Construction Site Security guide
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
Secured by Design (SBD) is a police initiative that seeks to encourage the construction industry to adopt crime prevention measures in the design of developments, to assist in reducing the opportunity for, and fear of, crime.
SBD is owned by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and has the support of the Home Office Crime Reduction and Community Safety Group and other Government Departments. The National Police Chiefs’ Council for England, Wales and Police Scotland endorse and support the Secured by Design programme.
[edit] Site security guide
In 2021, SBD published a guide entitled Construction Site Security. The publication offers advice about how to protect sites from theft, vandalism, arson and other types of security violations that may result in additional long-term financial and scheduling consequences caused by the interruption of work.
The guide was prepared by SBD with assistance from the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), Police Scotland, the Considerate Constructors Scheme, London Fire Brigade (LFB), the National Business Crime Centre, Sold Secure, the UK official Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).
The guide can be downloaded for free from the SBD website.
[edit] Overview
The advice is based on crime prevention principles that are suitable for all types of sites. The information in the guide is designed for security personnel and all other members of staff.
Topics in the guide include:
- Perimeter security.
- Site access.
- Site offices.
- Lighting.
- CCTV.
- Vehicle protection.
- Plant, machinery and tools.
- Urban exploration or Urbex (this refers to the unauthorised, after hours exploration of infrastructure sites - sometimes with the use of drones - typically for the purpose of photographing and posting to social media).
- Fire prevention.
- Employment screening (including guidance regarding personnel pre-employment requirements and verification measures).
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Access to construction sites.
- Drone regulations and safety.
- Health and safety.
- Perimeter security.
- Preventing unauthorised access to construction sites.
- Secured by design.
- Urban exploration UE.
[edit] External resources
Featured articles and news
Tackle the decline in Welsh electrical apprenticeships
ECA calls on political parties 100 days to the Senedd elections.
Resident engagement as the key to successful retrofits
Retrofit is about people, not just buildings, from early starts to beyond handover.
What they are, how they work and why they are popular in many countries.
Plastic, recycling and its symbol
Student competition winning, M.C.Esher inspired Möbius strip design symbolising continuity within a finite entity.
Do you take the lead in a circular construction economy?
Help us develop and expand this wiki as a resource for academia and industry alike.
Warm Homes Plan Workforce Taskforce
Risks of undermining UK’s energy transition due to lack of electrotechnical industry representation, says ECA.
Cost Optimal Domestic Electrification CODE
Modelling retrofits only on costs that directly impact the consumer: upfront cost of equipment, energy costs and maintenance costs.
The Warm Homes Plan details released
What's new and what is not, with industry reactions.
Could AI and VR cause an increase the value of heritage?
The Orange book: 2026 Amendment 4 to BS 7671:2018
ECA welcomes IET and BSI content sign off.
How neural technologies could transform the design future
Enhancing legacy parametric engines, offering novel ways to explore solutions and generate geometry.
Key AI related terms to be aware of
With explanations from the UK government and other bodies.
From QS to further education teacher
Applying real world skills with the next generation.
A guide on how children can use LEGO to mirror real engineering processes.
Data infrastructure for next-generation materials science
Research Data Express to automate data processing and create AI-ready datasets for materials research.
Wired for the Future with ECA; powering skills and progress
ECA South Wales Business Day 2025, a day to remember.
AI for the conservation professional
A level of sophistication previously reserved for science fiction.