The London Borough of Camden, responsible for a wide range of public services including local education, housing, policing, and public safety, sought to enhance its security measures with a focus on key control. Employing over 1,000 staff members, the council's security team oversees the main administrative building in central Camden.
Faced with challenges arising from manual logging systems, Camden Council required a more efficient method for managing keys used frequently by different team members. Issues were noted with security staff occasionally neglecting to sign keys in and out and contractors failing to return keys. The council aimed for a budget-friendly, auditable solution to monitor key locations accurately.
Addressing challenges with technology
To meet these challenges, Morse Watchmans introduced their KeyWatcher® Key Control System to Camden Council. This customised solution records each key's access history, detailing user interactions, including date and time of checkouts and returns. Each user is assigned a unique authorisation code, minimizing the risk of misplaced keys and eliminating unauthorised access.
Morse Watchmans introduced their KeyWatcher® Key Control System to Camden Council
The KeyWatcher® is bolstered by the KeyPro® Performance Software, offering real-time information on key accountability and movement. Activity reports can be generated to track keys based on date and time, authorisation code, or biometric data. Constructed from robust metal, the compact design replaces outdated lock boxes and manual logs, offering a reliable and clean solution.
Broader implementation and benefits
Following the success at the main site, Camden Council has expanded the KeyWatcher® system to seven other locations. The system, now featuring fingerprint access control, allows for the assignment of varied access levels to staff, ensuring careful key management and accountability for contractors. The KeyPro® Software provides essential usability reports and security alerts.
The introduction of the KeyWatcher® Key Control System has revolutionised key management in the borough, allowing the team to operate more efficiently. The KeyPro® Software promptly alerts managers to overdue or missing keys. Additionally, the comprehensive audit trail feature ensures only authorised personnel access keys, reducing the likelihood of loss and saving time and resources.
The London Borough of Camden provide a host of public services to the inhabitants and stakeholders within Camden.
The council are actively involved in many areas such as local education, housing, the environment, transport, policing and public safety. The council currently employ over 1,000 members of staff across its different functions. The Security division are tasked with managing the security for the councils’ main administrative building in central Camden.
Manual logging system
Technology Objective - The council needed a solution that would provide greater key control and would reduce the need for a manual logging system.
The Challenge - Like many other companies, Camden Council have an array of keys that are used daily by different team members. Within the main administrative building security staff were occasionally forgetting to sign keys in and out. Issues were also becoming apparent with contractors who were failing to return keys at the end of duty. The solution had to be delivered within a defined budget and be fully auditable to give an insight into the whereabouts of any key at any particular time.
Individual authorisation code
Morse Watchmans Solution - In order to address the needs of Camden Council, Morse Watchmans introduced the KeyWatcher® Key Control System. The KeyWatcher® is a custom-tailored solution designed to record the access history of each key, including user, date and time of checkout and return.
In order to release an assigned key, each user needs an individual authorisation code. By having individual authorisation codes, the risk of a key being misplaced is greatly reduced. The risk of unauthorised people removing keys is completely eradicated.
Biometric access data
The KeyWatcher® comes with its unique KeyPro® Performance Software. This userfriendly PC application delivers real time information concerning the total accountability and history of any key for the KeyWatcher® system. Activity reports are easily produced that can trace a keys’ movements by date and time, authorisation code or biometric access data.
Constructed in rugged metal the slimline design eliminates the need for outdated lock boxes, unreliable manual logs and messy key identification tabs and unreliable key recording manuals. Due to the success of the first KeyWatcher® system, Camden Council have installed the system across 7 sites in various sizes.
Fingerprint access control option
In Action - The KeyWatcher® Key Control System, complete with fingerprint access control option is now used across the whole of the London borough. The KeyWatcher® controls access to the keys which are tracked while in use, including check out times and user names.
Staff are assigned various levels of access to the keys which helps to maintain effective key control and guard against carelessness or oversight. Any contractors that need access to keys are logged by date, time and user to ensure that no contractor can forget to return a key. The KeyPro® Software is used regularly to produce reports concerning usability and any security alerts.
Saving valuable time
The Results - By implementing the KeyWatcher® Key Control System, the team have been able to work much smarter and faster i.e. if a key is overdue or missing the KeyPro® Software will notify the manager immediately.
As the system only releases keys to authorised people, the risk of keys being lost or taken by an authorised person is reduced. Finally, as the KeyPro® Software produces detailed reports on the KeyWatcher® system, a full audit trail is avaliable at the touch of a button saving valuable time and resource.
