For a review of campus security, Halesowen College recently sought advice of a Designing Out Crime Officer from West Midlands Police. The force was able to evaluate the requirements and recommend a solution. Secured by Design (SBD) member company Meesons was selected by the college to undertake security work.
John Murray, Operations Director at the college, said: “Here at Halesowen College we were keen to provide a contemporary solution to site access as part of our secure campus agenda. Our priorities were for an access solution that enabled us to control entry and exit to the site, adjust the direction of ‘traffic flow’ at different times of the day and not compromise the aesthetic appearance of the college. Furthermore we needed the product to operate reliably in an external environment.
“Meesons were able to meet all these requirements and the purchasing process, from initial consultation to final installation was very professionally handled. The team that performed the installation, in challenging weather conditions, were excellent. The gates themselves operate reliably and quickly, ensuring that students can gain safe access to the campus with virtually no delay. We look forward to an ongoing relationship, as part of our commitment to student safety and providing the best possible learning environment.”
Mark Silvester is Force Design Out Crime Manager for West Midlands Police; he was featured in the April 2019 print edition of Professional Security Magazine. He said: “We were asked to undertake a review of Halesowen College campus. The focus was around access to the site to provide enhanced safety and security of students, staff and visitors. In addition the recommendations we made needed to be sympathetic with the educational setting and in sync with Halesowen College’s secure campus agenda. We directed the college to Secured by Design Police Approved member companies to source products to meet our recommendations.”
Iain Entwistle, Product Marketing Manager at Meesons, said: “We are proud to have provided this unique outdoor solution to help create a safe environment for the students to go about their studies, whilst still maintaining an open campus feel. The installation looks great and provides a secure line prior to entering the college’s buildings.”
And SBD Development Officer Lyn Poole said: “Meesons have a wide range of Portals which have achieved some of the toughest tests and now have our Police Preferred Specification accreditation. I’m very pleased to see that working with the Designing Out Crime Officer and the College they have the perfect solution for the students to be safe while on campus.”
You can find out more about Meesons and their range of SBD accredited products at the SBD website: https://www.securedbydesign.com/.
