SANTLER Court, a purpose-built retirement development in Worcester Road, Malvern, is one of many McCarthy & Stone schemes with a prized security award from police.

PC Mike Stephenson of West Mercia Constabulary visited the development to hand over the prestigious seal of "Secured by Design" - which aims to combat crime through the design of buildings at the very earliest stage.

The award takes account of external features like the layout of the grounds, boundary walls and lighting of paths.

A survey conducted by McCarthy & Stone, Britain's largest retirement housebuilder, found that more than half of their buyers were swayed by modern security aids like burglar alarms and TV cameras.

Almost 60 per cent of respondents in the survey decided to buy a retirement apartment for the anti-crime features, which McCarthy & Stone now incorporate in all their main developments.

As a deterrent to con-men and thieves, buyers most liked the closed-circuit cameras pointing to visitors at the main entrance.

Any resident can view callers from the comfort of their armchair simply by switching channels on their TV set.

Burglar alarms were the next most popular device, influencing 52 per cent of buyers. Smoke detectors were an attraction to 42 per cent.

Keith Johnson, Regional Managing Director of McCarthy & Stone, said: "Our survey proves what we have known for a long time - that you cannot do too much to help older people feel safe and secure in this age of fear and rising crime.

"It is a sad reflection of our times that we now build these security measures as standard into our developments. But the demand is clearly there."

Like all McCarthy & Stone developments, Santler Court has a house manager who keeps a neighbourly eye on the residents and their flats and looks after the day-to-day running of the building.