Recent news of theft and misplacement of museum artefacts highlights the challenges of securing buildings and assets in the heritage sector and how access control can reduce these risks.
Lisa O’Flynn, Account Manager at Abloy UK, explains: “We are seeing an ongoing trend of museum artefacts becoming a target for crime. A report has revealed that more than 1,700 items are currently missing from museums in England.
“What’s more, an estimated 18.7% of all listed buildings are physically affected by crime annually, equating to over 70,000 listed buildings. Inferior key management systems provide no record of who is accessing collections or buildings, creating a significant vulnerability in the sector.
“With invaluable artefacts at increasing risk of theft or loss, digital access control solutions are enabling those in charge of collections to ensure their security and have greater peace of mind.”
Abloy UK offers high-security solutions for heritage buildings and assets. PROTEC2 CLIQ is a popular access management system that enables remote key management and provides detailed audit trails on locks and padlocks.
The instant audit trails track lock access and accountability. Keys can be updated remotely via web-based software, allowing immediate revocation if necessary.
The PROTEC2 CLIQ system is suitable for many different types of locking point, securing artefacts no matter where in a building they are exhibited or stored. The versatile system also offers flexibility and multiple access points are available, meaning constantly changing access needs can be managed with ease.
The system can easily accommodate a museum’s growth and expansion. Access control can be added to various areas like internal and external doors, display cases, and storage areas, including mobile gallery cabinets for off-site access management.
PROTEC2 CLIQ is an easy-to-install and maintain system that doesn’t require wiring on cylinders or padlocks, making it suitable for retrofitting even on heritage and grade-listed doors. It meets BS EN 15684 and is ideal for high-traffic environments.
The Escape Door System (EDS) from Abloy UK is also ideal for museums, offering easy access and egress while ensuring compliance, security, and the ability to implement dynamic lockdown procedures.
With the EDS, it is possible to provide a compliant solution for an escape door when read-in / read-out access control is specified, combining the three components required for BS EN 13637 – Blocking, Control and Trigger.
The Intelligent Control within the EDS allows connection to fire alarm systems or other building control systems to ensure escape in an emergency, and the Trigger unit incorporates a key switch and a push button that tells the controller to release the locking mechanism to allow safe escape.
Lisa adds: “With some artefacts worth millions of pounds, the investment in a digital access control system offers an incredible ROI – not just in terms of the value of assets secured but the peace of mind that is gained.
“By implementing a solution such as PROTEC2 CLIQ, staff efficiency is increased and costs are reduced, as there’s no need to invest in extra monitoring devices. The EDS is also an excellent access solution that those in the museums and heritage sector should consider.”
