What's the first thing you notice about the following item?

It may be good business for hardware stores and locksmiths shops, but the global popularity of placing 'locks of love' on bridges can cause real damage. The idea is that the lovers write their names or initials on a padlock, fasten it to a bridge and throw the key into the river. Thus locking their love forever. I may be an old cynic, but I'm not alone, as the item in last week's issue about the campaign to ban the idea in Paris (where it is believed the idea started) illustrates.

The following item is from a local paper near the Port of Tacoma, NW coast of the USA. You can clearly see the effect the weight of the padlocks has on the side rail.

Pierce County will leave love locks on Bridge to the Beach

By Brynn Grimley

The first thing Ayse Kiil noticed Monday when she walked to the end of the Bridge to the Beach at Chambers Creek Regional Park, was the top cable of the protective barrier, sagging under the weight of roughly 60 padlocks.

Taking advantage of Monday's summerlike weather, the University Place resident and her husband, Glenn, were in search of a padlock they'd left there a month earlier.

Electronic jail locks fail

Ocean City officials say a "catastrophic" computer glitch caused the locks on jail cells doors to malfunction on their own, and now the town needs a six-figure repair. The state of Maryland town council located on the US east coast unanimously approved a $116,700 expenditure to fix the "Galaxy" computer system that controls not just jail cells, but doors and surveillance cameras.

The electronics problems did not cause any cell doors to open, because the system is designed to switch automatically to a manual override mode in case of failure. The jail stayed open and operational despite the security system failure.

Source: Delmarva

KeyMe to add hundreds of key making kiosks across the US

By Phyllis Furman, New York Daily News

KeyMe, the Long Island City-based startup that's looking to upend the $5 billion locksmith biz in the US - is turning the key on a national expansion.

The company, which operates key-making kiosks in local stores, has just bagged $7.8 million in funding that it will use to add hundreds of kiosks across the country within the next 12 to 18 months, KeyMe founder and CEO Greg Marsh told the NY Daily News.

Simply Keys key programming weekend

Simply Keys, the popular Hickleys key programming weekend at Advanced Diagnostics, is on Saturday 31st May and Sunday 1st June. Once again this will be a date you just can't afford to miss.

There will be demonstrations of the latest key programming software, EEPROM softwares, key cutting machines and vehicle opening tools. As always this weekend is the place to be to get the fantastic deals always on offer. There will be discounts of up to 50%, great package deals and the chance to buy the latest software and tokens at great prices, plus our full range of keys and remotes at great prices.
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Viper Smartkey locks and unlocks your car using your smartphone

If you have ever wished your car would unlock the doors when you walk up to it and lock the doors when you walk away, Viper has a slick product you will like.

The product is called the Viper Smartkey and it works with your smartphone to turn your keyless entry system into an automated affair.

Using this system, you won't have to press a button on the door of your car or fish for a key fob to lock or unlock doors.

Fuel and oil theft advice

Theft of heating and diesel oil has been a problem for many years and we see an increase in this type of crime whenever the price of crude oil rises. A rise in the price of fuel at the petrol pump inevitably leads to a rise in the cost of heating oil. This makes oil a more attractive proposition for the thief and they are now actively targeting fuel tanks at farms, transport depots and domestic properties. The thief may be using the oil for their own central heating or selling it on at a handsome profit.

These tanks can contain thousands of pounds worth of oil and it therefore makes good sense to take a few precautions to protect them. The purpose of this information is to give you a few ideas about what can be done to make life more difficult for the thief, ideas that if your business is based in a rural area, you might use to advise existing and potential customers.
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G4S cleared for government contract bids

Security firm G4S will be considered for government business again after it was barred from bidding for new contracts in a row about overcharging.

The company agreed to repay £109m after an audit found it charged too much for providing electronic prisoner tags. The Serious Fraud Office is examining G4S and Serco over the contracts.

Heartbleed: in depth

An alarming lapse in Internet security has exposed millions of passwords, credit card numbers and other sensitive bits of information to potential theft by computer hackers who may have been secretly exploiting the problem before its discovery.

The breakdown revealed this week affects the encryption technology that is supposed to protect online accounts for emails, instant messaging and a wide range of electronic commerce. Security researchers who uncovered the threat, known as "Heartbleed," are particularly worried about the breach because it went undetected for more than two years.
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IT Governance: the industry's 'must attend' information security & PCI event in London:

ISO 27001 2013 and PCI DSS V3 - new Standards in the Global Cyber War
Date: Thursday 8 May 2014 Venue: Churchill War Rooms, King Charles St, London Cost: £45 + VAT per delegate

Held at the prestigious Churchill War Rooms, this event will include:

- An assessment of the global cyber security standards and which one is right for you
- Risk assessment software and penetration testing demonstrations
- Free consultancy surgeries: your opportunity to talk to a cybersecurity consultant, for free!
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ImageIR 8300Z and ImageIR 9300Z - new options for infrared long-range sensing

With the addition to their product range of two new models of the ImageIR series of thermography cameras InfraTec GmbH, in association with their UK representative Armstrong Optical, is entering the security market. Using a powerful 28 to 850mm continuous zoom lens the system is able to deliver human detection beyond 15km and beyond 18km for ground.

