A fully integrated and wireless electronic locking system installed by Delta Security at the Theatre Royal Stratford East is helping the Grade II listed Victorian theatre to manage and secure access for both staff and visitors to different areas of the building, as well as safeguarding property and staff belongings.
The theatre, which is a well-known local venue for arts and cultural events, had experienced a range of security problems in recent years, from trespass into private areas to thefts. After seeing the benefits of a SALTO access control system in similar venues in London and Manchester, Building & Facilities Manager Graeme Bright – who has worked at the theatre in east London for more than ten years – concluded that SALTO could be the answer:
“I was really impressed to see the benefits that it delivered and after carrying out further research and comparing it to the alternatives, I felt that SALTO would be the most effective and user-friendly answer to our needs, as well as being competitively priced,” he says. Preferring to work with a local supplier, Graeme approached SALTO specialist Delta Security to carry out the installation: “Delta Security was aware of the environment that we needed it to work in, and completely understood our needs and concerns,” he says. “The installation went very smoothly with no problems.”
Using the new SALTO XS4 solution, staff at the theatre can be assigned different levels of access – including temporary access to the stage and dressing rooms for visiting theatre companies – via an RFID-enabled MiFare card. The whole system can be managed from Graeme’s computer, enabling him to track the movements of each card, and if a card is lost he can immediately cancel it, trace it and issue a new one. Since the system is wireless, it did not require extensive works to install, and it is easy to add to and grow the system as and when development is required: “The theatre is a listed building, so the last thing we wanted was to have invasive installation work,” Graeme says.
“With the wireless SALTO system, however, we could phase the system in by installing it on priority entrances and exits first, before expanding to include other doors and areas, and it allows for potential future development.”
The system has proved to be the perfect solution: “Thanks to this simple system, we no longer have unwanted people entering the wrong areas, and staff feel reassured that they are working in a secure environment,” says Graeme. “Furthermore, when the venue is privately hired, it is very straightforward for us to simply give visitors an access card in accordance with their booking requirements.”
Graeme was so satisfied with the work carried out by Delta Security that when the Theatre Royal Stratford East was selected by the Nigerian Olympic Committee as its hospitality house and cultural base during the London Games, he chose to work with them once again to further heighten the theatre’s security, including the addition of five extra CCTV cameras: “The CCTV equipment installed by Delta Security is the best that we’ve ever had, and it has proved to be a great company to work with on both contracts,” he says.
Dave Mundy, Operations Manager at Delta Security, adds that it was a privilege to work with such a locally celebrated venue: “We are pleased that we were able to provide a suitable solution to the theatre’s access control needs, and indeed honoured that we were able to strengthen that close working relationship in helping the venue prepare for its Olympic guests, including visiting Nigerian dignitaries.”
