Standards
Selectamark actively seeks to obtain standards to demonstrate it’s commitment to delivering security solutions of the highest quality. These include:
ISO9001:2015 Quality Management Systems - requirements;
LPS1225:Issue3 Specification for testing and classifying asset marking systems;
LPS1224:Issue3 Requirements for companies providing secure asset registration services; and
ACPO Secured by Design.
ISO9001:2015 Quality Management Systems - requirements
ISO9001:2015 supersedes our previous ISO9001:2008 standard held by us for the last 5 years and is recognized and respected throughout the world. Interestingly enough, the standard has developed since its previous version and now places greater significance on customer satisfaction and continual improvement.
The standard took almost 3 months to obtain and involves internal reviews of internal procedures. The certificate is only issued after LPCB Inspector visit to our premises.
A BSi (http://www.bsi-global.com/news) press release dated 31 July 2003 estimates that as of December 2002 only 16% or 9,760 organizations had upgraded their certificates to ISO9001:2000 which only demonstrates further how difficult it is to obtain. It is the BSI’s view that the transition to the new standard is a vital step for businesses wanting to maintain a competitive advantage and acceptability in today’s increasingly sophisticated supply chains.
LPS1225:Issue3 Specification for testing and classifying asset marking systems
The Loss Prevention Certification Board joined BRE Certification on 31 March 2000. The Loss Prevention Certification Board traces its origins back more than a century to the introduction of engineered fire protection systems in the 1880’s. Later the Fire Offices’ Committee (FOC)‘s technical documents became Loss Prevention Council (LPC) rules and standards, and the approval schemes became Loss Prevention Standards.
Approval or certification is third party confirmation that products, services, systems and personnel meet and continue to meet certain standards and specifications. In Selectamark’s case that means “Asset Marking Systems” and “Database Management for Asset Marking”.
Asset Marking Systems
For a number of years both the Police and Government have promoted visible marking of property, the most basic form of which is a postcode. Although effective as a basic deterrent, traceability and proof of ownership through postcodes is limited since it does not cater for the movement of the owner (change of address), rented products or sale of products. As a result the need was identified for the secure marking of items with unique codes that can identify the item and ownership via secure databases which are fully transferable.
The work, undertaken with the backing of the Police, Government and Insurers, resulted in the publication of LPS1225 Specification for testing and classifying asset marking systems.
The Aim of the Standard
LPS1225:Issue3 specifies requirements for the composition and performance of an asset marking system such that, when used according to the manufacturer’s instructions, the asset marking device may:
(a) enable a marked asset to be traced to the legal owner via a secure LPS 1224 database register linked to the marking system employed;
(b) act as a theft deterrent in the first instance by virtue of known existence.
What is certification?
Certification is third party confirmation that products, services, systems and personnel meet and continue to meet the appropriate standard. It differs from a test which is basically a snapshot showing that the product passed the test on a given day. Certification, through regular audits, ensures that the product continues to meet the specification.
Certification is beneficial to everyone in the supply chain, from the manufacturer to the end client.
The certification process involves rigorous assessment and testing of products and services to ensure that they meet and continue to meet quality standards set by a team of experts who may be manufacturers, installers, designers, clients, regulators, insurers, engineers and scientists.
These standards may be our own Loss Prevention Standards or may be British, European or International Standards.
Once the LPCB are satisfied that a product, service or company meets the necessary standards, they issue a certificate and list them in the relevant “Red Book - List of Approved Fire and Security Products”. The Red Books are available free of charge to spefifiers and other users throughout the world and can also be viewed on line at http://www.redbooklive.com.
LPS1224:Issue3 Requirements for companies providing secure asset registration services
This standard specifies requirements for asset registration companies providing third party secure asset registration services within the UK such that the information they are responsible for registering and maintaining:
(a) is secure
(b) can be used to verify the identify of the registered keeper of an asset registered on the secure asset register.
The standard covers secure asset registration services based on systems that accommodate the receipt, processing and storage of information and enquiries submitted to the asset registration company by post, fax, telephone, email and internet.
The standard does not speficy one particular design of secure asset register and is applicable to all sizes of asset registration company.
The minimum security requirements defined in this standard are designed to prevent unauthorized viewing, manipulation or destruction of the information registered on secure asset registers while also ensuring that information is suitably accessible to:
(a) registered keepers of assets registered on the secure asset register; and
(b) those wishing to verify details of the registered keeper, for example, law enforcement officers or people considering purchasing the registered items.
ACPO Secured by Design
Secured by Design is the UK Police flagship initiative supporting the principles of designing out crime. It has a number of key features:
Secured by Design is supported and managed by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and has the backing of the Home Office. It has been drawn up in consultation with the Department for Transport, Local Government & Regions (formerly DETR) as well as trade, industry and standards organizations.
Secured by Design (SBD) is the corporate title for a family of national police projects involving the design for new homes, refurbished homes, commercial premises, car parks and other police crime prevention projects.
Licenced Products
Secured by Design licensed company status is awarded to those companies producing security products which pass standards and tests nominated by the police service as “Police Preferred Specification”.
Licence Holders
Companies appearing on the product categories hold Secured by Design Licences and produce one or more products, which meet technical standards endorsed by ACPO CPI Ltd.
The Secured by Design logo and the title “Police Preferred Specification” may only be used in respect of products which meet these standards.
Selectamark Security Systems plc is one of only two companies that has a police preferred specification for Property Identification.
