Regulation Committee of the Homes and Communities Agency

Written evidence from Secured by Design (HCA 16)

I am writing from the police crime prevention initiative, Secured by Design, to provide our thoughts on the role of the Homes and Communities Agency’s (HCA) Regulation Committee ahead of your session with its Chair. I would put on record our firm view that the HCA has been pivotal in helping cut burglary and anti-social behaviour in social housing in England, with longstanding support for security standards. However, we would like to see the Regulation Committee take oversight of security standards to ensure they continue to benefit social housing residents for the future.

About Secured by Design

Secured by Design is a flagship initiative with the objective of designing out crime during the planning process and can be retrofitted to existing housing stock. We believe that residents have the right to feel safe in their homes, and security standards are about ensuring this is a consideration in both the planning process and retrospectively. In fact, independent research has shown that homes with low level security suffer 75% more burglaries than those with realistic Secured by Design level security, while criminal damage is also reduced by 25%.

Secured by Design is open to all sections of the construction industry provided they meet the security standards in our project. The scheme is self funded by our accreditation of a range of security products which can be shown to meet standards and reduce crime. Any surplus is reinvested in research and crime prevention projects across the country. There is no obligation on builders or architects to use these particular products, many of which are not related to construction. Notably, Secured by Design standards can be added through refurbishments meaning that the standard can be applied retrospectively at limited cost.

The implementation of Secured by Design principles in the design and build process has led to significant and sustainable reductions in crime in areas across the UK, including Nottingham, Glasgow, Kent and West Yorkshire. Notably, recent statistics from the Office of National Statistics have shown that high quality security products have contributed to the recent drop in burglaries.

Moreover, for the HCA specifically, by reducing burglary and anti-social behaviour, there are significant benefits reaped in terms of reduced maintenance costs and fewer void properties to protect. Undoubtedly this has also resulted in increased satisfaction of residents residing within properties falling under the HCA remit.

Role of the HCA Regulation Committee

1.1. We support the key consumer objectives of the Regulation Committee to ensure the provision of social housing is "well-managed", of "appropriate quality", and encourages registered providers to contribute to the social, economic and environmental well-being of their areas.

1.2. At Secured by Design, we consider the safety of homes to be a crucial element of improving well-being for communities, whilst also being imperative to the sustainability of the housing stock in England. The importance of security to the public is evidenced by The Future Homes Commission report published in October 2012 that noted that 43% of people interviewed stated that security was the most important aspect of homes [1] . As such, we consider that the principles of security should be better embedded in the consumer objectives of the committee in order to boost residents’ satisfaction.

1.3. You may be aware that the security element of the Code for Sustainable Homes aims to "encourage the design of developments where people feel safe and secure; where crime and disorder, or the fear of crime, does not undermine quality of life or community cohesion", and credits are awarded for complying with this. The HCA’s insistence on social housing meeting a certain level in the Code for Sustainable Homes is the correct approach and we would like to see a greater focus from the Regulation Committee in monitoring and protecting these standards. Adhering to these principles has been beneficial for ensuring more social housing tenants can live in a safe and secure environment and this must remain the case for the future.

1.4. The reliance on security standards as specified by Secured by Design ensures high quality and value for money. This  has resulted in the significant growth of suppliers offering high grade products which meet the standard, at more competitive prices, and a keenness to ensure certification for products to meet security standards at tender stage.

1.5. The Regulation Committee cites the previous Government’s Decent Homes Guidance which states that the delivery of decent homes should not be an obstacle to landlords carrying out work falling outside its scope but achieving other local priorities, such as physical improvements to help design out crime. We consider a decent home to be one that is safe and secure, and there have been valuable examples of combining the Decent Homes Standard with our initiative, such as in Nottingham where crime was seen to fall significantly. Please find enclosed a case study for further information. We welcome the Regulation Committee highlighting the importance of work falling outside the scope of the Decent Homes scheme, but would call for more explicit oversight of the security of the England’s social housing stock.

1.6. We remain concerned that the trend towards de-regulation in standards will jeopardise the predominantly good quality of social housing and falling levels of crime. The Code for Sustainable Housing is at risk as well as other guidance; the loss of the Code for Sustainable homes, which references Secured by Design, could have serious implications for social housing and the safety of tenants. I hope that the Regulation Committee will respond strongly to these concerns on behalf of social housing residents in the England.

I hope you have found the content of this submission informative, and we look forward to seeing the Select Committee’s conclusions on HCA regulation.

June 2013