Dear Nathan

It’s always interesting when new legislation and standards are introduced into our industry, especially when they relate to such an important and emotive issue as security.

Recent debates have naturally been focussed around the new changes to the PAS24 standard which were approved in August. While we have a period of up to 12 months grace depending on when a company’s PAS24 audit is next due, there is confusion in the market place about the implications of these new standards.

Part of the harmonisation of European standards, includes the removal of BS7950 and PAS23 to be replaced with the new benchmark standard BSEN1627:2011. A national foreword for this has been introduced which will allow compliance with PAS 24 or EN 1627-30. This is soon to be ratified by CEN.

Doorsets that are newly manufactured will be tested to the PAS24: 2011 standard. It is not prescriptive in terms of specifying solutions to achieve the level of resistance to forced entry, except that to conform to the standard, a kite marked cylinder has to be fitted. This type of cylinder has been tested for anti-drill, core extraction, bumping and manipulation. Within the PAS24 product assessment specification, the clause A.11, addresses the vulnerability of the cylinder. Once the cylinder is fitted, the A.11 clause addresses the manual attack by removing the handles and protective hardware, snapping the cylinder and the manipulation of the dead bolt to gain entry. An additional change to the new standard will address a recent trend in attacks on doors using a particular type of mole grip.

While it’s absolutely critical that door and window companies use hardware suppliers whose products meet – and ideally – exceed legislation, additional factors should be taken into consideration. When it comes to security, professional product design also takes into account criminal psychology, and of the 1 million burglaries and attempted burglaries every year in the UK, most are committed by opportunist thieves*.

With £multi-million investment over the last 60 years into innovative and top quality security products, Hoppe is adept at balancing legislative demand with necessary psychological deterrents. Our enhanced security door handles not only satisfy the considerations for holding an SBD licence – our PAS24 Tôkyô handle set resists a three-minute attack – we also deliberately design in visible deterrents to persuade opportunistic burglars to walk on by.

With a presence on all the leading associations and bodies, the Hoppe team is well placed to advise the market on the implications of the new changes and to offer a helping hand. These new standards will understandably cause confusion, so it’s really important that you work with suppliers who understand the detail, can advise on the new best means to compliance and interpret the changes from a practical perspective.

Yours sincerely

Roger Benton
Joint Managing Director
Hoppe