/ By Gateway Team / access control equipment • school • school access control equipment • school security/ 0 Comments

How access control equipment could help schools to be outstanding

how access control equipment can help schools to be outstandingOfsted visits are as stressful as it gets for school teachers and meeting their ever-changing criteria is a common source of headaches. While security equipment is by no means a fool-proof method of guaranteeing a positive outcome with Ofsted inspectors, there is evidence it could impress them.

Ofsted’s job is outlined as ‘inspecting and regulating to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people’. While Ofsted does not outline specific standards in their guidebooks regarding security, they do require that schools protect “their pupils, staff and property”.

The Ofsted inspector’s recommendation document helps schools and teachers to understand what aspects they find impressive at other schools around the UK. It highlights examples of security, in particular managing the follow of children and visitors using access control equipment.

Besides impressing Ofsted inspectors, access control equipment can provide some very practical benefits to schools. They can ensure that students stay safely inside the school buildings during the day, they can track staff entry and exit times, prevent truancy and prevent access to unwanted visitors. Access control equipment can include intercoms, keypads, cards, fobs or even turnstiles all of which can improve safety levels on-site.

For many schools, access control equipment is high on their agenda, but cost can often be a barrier due to shrinking budgets. Here at Gateway Automation we can help you find the most cost-effective option for your school while maintaining high standards of safety and control.

Are you interested in finding out more? Gateway Automation provide a range of perimeter security systems to help educational sites to secure their premises and also provides nationwide servicing and repairs to gates, barriers and other perimeter security equipment. To find out more, please contact us on 01522 68255 or take a look at our brochure which can be viewed here: https://www.gatewayautomation.co.uk/brochure/.

/ By Gateway Team / perimeter security • risk assessment • security/ 0 Comments

Smart perimeter security solutions for busy business owners

smart perimeter security solutions for busy business ownersWith rising crime rates and cuts to police budgets, many business owners are rightly concerned as to the effectiveness of relying solely on public services to protect their businesses from criminals.

Criminals are quite aware of the state of play and are becoming increasingly brazen in their attempts to target businesses in a wide range of industries.

However, when it comes to putting in place uncompromising security solutions, many business owners either don’t know where to start or simply don’t have the time to think about it. While this is true, securing your business is of utmost importance in 2019 and doesn’t necessarily need to be a drain on time and resources.

The first step to take is to ask a professional and experienced company to undertake a full risk assessment. Here at Gateway, rather than relying on guesswork, we use our knowledge and expertise built up over 40 years to determine the best products and services to shield you from crime.

Taking in the needs, processes and operational style of your business, a risk assessment helps create a security solution that works for your business. We look at your organisation and how it operates, what threats you face and the constraints of your location, buildings or other factors to help you and your employees to feel safe and secure in the face of criminal activity.

We provide a range of products to help businesses and individuals to secure their sites and also provide nationwide servicing and repairs to gates, barriers and other perimeter security equipment. Our customers include businesses operating in the following sectors:

  • Hotel & Leisure
  • Construction & Property Management
  • Banking & Finance
  • Commercial & Retail Centres
  • Transport, Ports & Distribution
  • Logistics
  • Government & Defence
  • Criminal Justice (Law Courts etc)
  • Universities, Colleges & Schools

Whether your business runs from small retail premises or a large industrial site, we can provide you with a free, no-obligation risk assessment, feasibility survey and quotation to assess your perimeter security requirements. For more information or for further advice on how to protect your business premises from criminals, please contact us here.

/ By Gateway Team / access control • gates • perimeter security • pharmaceutical • risk assessment • security • turnstiles/ 0 Comments

Perimeter security planning for the pharmaceutical industry

Two Engineers/ Scientists/ Technicians in Sterile Cleanroom Suits Use Microscopes for Component Adjustment and Research. They Work in an Electronic Components Manufacturing Factory.From corporate espionage and tampering to organised crime and terrorism – the pharmaceutical industry faces a great many threats in the modern world. In such a competitive market any disruption to your business can mean lost contracts and serious damage to your reputation. Protection against these threats must come in the form of a wholly rounded approach to security, but it begins with good perimeter security planning.

Perimeter security tips

After using a risk assessment to discover the potential threats against a company (warehouse, research facilities or HQ) and revealing blind-spots and weakness, a plan must be developed to restrict access to only approved visitors.

Each building will of course be unique and have its own set of challenges, however many of the fundamentals will remain the same. Controlling access requires an understanding of how the building operates, the threats it faces and how to overcome them. This can be developed through a thorough risk assessment and series of discussions.

Access control plays a key part in developing security for a site. Starting outside the building, heavy duty gates can be used to control or prevent pedestrian and vehicular access and send a strong visual signal to anyone seeking to infiltrate the building. Heavy duty gates act as a deterrent around the clock, but during daylight hours you can also use turnstiles to control exit and entry and monitor who is coming and going.