As well as the excellent range performance the ImageIR 8300Z and ImageIR 9300Z also offer:
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Data Protection: Latest penalties highlight need for greater awareness of data collection and storage

Two penalties recently served by the ICO on Kent Police and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service have highlighted the need for organisations to understand precisely what personal information they are collecting and where it is being stored.

Kent Police received a penalty of £100,000 after interview tapes and documents containing sensitive personal information were left in the basement of a former police station. The information was only discovered some four years later, when a police officer spotted some of the tapes on a routine visit to see a local business owner who had recently bought the property. Our investigation found that the force had no guidance in place to ensure personal information was securely removed from former premises.
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Milestone hires in Southern Africa and Saudi Arabia

Milestone Systems, the open platform company in IP video management software (VMS), has hired Michael Metcalfe (pictured left) as Channel Business Manager for Southern Africa and Ahmad Saleh Al-Haider as Channel Business Manager for Saudi Arabia.
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Newsdesk News

If you would like Locks and Security News to feature your product information, case studies, or company news, just email as above. Ideally a Word doc + jpeg images. Remember, we can take copy up to 5pm on any Tuesday for Wednesday transmission.

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John Austen
Publishing Director
Tel:07766 707 888

Heartbleed explained

As far as the Heartbleed SSL bug is concerned, it exists in the OpenSSL software that is used for secure web communication in the majority (at least 65%) of secure sites (those with a prefix of https:// where your browser will display a closed padlock during access).
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Avocet celebrates national awards win

Directors and staff at Avocet Hardware are celebrating the company's remarkable turnaround - having gone from being a business on the brink to being named winner of the Hardware Company 2013 category in the very first National Fenestration Awards (NFAs) in less than two years.

The Brighouse company was bought out of administration by the Jain family in February 2012 and since then the focus has very firmly been on restoring Avocet's standing as one of the leading names in the hardware industry.
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Y3K announces new range of HD CCTV solutions and 2014 price list

Croydon based manufacturer and distributor of quality HD CCTV systems Y3K has announced a new exciting line-up of HD CCTV surveillance cameras and complete end-to-end solutions using the very latest CCTV technology. The new range now offers customers different levels of image quality and features suitable for nearly every application and any business - from SMEs up to multi-national corporations.
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EU Court of Justice has ruled the Data Retention Directive invalid

"It entails a wide-ranging and particularly serious interference with the fundamental rights to respect for private life and to the protection of personal data, without that interference being limited to what is strictly necessary."

The main objective of the Data Retention Directive is to harmonise Member States' provisions concerning the retention of certain data which are generated or processed by providers of publicly available electronic communications services or of public communications networks. It therefore seeks to ensure that the data are available for the purpose of the prevention, investigation, detection and prosecution of serious crime, such as, in particular, organised crime and terrorism. Thus, the directive provides that the abovementioned providers must retain traffic and location data as well as related data necessary to identify the subscriber or user. By contrast, it does not permit the retention of the content of the communication or of information consulted.

No Love Locks campaign launched in Paris

For some they are a symbol of everlasting love. For others they are a rusting eyesore. But now the "love locks" - padlocks engraved with the names of lovers - that line the rails of Paris's bridges may have met their match, as a campaign takes off to have them banned.

The No Love Locks campaign, which includes a petition that currently has over 1,700 signatures, was launched in February by two Americans living in Paris who were shocked at the extent of the trend across the city.
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Avocet calls on Amazon to end lock snapping tool trade

A West Yorkshire company has called on Amazon to ban the sale of tools specifically designed to assist in lock-snapping.

Brighouse-based Avocet Hardware, which manufactures the ABS snap-secure lock, says it is astonished that items such as a pocket sized snapper bar for anti-snap cylinders and a premium lock snapper bar are readily available to buy for as little as £34.95 on Amazon.
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Receive a complimentary VIP ticket to IFSEC and FIREX

The team at IFSEC Global.com are conducting regular research into the state of the security and fire markets, and they want to hear from you!

As an end-user of security and fire products and services we want to know how you feel about the industry today, how your role has changed and what are the main challenges you face.VBy completing the survey in full you will receive a complimentary VIP ticket to IFSEC and FIREX International, June 17-19th, London ExCeL.

The survey will take approximately 5 minutes to complete: www.ifsecglobal.com

Your feedback will be extremely valuable for us in building a picture of the challenges our profession faces and will be treated completely anonymously.

Doors are opening for Allegion's new Briton 2300/2400 range

Leading global provider of security and safety solutions, Allegion (formerly Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies), has launched a new range of door closers, specifically designed to offer market-leading cam-action technology at a competitive price point.
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Internet security provider AVG blogs the 5 myths of staying safe online

by Michael McKinnon

When faced with the challenge of staying safe online, it's no surprise that we're all motivated by the best of intentions to help spread advice that on the surface seems reasonable and sound. However, as technology evolves sometimes the best advice fades and is quickly replaced by better tactics, in response to the ongoing fight against cybercrime.

Over the years I've found that many people have been left with outdated and now incorrect assumptions about how to stay safe - with much of the advice turning into myths.

Castel provides modern security solution for Grade 1 listed Palace of Westminster estate

Updating the security in an iconic Grade 1 listed building will always be a challenge. However, by using the latest in IP technology, the upgrade became a simpler task for the company installing the new security system, with Castel's Xellip IP intercom at the heart of the solution.
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