An incident at a residential building in Southport has prompted Birmingham security manufacturer Warrior Doors to renew calls for housing providers to prioritise independently tested security, durability and whole-life costs when specifying communal entrance doors.
Merseyside Police confirmed last week that a third man had been arrested following an incident at a residential property in Southport, where three men were captured on doorbell footage entering a communal entrance shortly before 11pm on 2 October.
According to the police report published on 29 October, the entrance door handle was damaged during the incident. The men subsequently pushed past another individual leaving the building and made threats towards him. The investigation remains ongoing.
For Brett Barratt, Managing Director of Birmingham-based Warrior Doors, the incident raises wider questions about the specification and procurement of communal entrance systems across Britain’s residential housing stock.
“Communal entrances are the first line of defence for hundreds of thousands of people living in apartment buildings across the country,” said Barratt.
“When an entrance is compromised, the consequences extend well beyond the cost of repairing a damaged handle or replacing a door. Residents can feel vulnerable in their own homes, and housing providers face the expense of restoring security and dealing with the aftermath.”
Warrior Doors, which has spent almost three decades developing and manufacturing specialist security doors, has long argued that the construction industry’s approach to communal entrance door procurement places too much emphasis on initial purchase price.
The company regularly encounters residential developments where entrance systems have required repeated repairs, modifications or complete replacement within a relatively short period.
In some cases, several generations of doors have been installed at the same property, creating substantial expenditure for housing associations, local authorities and managing agents.
“The question I think people should ask is very simple: what do we expect when we spend £10,000 or £15,000 on an entrance door?” Barratt continued.
“In a high-footfall residential building, we should be thinking in decades. You are buying an asset which is going to be used every day by hundreds of people.
“The cheapest bid is rarely the lowest cost. The purchase price is easy to see because it is sitting on a quotation. The difficult part is putting a value on everything that happens afterwards.”
Those additional costs include emergency engineering visits, replacement hardware, temporary security arrangements and the administrative burden of managing repeated complaints and repairs.
Warrior Doors manufactures its stainless-steel communal entrance doors in Birmingham, using proprietary security technology and construction techniques developed for demanding residential environments.
Its range includes LPS 2081 SRB-certified security doors, designed to resist opportunistic attacks involving stealth tactics, alongside LPCB-certified security products tested by BRE.
The manufacturer’s communal entrance range includes glazed stainless-steel swing doors and automatic sliding entrance systems, with options for access control integration and configurations designed to accommodate residents with mobility requirements.
Barratt believes independent testing should play a central role in procurement decisions, particularly where entrance systems face regular use and the possibility of deliberate attack.
“The Southport incident is a reminder of the pressures that communal entrances can face. Every housing provider should understand exactly what level of protection they are purchasing and how that performance has been demonstrated.
“Independent security certification gives specifiers a recognised basis for assessing performance. We also have to consider the complete installation, including the frame, glazing, locking arrangements and the way the door performs after years of everyday use.”
Warrior Doors has previously highlighted the suitability of LPS 2081 SRB security standards for communal entrances. The certification uses the same attack toolkit and test duration as LPS 1175 SR2, with an additional emphasis on stealth.
The standard offers a cost-effective specification for appropriate residential applications, including entrance systems incorporating security glazing.
The company’s certified communal entrance products also feature among its Secured by Design-approved security solutions, supporting the police-backed initiative to reduce crime through effective building design and security.
The company points to communal entrance installations that have remained operational for more than 20 years, supported by its ten-year warranty on door and frame systems.
Beyond main entrances, Warrior Doors manufactures specialist communal security products, including secure bike store doors, bin store doors, plant room doors and mobility scooter room doors, helping housing providers address security requirements throughout residential developments.
Its ISO 14001 environmental management certification also reflects the growing importance of product longevity in reducing the material consumption, transport and installation activity associated with repeated replacement.
“A product that remains in service for 20 or 30 years has a very different story from one which has to be manufactured and installed several times over the same period,” said Barratt.
“The person making the buying decision and the person dealing with that entrance ten years later need to be part of the same conversation.”
For Warrior Doors, incidents such as the one reported in Southport reinforce the case for assessing communal entrances as critical building infrastructure, with security performance, service life and maintenance requirements considered together.
“People should be able to walk through the entrance to their building with confidence,” Barratt concluded.
“That confidence starts with the decisions made when the building is designed, the security standards specified and the quality of the products installed. Our responsibility as a British manufacturer is to engineer security solutions that continue protecting residents for decades.”
Explore Warrior Doors’ communal entrance security solutions, review its independently certified products or contact the Birmingham manufacturing team on 0121 706 8400 to discuss your next residential security project.