Vehicular access can also be slowed and restricted through the use of tools like security posts, speed ramps, flow control plates and automatic rising kerbs.

Many facilities in the pharmaceutical industry will have hundreds of visitors every day. They may equally have hundreds of employees travelling around the building. Such a high volume of people can pose security risks and it can be quite easy without the proper checks in place for them to gain access to controlled areas. You can give appropriate access through the use of biometric access control equipment like fingerprint identification, smart cards and other tools.

Get in touch

Arranging effective perimeter security is not something that you should go at alone. No matter the size or nature of your businesses, we can provide you with a free, no-obligation quotation and feasibility survey to assess the security requirements of your organisation. For more information on any of the security options above, or for further advice on how to protect your business premises from criminals, please contact us here or call us on 01522 682 255.

/ By Gateway Team / access control equipment • biometric security • key pads • warehouse security/ 0 Comments

Protect high-value goods with access control equipment

protect high-value goods with access control equipmentEvery delivery of cargo to your warehouse represents value, but some more than others. The loss of expensive equipment, electronics, pharmaceuticals or other items could seriously undermine your business, disrupt relations with suppliers and customers and gravely harm your bottom line. This is why it is incredibly important that your business acts to ensure that your warehouse has rigorous security protocols in place to prevent such a disaster from happening.

Best practices for warehouse security and the role of access control equipment

Security at warehouses is paramount. Your systems need to be complex and detailed in order to offer protection to your goods, both during operations and afterwards. From basic practices like ensuring your employees are properly vetted, uniformed and badged and signed in to the building, to locking off access to high-value goods with access control equipment – your plan needs to be comprehensive.

It is important to properly vet your staff. It can be tempting to relax these types of practices at busy times of the year, such as seasonal spikes, but this is a short-sighted approach that can cost you dearly. Access control equipment can not only protect goods from unauthorised hands, it can also help to monitor which staff are in the building at any given time – helpful in identifying a culprit should stock disappear.

By using cages with a keypad or fingerprint biometric access control system you can secure high-value goods and restrict access to only approved persons. Without this kind of protection in place then anyone could gain access and potentially exploit those materials.

Mirrors and cameras should be installed around the building making it difficult for employees, tradespeople or other visitors to conceal stolen goods. Proper and effective monitoring is a key way to stop opportunistic theft. However, CCTV should not be relied on solely as It only records a crime happening, it does not always prevent it.

Physical keys should be replaced in lieu of electronic methods of access. Physical keys can be easily copied or can find their way into criminal hands which could put your entire business operation at risk, with thieves easily gaining access to goods, documents and other assets undisturbed. A building, room or cage that is only accessible by biometric finger print (entirely unique to the individual) or a keypad with a code that can be changed is a much more reliable form of security.

Gateway Automation can provide free, no obligation quotes and feasibility surveys for your premises. To get us to assess your security requirements, please contact us.

/ By Gateway Team / car park security/ 0 Comments

Security solutions for underground car park access

security solutions for underground car park accessModern apartment blocks have become an increasingly common sight in cities across the UK over the last 10-20 years. With space in big cities coming at a premium, many developments are choosing to build up, offering a more European style of living to home-owners and renters. Many of these are keen to avoid long commutes to work from the suburbs and so are choosing to opt for inner city living and the practical benefits that it offers them as opposed to traditional houses and bungalows.

As competition rises in this market, developers are feeling the pressure to provide a greater number of amenities to would-be tenants and buyers. Smart home appliances, CCTV and hi-speed fibre optic broadband are among some of the most sought-after features. However, also high on their list of most-wanted amenities is adequate car parking facilities, which has led to many apartments now being built with underground car parks.

Managing access to underground car parks

It is important in order to protect the vehicles of residents that access to car parks is effectively restricted to residents and staff, as well as allowing some form of access to delivery drivers and emergency services when needed.

While many developers’ first instinct will be to turn to CCTV as a way of dealing with these types of security issues, it’s by no means a fool-proof form of protection. Even the best security cameras can be beaten by a well-disguised criminal, or a criminal who has been able to calculate ‘blind spots’ where cameras can’t pick them up easily.

By employing stronger perimeter security measures such as gates fitted with access control equipment and also other measures like bollards you can properly safeguard both vehicles and the contents of those vehicles from theft and burglary. It also provides a chance to restrict access to approved visitors, therefore reducing the chances of other crimes like vandalism and even arson.

Not only do access controls and perimeter security methods provide help with protecting against crime but they can also act as a selling point for prospective residents, particularly those with high-value vehicles who are looking for strong and formidable security to protect their purchases.

Here at Gateway Automation we provide free feasibility surveys to assess your requirements and also provide non-obligation quotes. Get started by requesting a quote or download our free brochure to take a look at our impressive range of access control equipment.

