In recent days, more than 1700 “smart access control” systems in multiple neighborhoods in Chuansha New Town, Pudong New Area, Shanghai have collectively malfunctioned, leading to the doors of the buildings being open 24 hours a day. This sudden “access control crisis” has not only triggered residents’ fears about security but has also exposed the financial difficulties faced by the government. The incident has attracted widespread attention and become a hot topic on social media.
According to a report by the Red Star News on August 11th, in the Wan Xing Jia Yuan community in Shanghai, over 90 buildings had their hallway doors wide open. To prevent the doors from closing automatically, some doors were propped open with stones, while others were tied with ropes.
After the access control system malfunctioned, the property management in Wan Xing Jia Yuan community opened the hallway doors and propped them open with stones.
Reported by the Housing Research Report, more than 1700 access control systems in various communities in Shanghai have failed, disrupting the lives of residents. Some residents have complained that after the access control system failed, there has been a noticeable increase in individuals distributing leaflets and collecting waste materials in the neighborhood. These strangers freely roaming the hallways have caused great distress for residents.
The failure of the access control system, like removing the “first line of defense” for community security, has led to various security risks. Surveillance videos show that after the access control system failed, the composition of individuals in the community became more complex. Some casually dressed strangers carrying bags entered the hallways arrogantly, without registration or any obstruction. They wandered around suspiciously, increasing the risk of theft.
The number of theft cases in the community has significantly increased, causing great distress for residents. Ms. Li, who lives on the first floor of a certain community, fell victim to theft, losing some valuable jewelry and cash. She recalled, “That night, my family was all at home, and we went to bed early. The next morning, we found that the jewelry in the living room drawer was missing, and there were no signs of forced entry at the door. I suspect that the thief took advantage of the malfunctioning access control system to enter directly through the hallway.” Other residents have reported that electric bicycles in the community are frequently stolen, disappearing overnight from the ground floor. These theft incidents have resulted in substantial financial losses for residents and cast a shadow over everyone’s sense of security.
Mr. Wang, a resident of Wan Xing Jia Yuan community, stated that the community’s access control system was considered intelligent: in addition to the regular keycard access, residents could also enter a preset password or dial the phone number stored in the system after inputting their unit number, and the homeowner could open the door by clicking the “*” and “#” buttons on the phone call interface. He recalled that over a month ago, the access control system suddenly malfunctioned in his building, and neither the password input nor the intercom activation using the unit number worked. Once the door was closed, it could not be opened from outside.
Manager Hu of Long Qing Property in the community further explained that one afternoon nearly two months ago, chaos erupted in the community as residents reported being unable to open doors with their passwords. The property management had to open the main gate and prop it open, then proceed to cut off the power to the access control systems one by one.
Similarly, due to access control system malfunctions, the buildings’ main gates in Xin De Jia Yuan community were all left open.
Why did the access control system suddenly fail? Manager Hu mentioned that he immediately called the maintenance company, and they explained that “the maintenance contract for the community’s access control systems had expired.”
Hu explained that the access control systems were installed in 2017 as part of the security upgrade for old neighborhoods in Chuansha New Town. However, the property management did not participate in maintenance matters, only reporting maintenance issues by calling the maintenance company.
These access control systems all share a commonality: they were installed as part of the “smart access control” systems during the security upgrade project for old neighborhoods in Chuansha New Town in 2017 by a single company, which also undertook their maintenance.
The conflicts arising from the access control system failures expose the predicament of government departments. For years, these access control systems were maintained by Chuansha New Town’s funding, becoming a “burden” for government authorities. The root cause of this access control system failure lies in Chuansha New Town’s decision to no longer renew maintenance for these systems…
An official from the City Operation Center of Chuansha New Town explained: Seven years ago, Chuansha New Town implemented a security gate upgrade for all the old neighborhoods in the town, with over 2400 access control systems installed in the first and second phase projects. This project has posed a heavy burden on the government. On one hand, there were annual maintenance costs that the government had to bear for years; on the other hand, the heavier burden came from the insufficient services provided for maintenance and repairs. It is said that in recent years, maintenance Service Companies have been increasingly unresponsive, leading to numerous complaints that had to be handled by government departments, putting Chuansha New Town in a passive position. Therefore, after the maintenance agreement expired, the City Operation Center of Chuansha New Town decided to stop paying for the renewal.
Why is it that once the maintenance contract expires, the access control systems can’t even perform the basic function of opening doors? The official from the City Operation Center of Chuansha New Town stated that the maintenance company had promised Chuansha New Town that even if they did not renew the contract, they would ensure a smooth transition for the new maintenance organization. However, the widespread malfunctioning of the access control systems contradicts this promise, leaving the real reasons behind it intriguing.
Residents of Shu Xin Bei Yuan provided a detail: they could originally scan the QR code on their keys to enter an app and unlock doors. After the access control system failed, they could no longer access the app.