Secured environments certification scheme
'Secured Environments' is a police certification scheme for businesses that want to demonstrate that they have effective security. It is awarded to organisations that are able to show that they have adopted six key principles for protecting themselves against crime.
Upon registering organisations are guided through the process with help and advice throughout. Once they have met the six key principles they will be awarded with the police approved 3 year accreditation of 'Secured Environments'.
The aim is to help organisations to think about their risks and how to make the best use of measures they already have. It has been adopted by leading businesses and organisations including for example: Lloyd’s of London, Aon (in the Leadenhall Building), London Bridge City, The Francis Crick Institute, Islington Square and Imperial College London. It is held by businesses, universities, shopping centres, and land estates in the UK, and more organisations are registered and currently working towards the award.
The accreditation is based on six core principles which every organisation should follow to ensure that their security is managed effectively:
Principle 1: Commitment to creating a secure environment
Principle 2: Understanding of security risks
Principle 3: Development of an effective response
Principle 4: Management of the response
Principle 5: Implementation of the response
Principle 6: Evaluation of response to detect where change is required
To gain accreditation, each organisation undergoes a period of preparation before an audit day (or more depending on the size of the organisation), after which they will be provided with detailed feedback on their performance and either an immediate pass if they are already meeting the requirements, or detail on how to address any gaps which have been identified. An organisation then has three months to rectify these issues.
Some of the feedback organisations have provided about the scheme:
“London Bridge City is delighted to have achieved the award. By submitting our security operation to the rigorous assessment process we have demonstrated our commitment to public safety. London Bridge City is determined to continue to provide a safe, welcoming and sustainable place for businesses, the public and the local community and we are committed to working with the Police and other partners to continuously test, evaluate and improve our processes.” Magnus MacAuley, London Bridge City
“We are extremely pleased to have retained the award for a third time. This is a significant achievement for Lloyd’s and it sends out a clear message that we take our security very seriously and we are well prepared and tested for all types of incidents.” Tassos Vassiloulis, Lloyd’s
“This award demonstrates the dedication of the Security team in placing the safety and security of all staff, students, and visitors as our utmost priority.” Terry Branch, Imperial College London
Achieving Secured Environments status does not guarantee you will not be a victim of crime or disorder, nobody can guarantee that. The risk of crime changes over time and therefore responses need to be flexible and updated - following the Secured Environments principles will help with that.
For more information, see the website: www.securedenvironments.co.uk