/ By Gateway Team / access control • access control equipment • access control systems • biometric security • biometrics • business security • office security/ 0 Comments

Lock down your offices with biometric security

lock down your offices with biometric securitySome types of businesses are naturally more attractive to criminals than others, and so for those companies, security options are always at the forefront of what they do. Of course, this varies from business to business, and a bank or a shopping centre will typically have very different protocols in place to a restaurant or an office-based business. Unfortunately, far too many business owners wrongly assume that their businesses are safe from crime right up until the time they are targeted. Here we will look at how office-based businesses in particular can safeguard their people, information, and assets in the face of ever-rising crime rates.

One of the biggest threats to office-based businesses is that of theft. In a recent survey as many as two-thirds of employees admitted to stealing low-cost items like stationary from their employers and a high number went even further than that, admitting to stealing electronic items and expensive materials. An obvious but largely underused way to combat this type of employee theft is to lock down specific areas such as stock cupboards or equipment storage areas with access control equipment. This means only trusted parties can access those materials.

While a degree of theft can come from your own employees acting poorly, theft can also come from outside your own building. Opportunistic thefts or planned attacks can take place should your building appear to be an easy target or the goods inside of high enough value to take a risk. Access control equipment like biometric entry controls, turnstiles, and gates can effectively lock down your offices against these types of risks.

Another threat that businesses face in the modern world is that of data security. Physical hard-copy materials that contain sensitive information such as financial data or personal details can prove very valuable to criminals. In fact, this type of crime costs the UK as much as £3.3 billion year on year.

Businesses that fail to take strong steps to protect the information of their clients and customers can face damaging consequences. Should data be wrongly procured they can face fines of up to £500,000 from the Information Commissioners Office. As well as having strong data security protocols in place, businesses should ensure that confidential materials are securely stored, and once again only trusted parties should be given access.

Are you interested in finding out more? Gateway Automation provide a range of perimeter security systems to help businesses and individuals to secure their sites and also provides nationwide servicing and repairs to gates, barriers and other perimeter security equipment. To find out more, please contact us on 01522 68255 or take a look at our brochure.

/ By Gateway Team / Uncategorized/ 0 Comments

How to improve security at a rural business site

how to improve security at a rural business siteDid you know that rural crime costs the UK around £44.5 million every year? These shocking figures are a real concern for businesses based in the countryside, but many businesses don’t know where to start. Here we look at what can be done to bolster security at rural sites.

Businesses located in the rural community are by nature more vulnerable than those located in more urban areas. Pedestrian traffic is typically lower which means less chance of someone spotting and reporting something suspicious.

Farming insurance organization NFU Mutual have been outspoken in their encouragement for businesses to take seriously the threat of crime and ramp up their on-site security measures. Commenting, rural affairs specialist Tim Price said: “From the South East of England to the North of Scotland we’re seeing brazen criminals stealing cars, 4x4s, tractors, quad bikes and tools”. So how can businesses located in these communities properly defend themselves?

While it is good practice to have a CCTV system in place at a rural site for monitoring purposes, it will not necessarily prevent a crime from taking place and besides, even the best security cameras can be beaten by a well disguised criminal. However, a strong security gate is one method of preventing a criminal from ever gaining access to your site in the first place. Swing gates, sliding gates and bi-folding gates are just some of your options.

Depending on the nature of your businesses you might have suppliers and customers visiting you throughout the day. If this is the case, then you need to be careful that the people visiting are who they say they are. Limit access around your site to sensitive areas and double check credentials. One way to limit pedestrian access is to use turnstiles which can be controlled through use of a keypad, proximity cards, tokens or an intercom access.

Vehicular access in particular will sometimes need to be restricted. Many rural crimes such as machine and equipment theft are carried out by a ram raid and criminals make their getaway in cars or vans. By installing tools like bollards and automatic rising kerbs you can put the brakes on their escape and they may act as a deterrent to criminals making them second guess whether targeting your business is worth the risk.

Are you interested in finding out more? Gateway Automation provide a range of perimeter security systems to help businesses and individuals to secure their sites and also provides nationwide servicing and repairs to gates, barriers and other perimeter security equipment. To find out more, please contact us on 01522 68255 or take a look at our brochure which can be viewed here: http://www.gatewayautomation.co.uk/brochure/.

/ By Gateway Team / Uncategorized/ 0 Comments

Preventing solar farm theft

preventing solar farm theftWith global warming firmly on the agenda of British consumers for many years now, renewable energy is one of the UK’s fastest growing industries. The renewable energy market offers great opportunity for those interested in harnessing its power and many farm owners are converting large areas of previously agricultural land into solar farms.

However, unfortunately growing in tandem with solar farms has been a rise in agricultural theft, with some solar farms targeted by criminals. NFU Mutual stated in a recent report that last year rural crime cost the UK a total of £44.5m and the level of crime is “rising at its fastest rate since 2010”.

