Police Preferred Specification

Police Preferred Specification is a Secured by Design (SBD) accreditation scheme run on behalf of the UK police for products or services that have met recognised security standards. Such products or services must be capable of deterring or preventing crime and are known as being of a ‘Police Preferred Specification’.

The Police Preferred Specification ensures that products have been:

• Independently tested to a relevant security standard
• Fully certified by an independent third-party, United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) certification body

Or

• Tested and certified by an approved body such as Sold Secure or Thatcham

Police Preferred Specification requires:

• Regular re-testing
• Annual inspection of the manufacturing facility to ensure quality and performance are maintained (by a UKAS body)

Secured by Design (SBD) does not undertake testing itself, but issues a full list of UKAS bodies that do, which can be found under the Testing and Certification section of the Secured by Design webpage.

There are a wide range of security standards available worldwide, from a variety of sources and for different products. A comparison of the standards with different risk levels, has been published in the form of different guides developed in conjunction with the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) and the Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB).

• Standards - Computer Security
• Standards - Security Screens
• Standards - Interpretive Document for BSEN 1627 - 1630

BSI Standards- Security products without the benefit of a suitable public test standard may be accepted having passed the BSI evaluation based on research by a technical authority acceptable to Secured by Design e.g. Forensic services, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory or Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre and Thatcham.

Sold Secure is administered by the Master Locksmiths Association. Approval is classified into 3 main categories; Bronze, Silver & Gold (with an addition of Diamond for certain product types). The categories reflect the amount of time allocated per test and the type of tools used. This can vary depending on what test is specified. The higher the grading (Bronze is the lowest) the higher the security provided by the product. They offer a range of specifications, including SS101 Motorcycles, SS102 Motor Vehicle, SS104 Pedal Cycles, SS105 Ground Anchors and SS323 Fences/Gates.

The most commonly used standards in the UK and those most likely to be requested by specifiers and Designing Out Crime Officers (DOCOs) can be found on the Security Standards Explained of the Secured by Design website.

Note that there is increasing synergy between common physical security standards and IoT / cyber security standards, with the emergence of ESTI 303645 & other such cyber security standards to ensure that the product is protected dependent on the risk, against both forms of criminal attack i.e. Burglar or hacker for example (Further information can be found on SBD Secure Connected Devices (SCD)

Secured by Design 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. For further information visit https://www.securedbydesign.com/

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