Major security failing in Falkirk Council buildings have been found by inspectors who “were able to wander around the buildings in among vulnerable service users and school pupils”.
Members of Falkirk Council’s audit committee heard that a team of staff testing security on 18 buildings were able to enter six premises unchallenged – including buildings with pupils and elderly residents.
The unannounced visits also included two council depots where they found vehicles unlocked and unattended – some with keys in the ignition and the engine running.
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Audit manager Isabel Wright told members: “Our auditors were able to wander around the buildings in amongst vulnerable service users and school pupils; they had access to vehicles with keys in the ignition.
“This is all, obviously, unacceptable.”
The internal audit report revealed that the council inspectors were able to get into three of the buildings through fire exits that had been left ajar.
While the three buildings have not been identified in the report, it states that only one of them did not contain either children or vulnerable adult service users.
The team also managed to enter two council offices, firstly by ‘tailgating a member of staff’ and then by
being granted entry by a staff member.
The report found that “robust security measures were found to be in place to prevent and deter unauthorised access to two-thirds of the sampled buildings”.
However, at the remaining third the auditors found “a number of significant weaknesses that could result in serious risk to the council and require to be addressed”.
The report notes: “Although no unauthorised access was gained to the majority (67 per cent) of the operational buildings visited, we were not challenged by staff at several sites despite being observed trying to open building and vehicle doors at random whilst not wearing a building pass.”
Councillor Cecil Meiklejohn asked officers what was being done to improve security at council buildings, particularly in light of a recent incident where an intruder was able to enter a local high school.
Ms Wright told members that this was the fifth time the team had undertaken this audit.
She said: “Where there is repeated issues we will keep going back to make sure things are improving.
But she said there was obviously still an issue that staff were not challenging people who are not known.
She said there needs to be more communication to staff that security is a priority and added there are “easy steps” that can be taken by all staff, such as making sure staff are wearing passes at all times and that visitors are escorted at all times.
“There is a definite will to make this better and an internal audit will happen again to make sure those recommendations are being actioned,” she said.
Director of Transformation, Communities and Corporate Services, Karen Algie, assured members that the school the team had accessed was visited “very quickly” and action taken to improve security.
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