One example of devastating solar panel theft comes from Casewick Park, Lincolnshire. In March 2018, thieves stole around £50,000 worth of solar panels and inverters from a rooftop installation. Police reported their suspicions that a truck or large van would have had to have been used due to the sheer weight of all the components stolen in the raid.

Elsewhere, in Stratford thieves targeted a site at Drayton Manor Farm where hi-tech solar panels worth upwards of £45,000 were stolen. Once again, the police suspected that thieves must have used a lorry to steal the parts.

It was reported that Hampshire police were recently investigating a total of six incidents across Hampshire which included theft and criminal damage across solar farms in the area.

So how can we tackle the problem of solar farm theft? One way to do so is to make it as difficult as possible for criminals to make a quick get-away.

Using perimeter gates, fences or automatic rising kerbs can all prevent unauthorised access to vehicles, so too can automatic gates.

Whereas many burglaries are unplanned and opportunistic, the size and weight of solar panels and equipment often means that the crimes are planned in advance. This means that a site which is well secured is less likely to fall victim.

Gateway Automation provide a range of perimeter security systems to help businesses and individuals to secure their sites and also provides nationwide servicing and repairs to gates, barriers and other perimeter security equipment. To find out more, please contact us on 01522 68255 or take a look at our brochure which can be viewed here: http://www.gatewayautomation.co.uk/brochure/.

/ By Gateway Team / Uncategorized/ 0 Comments

How height restrictive barriers ensure a happy experience for shoppers

how height restrictive barriers ensure a happy experience for shoppersMany car park operators and owners have experienced problems with high sided vehicles such as trucks and caravans using and abusing their sites.

In public car parks such as those at retail outlets and supermarkets, car parking spaces are provided to make it as easy and stress-free as possible for customers to do their shopping. They can visit on their way home from work to do some food shopping, or pop to the shops on their lunch break in a short space of time without having to pay to park in a private car park and then walk from what is often an inconvenient location. However, when these car parks are abused it can cause problems for genuine customers who may be unable to enjoy the car park as it is intended.

Unauthorised vehicles and visitors from caravans and heavy goods vehicles that are not there to shop or visit the businesses that own these car parks not only take up vacant parking spaces for genuine customers (who may decide to shop elsewhere if they cannot get parked), but have also been known to leave behind unpleasant litter and mess which has to be cleaned up by the businesses operating the car parks.

Recent examples include a LIDL supermarket in Hull, East Yorkshire, where several caravans and large white vans set up camp in the car park, a Tesco in North Wales and an aggressive stand-off at an Asda car park in Kinmel Bay, near Rhyl.

One solution to this problem is to install height restrictor barriers which limit access to vehicles of a certain height, thereby controlling what types of vehicles can gain entry and reducing the chances of unauthorised vehicles making their way on to your site.

Gateway Automation provide a range products to help businesses and individuals to secure their sites and also provide nationwide servicing and repairs to gates, barriers and other perimeter security equipment. To find out more, please call us on 01522 682255.

/ By Gateway Team / bollards • business security • security/ 0 Comments

How bollards can protect against ram raids

Automatic bollardsA recent news story has highlighted the important role that bollards can play in protecting businesses against crime.

Companies in Leeds have expressed worries over the security of their businesses after a series of burglaries targeted at high-end retail outlets in the city centre. A total of three separate incidents have taken place over the space of nine months, with businesses falling victim to so called ‘ram raid’ style attacks.

High end stores such as Louis Vuitton, Flannels and Rolex outlets have all fallen victim to attempted and successful raids on their stores, whereby vehicles have gained entry by driving at high speeds into the buildings, thereby breaking through any doors, windows and security rafters.

However, according to a report in the Yorkshire Evening Post, retail staff working in the area have pointed to the local Hugo Boss store as an example of how businesses can protect themselves. The Hugo Boss store has several bollards placed directly in front of their store which effectively reduce the impact of any ram raid style attacks and act as a deterrent against would be thieves.

Another recent example of businesses turning to bollards as a means of protecting against vehicular attacks comes from a Waitrose store in Oxford. The Wantage branch of Waitrose announced plans to install both number-plate recognition cameras and ram-raid-proof bollards in their car park after a series of ram-raids at supermarkets across Oxfordshire where criminals stole cash machines.

Gateway Automation offer a variety of both automatic, static and anti-terrorism bollards which can be used in this way. We offer a value for money service with well-engineered quality bollards manufactured to your specific requirements. For total peace of mind, we offer nationwide maintenance contracts on our own bollards and on existing perimeter security equipment made by other manufacturers.

Whether your business runs from small retail premises or a large industrial site, Gateway Automation can provide you with a free, no-obligation quotation and feasibility survey to assess your bollard requirements. To find out more please call us on 01522 682 255.