Polar NE, based in Skippers Lane Industrial Estate, Middlesbrough, creates what it describes as lifesaving windows and doors
A Teesside manufacturing firm has supplied specialist windows for a new prison. Polar NE creates safety windows and doors to mental health sites across Britain.
Now the almost 20-year-old firm, based in Skippers Lane Industrial Estate, Middlesbrough, has completed a “game-changing” project at a different type of setting – at HMP Stirling, in Scotland. The £85m site is the first new women’s prison in Scotland in a generation, and the project is Polar’s first within the UK prison estate.
James Hill, managing director of Polar NE, said the firm’s products are designed with potential mental health crises in mind and can make a difference “in an environment where safety must always come first”.
He said: “We see this as a major step into a market where we know our industry-leading expertise can really help.”
There were 401 deaths in custody in the 12 months leading up to June 2025 – more than one a day – a 30 per cent year-on-year rise, according to Government figures. Over a fifth of those were self-inflicted. Additionally, self-harm rates in both male and female prisons are at their highest level since records began in 2004.
Polar NE fitted its “groundbreaking” windows that still allow light and air into the cell but can’t be fully opened – ensuring they are not used to aid escape.
Scandinavian-style HMP Stirling has already won a raft of awards for its trailblazing style, whilst being hailed as a blueprint for modern custodial design.
Polar NE hope that prison governors across the UK explore how they can make their sites safer. “Like the NHS, budgets are under immense strain, and we recognise the challenges the prison estate faces,” added James. We passionately believe [our products] make a real, tangible difference.”
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