Retail & Hospitality

For retail and hospitality, systems to counter internal theft, hold-up, as well as burglary, need to have ease of use for multiple staff, as a priority      

No matter what your secure storage requirement for business, retail or hospitality, we have the expertise to secure stock, cash, jewellery, precious metals, data, offices, and cash offices, blending form and function into a comprehensive physical security system tailored to your specific business needs, with ease of use and long-term recognised certification for insurance purposes as a priority.

• Certified safes, deposit safes and strongrooms with Time locking, audit locking, anti hold-up systems, multi-user setup, training and support 
• Deposit safe scanning and monitoring systems to track cash drops and amounts by individual user with advanced bag drop verification 
• Alarm and electronic integration of safes and safe locking for seismic and duress capability
• Certified security doors with fire resistant, sound suppression and anti-ballistic options
• Staff training, technical support, service and maintenance including, nationwide safe, vault technical and remote support service, emergency lock opening, locksmith service, and extensive range of specially recorded training and troubleshooting videos constantly being added to.

 Our expertise has been relied on by:

Brown Thomas, Arnotts, Bvlgari, Boodles, Druids Glen, The Shelbourne Hotel, Crowne Plaza Hotels, Hard Rock Hotels, Tifco Hotel Group, Aloft - Marriott Hotels, PayPal (Worldwide), Grant Thornton, KPMG, Isle of Man Gold Bullion, and many others ....

Our seminars on safes, strongrooms and HNW secure storage have been part of Continuing Professional Development for underwriters and insurers having been awarded CPD points by the Insurance Institute of Ireland and the Chartered Insurance Institute (UK).

 Small multi-user secure deposit safes

Smaller certified deposit safes are ideal for a small business with multiple staff allowing cash to be dropped at regular intervals to be retrieved later by management. All of our deposit safes are fitted with an anti hold-up, multi-user, time delay lock as standard and anti hold-up signage is freely available. A certified deposit safe is a must for any small business, freeing up management time and allowing owners to take days off in the knowledge that operating staff can drop cash and receipts into a secure safe with a recognised insurance rating overnight without needing access to the safe itself.     

Deposit safe standard EN1143-2

EU Parliament regulation 765/2008 created the system that provides the legal basis of accreditation for the burglary resistance certification of safes. The ultimate protection against misrepresentation and a legal proof of standard of burglary resistance, accredited European certification is the most important factor in maintaining insurance cover long term, as well as being the basis for all insurance rate recommendations in Europe. If you consider that 70% of safes tested for burglary resistance by accredited European testing labs fail on the first attempt the practical implications of accepting unaccredited claims of burglary resistance are obvious.

These are the logos of the four certification bodies with accreditation to ISO IEC17065 to certify safes to European standards you will most likely encounter on a genuine certification plate in Ireland.

A safe with properly accredited European certification as a deposit safe will display at least one stamped metal certification plate with one of these logos on the inside of the door. This will always be a stamped metal plate, never a sticker.

EN1143-2 is the burglary resistance standard for deposit safes - Grades in this standard currently range from I to V. Resistance to attack rises by 50% between grades. A deposit safe that displays the certification standard EN1143-1 is a modified unit, consequently any previous certification the safe may have had is completely void as the safe's barrier material will have been extensively breached. 

Multi-user deposit safes

A certified, time locked deposit safe is the ideal solution for department stores, restaurants, hotels, licensed premises, and other retail environments that handle significant amounts of cash that may need to be secured by multiple staff at various times of the day or night. Certified deposit safes (EN1143-2) are designed, tested, and certified to resist both fishing and heavy tool attacks and come in a range of grades and sizes. From compact grade 1 certified deposit safes, ideal for restaurants and small business, to much larger deposit safes with integrated scanning and multi-user cash drop verification and tracking systems normally used by department stores. What all of deposit safes have in common is that multiple users can safely drop cash at any time without it being necessary to open the locked receiving safe. 

Cash bag scanning

In the case of larger deposit safes with scanning systems, of the type used in department store cash offices, the deposit drawer for the deposit safe can be located outside the cash office wall, allowing staff to make cash drops from outside a locked cash office. A cash bag scanning system records the sales point number, value, denomination of each cash drop as well as the total amount being held inside the safe at any particular time.

