A nursery has introduced finger-scanning alarms in a bid to improve security.
Red Robin nursery in Thornton Heath has installed the biometric system meaning staff and parents must scan themselves in to reach their children.
Owners Ian and Wendy Benjamin claimed the device had given parents peace of mind at a time of heightened worries.
Mr Benjamin said: “I think with nurseries now you can never be too cautious.
“We put in the system not just to be more secure but so parents can feel more secure. That is half of the worry.”
He said he decided to install the extra security measure after visiting other nurseries where you walked through the main door and were straight away in the nursery with the children.
At the Red Robin, parents must first enter a “holding area” where the biometric scanner is located and only after they have had their fingerprint scanned can they enter the main nursery.
The biometric device uses a four-point scanner to read a finger, but cannot be used to replicate someone’s unique fingerprint.
A new parent initially is scanned in three times and the four-point layout is sent to a handheld device for authorisation. When given, the parent can then scan in and out at their leisure.
Mr Benjamin added: “We do get a lot of questions from people frightened of giving their fingerprint details but there is no scope for fraud.”
And he dismissed ideas the security system was overzealous, citing many nurseries now with CCTV and other security features.
He believes his is the first nursery in the country to have the security system, more often seen in a James Bond film than a local nursery, and thinks others will soon follow suit.
The system is currently being trialled with a small number of parents after being used on staff members. If successful, the scanner will be rolled out across all parents.
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