Key control and asset management can take many forms. When the assets to be traced and controlled includes government restricted radios, handcuffs and firearms, a NSW department specialising in court transport went for Morse Watchmans KeyWatcher, after successfully testing the system.

Approached by a security consultant employed by the court transport authority, Australian Security Technology Pty Ltd (ASTPL) designed and installed a number of hybrid KeyWatcher systems, especially made for this application.

KeyWatcher’s modular design allowed AST engineers to put together a system consisting of a master cabinet and slave cabinet/s. The slave cabinet is similar to the master unit, without the keypad.

ASTPL used the latest KeyWatcher cabinets, with the new design and improved access controls. Built into a rugged steel cabinet, with highly illuminated key slots, users of these units will find keys easier to locate and find that this blends in well with modern office layouts, without taking over wall space.

This is how the system works: Transport officers are assigned a task for the day. They log on to the KeyWatcher system and simultaneously remove vehicle keys, handcuffs and radios for that task.

Access to the different lockers is made by punching in an assigned nine digit PIN. This allows the user to pull out the designated key for the PIN and locker.

At the end of the day, the officers return the above and this is done by logging in and returning items to their defined locations. At all times, the system knows which item is where and is assigned to whom.

A full audit trail, who has used which items and when, is maintained throughout. If an item is not returned, emails and alarms are sent out to the relevant personnel. Control of the system is done from a head office location, by a security manager.

The system allows security manager to provide one of five different levels of access to the transport officer, offering more flexibility on how to control keys and other assets.