police-backed initiative, with products achieving the certification being adequately safe and strong enough while adhering to the principles of ‘designing out crime’.
Window Wise is a supplier and installer of replacement doors and windows from the PlatinumNRG range from Whiteline – a range of products have been manufactured to adhere to the standards laid out by the Secured by Design initiative.
All of the products in this range – PCVu windows, French casement doors, tilt-and-turn windows, and solid timber core composite doors – come with enhanced security as standard, incorporating upgraded hinges, locking mechanism, locking and screw retention to ensure compliance.
British Standards
The enhanced security performance evident in the PlatinumNRG range falls within the specification laid out by:
PAS24:2016 Enhanced Security Performance – Enhanced security performance requirements for doorsets and windows in the UK. Doorsets and windows intended to offer a level
of security suitable for dwellings and other buildings exposed to comparable risk.
BS7412:2007 Specification for PVCu Windows and Doors – Every component used within the window set tested, must comply to the relevant British Standard for that component before they can be put forward for testing to BS 7412.
BS6375 – 1:2009 Weather Rating – Specifies the exposure categories related to test pressure levels for air permeability, water-tightness and wind resistance for external windows and doorsets.
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If you want to discuss further with Window Wise your options in terms of Secured by Design doors and windows, get in touch.
