Powered gate safety – security professionals join the fight

UK security and policing professionals have joined the fight to raise levels of powered gate safety.

Secured by Design, the UK police flagship initiative which designs out crime at the planning stage of buildings and developments, has backed Gate Safety Week. Also joining the campaign is the Crime Prevention Website which provides crime prevention advice to both the general public and the police service.

Gate Safety Week is being held from October 12 – 18 and is organised by the Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) Powered Gate Group which comprises Britain’s leading manufacturers, suppliers, installers and maintainers of powered automatic gates and gate automation equipment.

In the run up to Gate Safety Week, campaigners are actively encouraging best practice in all aspects of powered gates and will be working hard to further improve safety standards across the industry.

In recent years, three children and three adults have been killed in powered gate accidents. It is estimated there are more than 500,000 automated gates in service in the UK, yet the industry says just 30 per cent of these are safe to use.

Mick Reynolds, senior development officer at Association of Chief Police Officers Secured by Design, said: “Secured by Design and the DHF have a long history of working together. As well as needing to be secure, it is vital that gates are regularly inspected and properly maintained so that they perform properly and at the same time are safe to those using them. Gate Safety Week is a great way of raising awareness in this area.”

The Crime Prevention Website receives more than 10,000 visits a week and offers 220,000 words of crime prevention advice. It is the largest and most comprehensive online resource for crime prevention and home security advice.

Its owner, retired Metropolitan police officer and security consultant Calvin Beckford, said:

“I hope to guide the public in making the right decisions about their security, whether that is at home or at work. This is why I am delighted to support this very important initiative, not only to save lives and prevent injury, but to inform the public about powered gate safety issues of which, they would otherwise be unaware. My hat is off to the DHF and members of the Powered Gate Group for organising this important week and I will continue to do what I can to support you.”

The two organisations are the latest in a large number of influential organisations in the safety, enforcement, inspection, education and security sectors which have pledged their support to the campaign and are helping spread awareness of the importance of gate safety.

There is comprehensive guidance for those those responsible for specifying, managing and maintaining automatic gates on the Gate Safety Week website (www.gatesafetyweek.org.uk). This includes information on safety legislation and a detailed rundown of the safety features to look for on automatic gates.

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