Security window film and burglary
Updated: 21 October 2026
You have a ground-floor window beside the path, you have seen that the police mention security film, and you want to know whether a roll is enough. This page is about security window film and burglary: what the Metropolitan Police actually name, what the film holds after the glass breaks, and where Approved Document Q and PAS 24 ask for a tested window instead. The listings stay on the [security window film comparison](/hub/door-and-window-security/security-window-film). On 21 October 2026 Peter F. used those public UK pages, not a break-in test of any roll. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You have a ground-floor window beside the path, you have seen that the police mention security film, and you want to know whether a roll is enough.
You have a ground-floor window beside the path, you have seen that the police mention security film, and you want to know whether a roll is enough. This page is about security window film and burglary: what the Metropolitan Police actually name, what the film holds after the glass breaks, and where Approved Document Q and PAS 24 ask for a tested window instead. The listings stay on the security window film comparison. On 21 October 2026 Peter F. used those public UK pages, not a break-in test of any roll. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Named test | Thickness | Roll size | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Buydecorativefilm BDF S4MC 4 mil | ANSI Z97.1 Class B | 4 mil | 91 cm × 7.32 m | 8.6 | about £66.51 | View offer |
 Mgood Mgood 4 mil, 30 cm | None | 4 mil | 30 × 200 cm | 8.0 | about £11.59 | View offer | |
| Best value |  Shackcom Shackcom 4 mil roll | None | 4 mil | 44 × 300 cm | 7.6 | about £13.99 | View offer |
On this page
What the police actually say
The Metropolitan Police window page lists laminated glass or security film for ground-floor and other accessible windows. It does not say the film is enough on its own. Beside the glass it names sash stops, key-operated locks that work only if you use them, and restrictors that cannot be undone from outside. A vibration alarm is an extra, not a substitute for the lock. If you replace the window, they name a product tested to a British security standard, PAS 24:2022.
The business page puts security-rated doors and windows first. It then says attack-resistant laminated glass in a sturdy frame where possible and, alternatively, film to make the glass more resilient. The film is the fallback in that sentence, not the line above it. On a door, the police say the glass can be reinforced with special film or with laminated panels, while a letterbox guard and using both locks remain separate jobs. Read the order as glass or film, then locks that are actually used. A roll on a reachable kitchen window still leaves the handle to do its own work.
What the film holds, and what it will not stop
Security window film is meant to hold broken pieces on the sheet. The glass still breaks. Float glass breaks into large sharp pieces, and the film keeps more of them together than an unfilmed pane would. Toughened glass falls into small fragments that can be pushed out, and film does not turn that into security laminate. For a hole through the glass, the National Protective Security Authority points to laminated glass with a polycarbonate interlayer, and it does not recommend anti-shatter film on laminated glass. Ordinary domestic PVB laminate can still be forced.
The Glass and Glazing Federation uses security film for a pane that can be classed to BS EN 356 or BS EN 13541. A title that says security does not create that class, and none of the rolls in this set states it. ANSI Z97.1 on the BDF listing, the top pick for a named US safety test, is a United States safety-glazing line, not this test. The Shackcom roll is the best value for area, and it names no attack class either. 3M UK says its S2400 film, which is outside this set, is not bulletproof and does not stop intruders. Any delay is claimed only with an attachment sealant, and even then the film does not stop entry. Do not describe these rolls as burglar-proof, smash-proof, or bomb-proof.
New dwellings, PAS 24, and a hand on the handle
Approved Document Q, Requirement Q1, applies to new dwellings. A film retrofit on an existing pane is not that requirement by itself. Easily accessible, in the 2015 document, includes a window any part of which is within 2 m vertically of an accessible level surface, such as the ground or a balcony. It also includes a window within 2 m of a shallow roof that is itself within 3.5 m of the ground. For those windows the document points to a secure window tested to PAS 24:2012 or a listed equivalent. Police advice, when you replace a window, names PAS 24:2022. Those are two statements about two editions. Do not collapse them into one year.
