Mantrap
Encyclopedia
Mantraps are physical security
devices or constructions designed to entrap a human on purpose.
s and trespassers. The devices have taken many forms, the most usual being like a large foothold trap, the steel springs being armed with teeth which met in the victim's leg. Since 1827, they have been illegal in England
, except in houses between sunset and sunrise as a defence against burglars.
Also, other traps such as special snares, trap netting, trapping pit
s, fluidizing solid matter traps and cage traps could be used.
Mantraps that use deadly force
are illegal in the United States
, and there have been notable tort law cases where the trespasser has successfully sued the property owner for damages caused by the mantrap. As noted in the important US court case of Katko v. Briney
, "the law has always placed a higher value upon human safety than upon mere rights of property."
may open the first door, but a personal identification number
entered on a number pad opens the second. Other methods of opening doors include proximity cards or biometric devices such as fingerprint
readers or iris recognition
scans. Metal detectors are often built in in order to prevent entrance of people carrying weapons. Such use is particularly frequent in banks and jewellery shops. Mantraps may be configured so that when an alarm is activated, all doors lock and trap the suspect between the doors in the "dead space" or lock just one door to deny access to a secure space such as a data center or research lab.
In a lower security variation of a mantrap, banks often locate automated teller machine
s within the dead space between the entrance doors and the interior lobby doors to prevent ATM robbery and night walk-up robberies. Entry access by ATM card to the dead space offers additional customer protection. They are also known as air locks in the security industry.
Physical security
Physical security describes measures that are designed to deny access to unauthorized personnel from physically accessing a building, facility, resource, or stored information; and guidance on how to design structures to resist potentially hostile acts...
devices or constructions designed to entrap a human on purpose.
Historical usage
Historically, mantraps were mechanical devices for catching poacherPoaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...
s and trespassers. The devices have taken many forms, the most usual being like a large foothold trap, the steel springs being armed with teeth which met in the victim's leg. Since 1827, they have been illegal in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, except in houses between sunset and sunrise as a defence against burglars.
Also, other traps such as special snares, trap netting, trapping pit
Trapping pit
Trapping pits are deep pits dug into the ground, or built from stone, in order to trap animals.European rock drawings and cave paintings reveal that the elk and moose have been hunted since the stone age using trapping pits. In Northern Scandinavia one can still find remains of trapping pits used...
s, fluidizing solid matter traps and cage traps could be used.
Mantraps that use deadly force
Deadly force
Deadly force, as defined by the United States Armed Forces, is the force which a person uses, causing—or that a person knows, or should know, would create a substantial risk of causing—death or serious bodily harm...
are illegal in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and there have been notable tort law cases where the trespasser has successfully sued the property owner for damages caused by the mantrap. As noted in the important US court case of Katko v. Briney
Katko v. Briney
Katko v. Briney, 183 N.W.2d 657 , was a famous tort case decided by the Supreme Court of Iowa, in which a homeowner was held liable for battery for injuries caused to a trespasser who set off a spring gun set as a mantrap in an abandoned house on the homeowner's property.Case Brief: Briney...
, "the law has always placed a higher value upon human safety than upon mere rights of property."
Modern usage
A man trap in modern physical security protocols refers to a small space having two sets of interlocking doors such that the first set of doors must close before the second set opens. Identification may be required for each door, sometimes even possibly different measures for each door. For example, a keyKey (lock)
A key is an instrument that is used to operate a lock. A typical key consists of two parts: the blade, which slides into the keyway of the lock and distinguishes between different keys, and the bow, which is left protruding so that torque can be applied by the user. The blade is usually intended to...
may open the first door, but a personal identification number
Personal identification number
A personal identification number is a secret numeric password shared between a user and a system that can be used to authenticate the user to the system. Typically, the user is required to provide a non-confidential user identifier or token and a confidential PIN to gain access to the system...
entered on a number pad opens the second. Other methods of opening doors include proximity cards or biometric devices such as fingerprint
Fingerprint
A fingerprint in its narrow sense is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. In a wider use of the term, fingerprints are the traces of an impression from the friction ridges of any part of a human hand. A print from the foot can also leave an impression of friction ridges...
readers or iris recognition
Iris recognition
Iris recognition is an automated method of biometric identification that uses mathematical pattern-recognition techniques on video images of the irides of an individual's eyes, whose complex random patterns are unique and can be seen from some distance....
scans. Metal detectors are often built in in order to prevent entrance of people carrying weapons. Such use is particularly frequent in banks and jewellery shops. Mantraps may be configured so that when an alarm is activated, all doors lock and trap the suspect between the doors in the "dead space" or lock just one door to deny access to a secure space such as a data center or research lab.
In a lower security variation of a mantrap, banks often locate automated teller machine
Automated teller machine
An automated teller machine or automatic teller machine, also known as a Cashpoint , cash machine or sometimes a hole in the wall in British English, is a computerised telecommunications device that provides the clients of a financial institution with access to financial transactions in a public...
s within the dead space between the entrance doors and the interior lobby doors to prevent ATM robbery and night walk-up robberies. Entry access by ATM card to the dead space offers additional customer protection. They are also known as air locks in the security industry.