 Staff health & safety

For business, retail or hospitality clients, handling cash or easily disposable valuables such a jewellery, anti hold-up measures are a must, particularly as a staff health and safety issue. Staff being placed in a situation where they can be threatened to obtain a key or mechanical combination is an unsafe business practice that could potentially open an employer to litigation. A digital time delay or time lock system, and adequate signage alerting to its presence, not only removes the logic of placing staff under duress but goes a long way to preventing a hold-up in the first place.

 A digital lock is the starting point for all electronic integration & anti hold-up measures

The starting point for any anti hold-up system is of course a certified digital lock. Our most basic certified digital safe locks come with a range of features which include alarm module compatibility. Below are a range of features, some found as standard in these locks and some as optional extras that can be achieved with various lock and alarm integration combinations. All options listed are certified compliant with the EN1300 safe lock standard and the EN50131 alarm standard.

 EN1627 Certified fire and security doors

There are many security doors on the market but few with EN1627 certification to European standards, even fewer with 60 minutes certified fire resistance to EI60 and even fewer again with sound suppression options to suit commercial and industrial applications. Our burglary tested security doors offer grade III EN1627 burglary resistance, are made to order, and tailored to meet specific size, furnishing, locking, surface and mission requirements. Doors are made of galvanised steel, primed and powder-coated and can come in sound suppression, fire resistance or anti-ballistic versions, with several locking options available, including integrated wiring to allow connection to an access control and alarm system. Integral locking systems come with drill protection. Door colour is available in most RAL and NCS colour charts. Standard size 9x21 or 10x21 but also available in special sizes of door opening in increments of 10 mm. Suitable for inside and outdoor installation.

Standard configuration:

• Certified burglary protection Grade 3 (EN 1627)
• Sound insulation 41dB 

 Choose a safe prepared for alarm

An increasing number of businesses now choose to link their safe directly with an intruder alarm system with the use of seismic sensors and to a lesser extent duress being the most popular options. Even if you do not intend to do this straight away, or your insurance company has not requested this integration, it is always a good idea to make sure the safe and locking device you choose is prepared for intruder alarm, seismic sensor, and duress to future proof your investment. Many rudimentary safes on the market have no such preparation. With the exception of some of our smallest safes, most of our business safes come with certified alarm cable tracks and seismic sensor mounting preparation as standard.

Duress (silent alarm)

Most certified digital locks can be monitored via an alarm system via a certified and compatible Alarm Module. With an alarm module in place if you are put under any type of duress the addition of a digit to your normal access code when opening a safe will trigger a silent panic alarm. This is a very powerful tool if you are held-up, allowing for a much faster police response.

Seismic sensors

In the context of a safe, a seismic sensor is a small high security alarm signalling device that monitors vibration and temperature, specifically configured to detect prising attacks, drill attacks, cutting discs as well as hydraulic and thermal tools. When using seismic sensors on a safe, it is important to understand that these devices should be configured by an alarm installer to always be on, even if the alarm is switched off. Seismic sensors will not be triggered by normal safe use. At Certified Safes Ireland™ we recommend the installation of two EN50131 compatible seismic sensors as An Garda Síochána (Irish Police) alarm response guidelines require two verified intruder alarm sensor activations to trigger an alarm response. Having two sensors located inside the safe should therefore ensure you get response to an attempted burglary, even if the local alarm system is switched off.

Wiring should be invisible

A critically important aspect of the addition any type of alarm integration is that all wiring and alarm monitoring devices are kept inside the safe protected from tampering and unauthorised view. Wiring on the outside of a safe is both an unnecessary and unacceptable security risk. It should not be accepted for the following reasons:

• External wiring advertises the presence of alarm monitoring and the possibility of duress signalling to anyone who sees the safe.
• Provides the opportunity to circumvent or tamper with the alarm devices or wiring.
• If it is necessary to connect to a safe lock many technicians will drill through the barrier material of the safe, even the safe door, severely compromising the safe’s security as well as its certification for burglary resistance.
• The possibility of accidental damage to the equipment, particularly in a commercial setting.

Incorrect wiring (external)

This photo is of a Chubb Europa, a model of safe that comes prepared with an internal alarm cable route and seismic sensor mounting plates, yet despite this, a well-known safe technician drilled both the barrier material at the side of the safe and more worryingly the barrier material on the door of the safe close to the safe lock in order to run cabling to the safe lock. External wiring like this not only damages the barrier material of a safe, severely compromising security as well as the safe's certification for burglary resistance, but it advertises the presence of alarm integration and the possible presence of duress signalling to criminals. Being advised of this in advance, the probability criminals will employ tactics such as Tiger kidnapping for high value targets, rather than a straight forward burglary, are a lot more likely.