Where breaking the glass would let a hand reach non-key unlocking hardware, that glass should be at least laminated to BS EN 356 Class P1A. Pilkington’s reading of PAS 24 asks for at least one pane to BS EN 356:2000 Class P1A or higher, glazed to BS 6262, in each glazed area. These sources state no millimetre thickness for P1A, so this page adds none. Film is not that pane, and no roll here makes the window PAS 24. If a hand could reach the handle, call a glazier. Mil labels sit on the 4 mil or 8 mil security window film page.
When a roll is still the relevant buy
A roll is still the relevant buy on an existing door, a low pane, or a reachable window when you want fewer loose shards and you will still lock the window. That is a smaller job than a new dwelling under Part Q. A small shop cabinet or a single shop pane can be the same kind of buy if one sheet covers that glass. A 30 cm roll is often too narrow for a shop cabinet, and the width table sits on the main comparison.
Leave the roll when you are building or replacing under Requirement Q1, when an insurer wants a current certificate, or when broken glass would expose a handle. Those are jobs for a tested window, or for laminated glass to the class the standard names. Also leave it for rough, frosted, cracked, or already laminated glass. The security window film buying guide is the order of checks if you are still choosing a clear sheet for an existing smooth pane. If the window itself should be the secure product, buy none of the rolls.
Common questions
Do the police recommend security window film?
The Metropolitan Police window page names laminated glass or security film for ground-floor and other accessible windows. The same page expects locks that you use, sash stops, and restrictors that cannot be undone from outside. The business page prefers laminated glass in a sturdy frame, and treats film as a way to make glass more resilient if that is what you fit instead. Neither page says the film is enough on its own. When you replace the window, they name PAS 24:2022.
Will security window film stop a burglar?
No. The film is meant to hold broken pieces, and the glass still breaks. 3M UK says S2400, a trade film outside this set, is not bulletproof and does not stop intruders, even where a delay is claimed with an attachment sealant. Do not describe a household roll as burglar-proof, smash-proof, or bomb-proof. Locks still have to be used. Film on toughened glass does not turn those fragments into a security laminate.
Is security film the same as laminated glass?
No. Laminated glass is a built-up pane. Security film is a sheet on existing glass, and the Glass and Glazing Federation uses that name when the filmed pane can be classed to BS EN 356 or BS EN 13541. None of these rolls states that class. Listing laminate or film together in police advice does not make them the same product. Domestic PVB laminate can still be forced, and NPSA does not recommend anti-shatter film on laminated glass.
Does film make a window PAS 24?
No. PAS 24 is a test of a security window or doorset, not a sticker you add with film. Approved Document Q points new dwellings at a secure window, and the 2015 document cites PAS 24:2012 or a listed equivalent. Police advice, when you replace the window, cites PAS 24:2022. A clear roll on the glass you already have does not make that window PAS 24. Do not collapse those two edition years into one.
What if breaking the glass would let someone reach the handle?
That is a laminated-glass question, not a film question. Where the window has glass and non-key unlocking hardware, Pilkington’s reading of PAS 24 asks for at least one pane of laminated glass to BS EN 356:2000 Class P1A or higher, glazed to BS 6262, in each glazed area. The sources used here do not state a millimetre thickness for P1A. Film is not that pane. Call a glazier if a hand could reach the hardware through broken glass.
Does film help on a shop cabinet or one pane?
It can, on an existing smooth pane, if you want fewer loose shards and you still lock what can be locked. The Metropolitan Police business page treats film as a resilience alternative to laminated glass, not as the first line. A 30 cm roll is often too narrow for a shop cabinet, so check the width on the main comparison before you assume one strip covers the glass. The roll does not stop entry.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources for glazing and window security, last checked on 21 October 2026. Shelf prices, stars, and review counts are from the amazon.co.uk listings in this category on that date.
- Metropolitan Police: window security (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Approved Document Q, 2015 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Approved Document K (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- GGF Datasheet 5.18.3: adhesive-backed polymeric film (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- GGF Datasheet 5.18.8: installation on existing glass (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- NPSA EBP 08/13: anti-shatter film (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- NPSA: security of domestic windows (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- EWFA technical paper on safety films (retrieved 21 October 2026)