Crime reduction 

Keys and key management

Where keys are used to access your business premises, it is vital that they are closely controlled.

• Only give master or sub-master keys to trusted members of staff. Give keys to specific key-holders.
• Check regularly that no keys have been lost. Use keys that are registered to a company or organisation that will demand detailed information before they will produce duplicates.
• Appoint nominated staff members as key-holders to attend out-of-hours if there is a fire, crime or other emergency.
• Many alarm and security companies provide a key holding service. Some companies will organise urgent repairs and boarding up on your behalf. This will usually be done with your alarm company, to comply with police alarm response policy.
• Be careful to make sure that key-holders are not called to the building for a non-genuine reason. They could be threatened, forced to allow access to the building and switch off alarms.

High-security areas

In low-security areas, a good lock allows access to chosen key-holders. However, the more personnel and access points there are, the more inadequate this system becomes.

For high-security areas, use push-button combination locks, which offer keyless access, with the added security of high-quality locking. The simple entry of a correct code on a keypad releases the door. There are no keys to lose and security is high.

Some systems offer tens of thousands of combinations of up to 14 digits. This makes it difficult for intruders to guess the correct code.