Correct wiring (internal)

In the example shown below, a deposit safe for commercial use, we can clearly see there is never a need for an external door loop or any other indication that alarm signalling devices (seismic sensors, alarm modules) may be present. With such devices located inside the safe they are also protected from view, tampering and possible circumvention. 

The Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) (UK) The Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) (UK) is a mark commonly encountered in the Irish market. LPCB has issued "certification" plates for safes (European standard EN1143-1) and secure cabinets (European standard EN14450) for many years, despite the fact the body has never been an accredited certification body for the burglary resistance of safes, not even in the UK, according to the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). LPCB "certification" plates are in a similar format to properly accredited European certification, however, an ISO/IEC17065 accreditation which will be present on most accredited certification plates will be absent from an LPCB plate. The fact that LPCB claim to certify their own tests runs counter to any norms in Europe where both the tester and the certifier are legally required to be independent bodies. LPCB certification claims should not be confused with properly accredited European certification, which has a basis in European law as proof of standard, and on which all safe ratings in Europe are based.

Nordtest NT FIRE 017 The most common unaccreited mark you will come across in the Irish market is without doubt the NT FIRE 017 mark. NT FIRE 017 is a conformity assessment of Nordtest originally founded in 1973 under the Nordic Council of Ministers. This is NOT a European standard. NT017 may be applied to safes and cabinets of identical construction to a tested unit, provided that the external volume of the untested units are not less than half of, and not more than twice the volume of the tested unit. This means in a series of five sizes it is usually only necessary that one unit is tested, leaving the majority of cabinets and safes marked NT017 in such a series not tested. Additionally internal heat during the NT017 test is measured by thermocouples (sensors used to measure temperature ) placed at the centre of internal panels rather than at the corners as is the case with European and US testing. This placement of thermocouples will of course produce a more favourable result as panels will heat from edges to the centre during a fire. Additionally, NT017 does not include a drop test to simulate structural collapse of the kind that would likely happen in an intense fire.

 Remote support & scheduled training

Certified Safes Ireland™ offer training and remote support to all of our clients, their staff, and on-site maintenance personnel, including, software installation and GDPR compliant management for audit and time locking, deposit safe cash drop scanning operation and back-office software, multi-user time lock and time delay lock programming and basic on-site trouble shooting, backed by an extensive range of specially recorded training and troubleshooting videos that is constantly being added to.

24/7 Technical service & support

Certified Safes Ireland™ offer an efficient and highly cost-effective safe, vault, and locksmith service to all our clients, including nationwide coverage, 7-day support and emergency lock opening. Our chief safe and strongroom technician is a licensed locksmith and a specialist in non-destructive lock or combination manipulation (Non-Destructive Entry - NDE) with vast industry experience in Ireland and Europe.

Maintenance

As part of a larger group, we can offer fast and efficient service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to attend planned maintenance, commissioning, repairs and call-out duties, not only on safes, strongrooms, security doors and locks, but on all types of data infrastructure, fire, alarm, CCTV and electrical equipment on a contract basis. Our group partners IC Services And Maintenance has built its reputation on efficient planned programmes and quick response. Our integration specialists are the best in their respective fields and are always up to date with relevant codes of practice and training.

 For advice call: +353 1 7076011

Certified Safes Ireland™ director Alan Donohoe Redd is a member of the European CEN263 Working Group responsible for writing European Standards for safes, strongrooms (vaults), secure cabinets and physical data protection for the European Union. A registered NATO supplier and a longstanding member of the European Security Systems Association, Alan has a vast range of experience spanning almost 40 years and encompassing installation of safes, strongrooms, physical data protection, CCTV, alarms, access control, secure storage control systems and Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) specification, design, and installation.

Alan is an expert on standards and fraud issues related to secure storage in Europe and the UK, has had articles related to these subjects published by The Law Society Gazette and Irish Broker Magazine, has forced retractions of multiple false claims related to secure storage offerings to the public, including some published by the Irish Times, and has been pivotal in having misleading standards and practices recognised and withdrawn in Ireland, the UK and at a European level.