Congratulations to Richard Yates and his team at the University of Sheffield, who have achieved the prestigious ‘Secured Environments’ Accreditation.

The award, which recognises that the University is following six key principles to maximise the safety of staff, students and visitors, was presented to President and Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Sir Keith Burnett by the Chief Constable for South Yorkshire Police, Stephen Watson.

The University faces a number of challenges in managing security, not least in terms of its size and scale, but also their central location in the city centre, and the varying functions of their numerous sites and buildings.

The award includes not just the city centre campus, but also university-owned accommodation and the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) buildings.

Chief Constable Stephen Watson said: “I am delighted that the University of Sheffield, which is a first class university, has put the effort into attracting this accreditation.  What we know is that Secured Environments, which is related to Secured by Design, works on the basis of evidence and it’s very fitting therefore that a university should apply the evidence to putting the hard work in to attracting this particular piece of accreditation.

“A very significant thing I think for the University and for the wider public is that the benefit of this accreditation will be to make people safer, particularly amongst the student body, here at one of our country’s leading universities, which is good for the University, good for Sheffield and good for us as a country.”

Richard Yates, Head of Security at the University of Sheffield, reflected: “We are thrilled to have been awarded the Secured Environments accreditation. There are other accreditation schemes available, but none have got the same academic merit and background.

“This accreditation allows us to demonstrate to students, staff and visitors at our University that we are committed to security and safety, and that this has been independently audited against a high set of standards outlined by Police Crime Prevention Initiatives.

“Achieving this award has been a University-wide effort, from the Vice-Chancellor, senior management and the security team, as well as the unprecedented number of colleagues who supported us by completing a survey.

“The accreditation is valid for three years and it will be beneficial across colleagues, students and the local community, as well as the University’s business and research interests. It is a validation that our security practises and processes are to a high standard and we will continue to work hard to ensure this remains the case.”

Guy Ferguson, Chief Executive Officer at Police CPI stated: “It is crucial for educational establishments to recognise and respond to the crime and security risks they face – not least those that share a central location with the public and a range of other organisations. Good security is valued by employees, students and indeed their parents. It also supports the overall crime prevention efforts in the local area. Congratulations are due to the University of Sheffield for recognising and rising to this challenge and for meeting the high standards required to achieve the award.”