Bournemouth University has been re-accredited with the Secured Environments standard for the third time. The south coast university underwent a thorough audit of their security processes and procedures as well as consultation with staff.
Like many universities, Bournemouth has uni buildings spread through its town centre and welcomes members of the public to use university services such as the shop, bank, restaurant and sports amenities. Recorded crime, although already low, has fallen since their previous audit. In particular the work of the uni to reduce bicycle theft – again, a common bugbear for campuses – has yielded results.
Sandra Baylis, Facilities Manager (Soft Services), led the work to gain the accreditation. She said: “Bournemouth University is delighted to have been awarded the Secured Environments accreditation for the third time. Being a part of the Secured Environments scheme has provided a framework for our security processes, while evidencing the University’s commitment to providing a safe and secure environment for all staff and students. The Secured Environments auditing process is professionally managed. An auditor checks that appropriate policies and procedures are in place, but more importantly, holds focus groups to ensure that staff who work within the security teams as well as groups of stakeholders from across the University are able to provide their view on how well security is managed. The security team are all committed to maintaining safety and security, so it is great to have our efforts verified by an external consultant.”
Bournemouth meanwhile has also worked with Dorset Police so that new builds have been completed within official UK police Secured by Design specifications. The uni plans to continue this approach with other planned new builds.
Guy Ferguson, Chief Executive Officer, Police CPI (Police Crime Prevention Initiatives Limited) said: “It is encouraging to see the university take a holistic approach to security.”
Background
The consultancy Perpetuity Research runs and conducts the Secured Environments accreditation on behalf of Police CPI. For a university and other case studies visit https://www.securedenvironments.com/case-studies.
