Pettifor court secures top award from local police

A retirement development in Anstey has achieved the top ‘Secured By Design’ award from Leicestershire Police. Chief Inspector Sally Chivers visited Pettifor Court to present the certificate to Steve Retter, Construction Director of McCarthy & Stone.

Secured By Design is an initiative that encourages the building industry to adopt crime prevention measures to assist in reducing the opportunity for crime and the fear of crime, creating a safer and more secure environment. To reach the required standard, developers must pay attention not only to security systems like burglar alarms and CCTV, but also to the layout and planting of grounds, the lighting of paths, and the design of doors and windows.

Chief Inspector Sally Chivers met the residents of Pettifor Court before presenting the award in the residents’ lounge. She said “Secured By Design certification is given to recognise the effort and commitment made by developers to include ‘Designing Out Crime’ principles within their developments”.

Glynn Parkes, Technical Manager said: “The Secured By Design standards are constantly updated as better products come on the market. Pettifor Court has met the enhanced standards set by police experts and we are able to offer the apartments for sale with the added peace of mind this award provides.

“As a builder of properties for older people we are very much aware of the need to make our residents feel safe, and for this reason we have always made security an integral part of the design of our buildings.

“Pettifor Court contains all the tried and tested features that have proved so successful over the 30 years since McCarthy & Stone was founded.

“These include tough locks on windows, smoke and intruder alarms throughout the building and the 24-hour Careline system, which enables residents to summon help in case of personal emergency.

“Pettifor Court also has a camera entry system, allowing residents to see who’s outside the front door using their own TV sets before allowing them access to the development. We know from surveys that this is a very popular and much-used device, and indeed, that for the majority of our resident’s security is a key reason for buying a McCarthy & Stone apartment in the first place.”

Pettifor Court is a development of 48 retirement apartments built by award winning retirement builder McCarthy & Stone on Bradgate Road in Anstey. Prices start from £139,950.