Essex-based firm ABL Doors and Windows has renewed its membership with the official police security initiative, Secured by Design (SBD).

Not only do ABL, which is based near Colchester, manufacture and supply customers across the UK with sustainable, bespoke door and window solutions that cover a range of aesthetic, fire, acoustic and security requirements, but they also hold SMAS (Safety Management Advisory Services) accreditation for installation works.

With their unique and revolutionary objective to reduce the overall labour costs and minimise the amount of hassle and risk for developers, builders and local authorities, ABL now boast the ability to install each precision hung doorset in under 12 minutes.

Secured by Design is owned by the UK Police Service and works to improve the security of buildings and their immediate surroundings, with the specific aim to reduce crime and help people live more safely. SBD is the only way for companies to obtain police recognition for security-related products in the UK.

Following vigorous product testing and auditing by an accredited third-party organisation, ABL have achieved SBD’s Police Preferred
Specification (PPS) on an array of their innovative entrance and timber door ranges. All in which are also certified to meet the enhanced security requirements of PAS 24:2016.
Director of ABL Doors, Stephanie Gipp added: “Having been in the SBD scheme since 2016, it is comforting to know that our products are both fire and security safe giving us and our clients peace of mind that our doorsets are manufactured and installed to the high standard of the scheme expectations”.
ABL Doors was founded when Andy Williams, who previously worked with one of the UK’s largest door slab manufacturers – Premdor, spotted a frustrating and unique gap in the housing development market surrounding the slow, expensive and inaccurate way that doors were sourced and fitted.
After pursuing the idea of precision-hanging doors in a factory setting, and simply installing a full, pre-hung doorset, consisting of frame, slab and furniture; ABL Doors was formed, and the rest is history.
Today, ABL’s hand-picked supply chain gives them access to over 4,000 different styles of the highest quality internal, fire, acoustic and external doors. Their manufacturing, delivery and fitting chains allow them to supply their customers with products to the highest standard, accurate to the 1/100th of a millimeter, whilst also providing the level of service expected by national housing developers and local authorities.
Lyn Poole, Development Officer at Secured by Design commented: “I am pleased to say that ABL have renewed their SBD membership. It’s great to see that they feel there is a benefit in it for them and that the building industry is striving to build new and refurbished properties with SBD member products. I was lucky enough to visit their factory and offices in Essex recently and I was very impressed”.
Lyn went on to add: “Developers and contractors can go to the SBD website, look at our member companies and feel reassured that whichever products they choose, SBD have done all the due diligence, so they know that they do what they say on the tin. It’s peace of mind for them knowing that they will comply with security standards and in some cases, fire as well, especially for flat entrance doorsets. I look forward to working with them”.
ABL are proud to be trusted suppliers and installers of doors and doorsets to some of the biggest names in the industry and work hard to build healthy, long-lasting relationships with all of their clients.
Some of its clients include: Redrow Homes, Fairview Homes, Gilliard Construction, Weston Homes, Bellway, Higgins Partnership.
With over one million homes built to SBD standards, witnessing reductions in crime of up to 87%, SBD plays a hugely significant role in the process of designing out crime by good design. As a result, sustainable reductions in crime have been witnessed each and every year.
Secured by Design was established over 30 years ago and works with many partner organisations ranging from the Home Office, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, right through to local authorities, housing associations, architects, developers and manufacturers. SBD also maintains close links with standards authorities and certification bodies to ensure it remains up to date with emerging criminal trends.
By working closely with builders, developers, local authorities and registered housing associations to incorporate their police crime prevention standards from the initial concept and design, right through to construction and completion. Police forces throughout the UK have specially trained Designing Out Crime Officers (DOCOs) who offer police designing out crime and Secured by Design advice free of charge.
There are currently many hundreds of SBD member companies producing thousands of attack resistant crime prevention products across 30 different crime categories. http://www.abldoors.co.uk