By Jack Jackson
The Hamburg Police headquarters in Germany has saved money and hassle by installing an electronic Verso CLIQ lock system in its buildings. Even though the initial cost of CLIQ was more than a mechanical lock system, the cost of maintaining it has been less, and the savings was recouped in the first two years of operation.
When the Hamburg Police Department needs to deal with crimes out of the ordinary - bank robberies, kidnappings, organized crime, child pornography, terrorist attacks - it puts together special operative units.
Police officers in the units work together on the case in a dedicated room, away from their usual offices.
These ad-hoc rooms need to be secured with their own locks - beyond the overall locking system plan - and in many cases they must also be utilized with a master key.
With the Zeiss-Ikon mechanical lock system the department had installed in 2000, every new set up for a special unit meant more money needed on new keys and cylinders.
An electronic lock system was not a serious consideration at the time.
“The technology of electronic systems wasn’t sophisticated enough,” says Detlef Toffel, chief inspector of Hamburg Police and responsible for building maintenance.
As electronic systems matured, the Hamburg Police was spending additional money and time on new cylinders and keys due to continuous changes in the organization, with new personnel and frequent internal shifting of offices.
Toffel considered an electronic system again in 2002. A few points were crucial, however, if the mechanical system was to be replaced. A new electronic system could only be installed if it could offer the highest security possible without altering the buildings or causing any visible changes of door handles. Furthermore, it must not require any power lines or connections, and it would have to offer a very simple way to change its spent energy source.
No physical alterations
After comparing and testing all the electronic systems on the market, Toffel chose Verso Cliq. After four years, he is happy he did.
“The electronic cylinder fit the architecture of the door and hall of the building very well,” he says. Installation was simple, requiring only an exchange with the mechanical cylinder, without any alterations of the building or doors.
Hamburg Police headquarters has installed 1,300 Verso Cliq cylinders with 1,450 electronic keys. Four other buildings are equipped with 400 new Verso Cliq cylinders with 500 keys, and any new building will be outfitted with Verso Cliq.
“The easy programming of the software enables us to react quickly to organizational changes,” Toffel says. “If a key is lost, it can be replaced by programming a new key. The lost key is deactivated.”
He adds, “The exchange of the energy source, the battery, is very easy and does not require any additional staff.”
And even though Verso Cliq was more expensive initially, it paid for itself in savings after only two years, Toffel says. Since then, it has been saving the department money.
“So basically, it’s a win-win situation,” he says.