Tom Koppen, manager of the Facility Department, which is the moving force in the security project together with ITBE, considers the operation a great challenge. `We are working towards optimal safety. In the event of a calamity and the emergency assistance that follows, we want to know exactly how many people and which people are in a certain building. Right now we cannot do that accurately because in some cases several people enter on one pass. That was already against the rules but from now on we will enforce the rules strictly.'
Koppen states that anyone who accesses their building with the personal access pass and admits others without reporting it to the main security post, will be punished the next day by having their access revoked. `They will get an e-mail and will be asked to report for a meeting. This is not about hindering them, but about changing patterns of behavior. I'm sure some people will be annoyed by the new system, but we hope people will understand. We're not asking all that much. This is simply about the safety of yourself and others.'
Eighty cameras installed to register movements near entrances, extra equipment in the Seinhuis and a database that is connected to the independent security net need to ensure that violators will be caught immediately.
Koppen: `We executed this project in phases. Soon, we will be the most secure university in the Netherlands after hours.' Some of the success factors Koppen mentioned were the pre-existing infrastructure, the high level of technology at the UT, the small scale of the university and the fact that the Facility Department oversees all partners in this project, like the Reservations Office and the security department. The buildings not included in this operation - Vrijhof, Bastille and the sports center - all have a manned reception desk until late at night. Accordingly a pass is not required for these buildings. The Capitol, which is off campus, has its own security infrastructure.
According to Koppen, the new so-called proximity pass is much easier to use than the old one. It only needs to be held against the card reader and that can be done from within the wallet. During office hours the situation is unchanged: all buildings are public and freely accessible. `We want to keep it that way. We see no merit in installing turnstiles followed by a pass check, as is the case at some HBO institutes. We are however still working on access procedures for the so-called inner shell: laboratories and other research facilities that can have restricted access if desired.'
Trans. Jeroen Latour
