printer friendly version

Securing the lifestyle

Powell Tronics has been involved with a number of residential estates and has developed an understanding of the critical factors in specifying and providing solutions. According to Mike Austen of Powell Tronics, the success of secure estate developments is evident.

“A secure lifestyle is the major reason that people choose these estates and this then means that people without any reason for being on the estate must be kept out. It also means that residents must take charge of their own security by abiding by the rules.

“This is especially pertinent with regard to securing access for their visitors. I believe that the primary fears of any homeowner are hijacking, robbery and being able to use open/public/common spaces/areas with peace of mind. The basic solutions are the same but estates have needs that require customised solutions, with added functionality and special reports,” he continued.

Powell Tronics in action at the Hi-Tech Security Solutions’ Residential Estate Security Breakfast.

The initial problem facing the setting up of a security system is the buy in of the community and the allocation of finances for the job. The major challenge facing estates with respect to managing access and egress is finding a balance that works for all parties: the owners/tenants require speedy and efficient access control for entry and exit, which is fairly easily achieved; their visitors need to feel welcome, but they need to be screened proficiently; and their contractors would require registration and verification before being allowing access.

“One needs to find a solution that does not cause tailbacks, delays that lead to frustration and the ability to deliver management reports with data that is legible. Most estates do not have an integrated access control solution that addresses both visitors and tenants. That is, a system that combines the visitor management and the residents’ access control systems. This causes confusion and frustration and creates the impression that the system does not work. Some visitor enrolment systems linked to third-party databases can result in long queues and can cause a lot of frustration,” Austen added.

Having a dedicated security manager on an estate, employed directly by the estate, will only work if they are prepared to spend money on employing a qualified person. This security manager will then develop a working relationship with security installation and guarding companies, as well as the people living on the estate. He/she will have an intimate knowledge of the issues of security affecting the estate.

It is important that the electronic systems are integrated and do not rely on manual input by a security guard. Most estates are moving towards biometric control for homeowners/tenants, staff and long-term third-party contractors. For visitor control, a driver’s licence scanning system, integrated with the resident’s access control system, with access PAC codes that are sent to visitors by the home owners/tenants to assist with verifying visitors speedily, are becoming popular. Running two or three systems independently is a recipe for disaster as there will always be the issue of accountability.

“We have found that a strict control on both resident and visitor access to the estate automatically brings down insider threat. If the ability to make decisions about who can and cannot enter the estate does not reside entirely with the guard at the gate, the system will be more secure. The system should ideally make the homeowner accountable for their own visitors. This can be achieved by using an online visitor management system whereby the homeowner enters the visitor’s details into the system and is issued with a personal access code (PAC), valid for one entry and exit only,” said Austen.

Share this article:

Further reading: