There comes a point in the life of many businesses when they have to ask themselves questions like ‘Is my business likely to suffer from some sort of criminal activity?’ or ‘how easy is it for an intruder or vandal to badly damage the ability of the business to operate?’
This may have been brought about by a nearby business suffering a vandal attack on the vehicles in their yard at night, or perhaps because the local newspaper started to highlight an increase in local crime?
Whatever the reason, the first thing a business can do to protect itself is to improve its own security measures. This of course starts at ‘home’, all staff being told of the importance of locking all the windows and doors before they leave work, whilst at the same time being asked to be more vigilant and keeping an eye out for trouble.
Other steps could be to install better lighting, improve fences, barring windows or fitting security shutters and anti-ram bollards.
Most businesses will have an intruder alarm fitted, but if this just blares out sound and light, it by itself is just not enough; that intruder needs to know that someone (besides the Police who are likely just too busy to attend) is coming to see what is going on.
That ‘someone’ is either going to be the worried business owner, or a member of their staff, both of which will not really be trained in dealing with such situations. But this is not the best option at all.
The BEST OPTION is for that ‘someone’ to be a trained security guard who knows just what to do and what order to do them in, security guards like those provided by Wye Security Solutions.
So, if your business is in the West Midlands area, your problem is solved; just give us a call today and we can start improving your business security, and therefore reduce the likelihood of an incident, tomorrow.
But, you may not be in a region where our ‘protective umbrella’ operates, and in any case, you need to know what sort of questions any business needs to ask a security firm before they are engaged.
This is what this blog is all about, the answers to the questions being those that Wye would give, and which we believe any security firm should give…
First Point
The very first thing you need to consider is exactly what risk you are wanting them to manage. There are a lot of things they could do, and there will be some you will not have considered, but it’s a good idea to start with a risk shortlist.
These risks could include
- deterring trespass
- controlling access
- protecting staff
- overnight patrols
- keyholding
- event security
- alarm response
Having this list will help you decide which security firms to contact in the first place, as by using the same brief, you can narrow down the number of firms to contact.
Second Point
It is vital to establish just how the firms will provide the cover you need, and to see what sort of questions they ask you. It is not about the hourly price alone, there are far more important issues to check, good due diligence being vital. So you should also get the right answers to the issues like licensing, vetting, training, supervision, insurance, reporting, resilience, as well as those all-important contract terms.
Third Point
One of the questions that we get asked the most is “Just how fast can your mobile patrols respond to an alarm going off, or the CCTV operator spotting something suspicious?”
Our answer is an honest one, as, as you would expect, there are a whole host of things that can affect the time it takes to get a Wye Security Team to the premises. These include how close the nearest security patrol is, the state of the traffic etc. What we can say is that we always have enough teams available to deal with the expected level of calls, that they will get to the scene within the guidelines laid down in the security industry, and that in 9 times out of 10, our team will be there before any emergency services arrive.
We have heard other companies stating that in all cases they can get there in 20 minutes or so, but as explained above, that is just not very likely to be the case.
Legitimacy and insurance
Ask:
- Are you an approved contractor under the SIA Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS)? If not, what independently verifiable quality accreditations do you hold?
Wye’s answer
Yes, we are on the list of SIA Approved Contractors - Will every operative supplied hold the appropriate current SIA licence? Ask how the firm checks licence status and expiry dates.
Wye’s answer
Yes, all our staff hold the appropriate licences. - Can you supply current certificates for public liability, employers’ liability, and professional indemnity insurance? Ask specifically for the cover limits and any exclusions relevant to your premises.
Wye’s answer
Yes, we can supply all this information, but rest assured, if there was some reason we cannot help, we will tell you and not bid for the contract. - Have you or your directors faced enforcement action, license problems, major claims, or negligence litigation?
Wye’s answer
No, none of our directors or staff have faced such action. - Can you give two or three references from comparable local clients, including a named contact I may call?
Wye’s answer
Yes, we can supply references and people to call, but as you can imagine not all of our customers want to do this, and we always respect such wishes.
It should be noted that some guarding services in the UK require the firm to be SIA licenced; so licence verification, relevant insurance, and evidence of compliance are basic questions to ask request before engaging a security firm.
Staff quality
Ask:
- How are guards recruited and vetted? Include right-to-work checks, identity and employment-history checks, references, and DBS checks where appropriate.
Wye’s answer
All of our staff are checked as needed according to BS 7858 - Who, specifically, is likely to work on my site? Ask about their experience, language skills, local knowledge, and whether the same officers will normally cover the site.
Wye’s answer
All of our staff have the required experience and have a lot of local knowledge. It cannot be guaranteed that the same guards will cover any incidents, as we always instruct the nearest mobile to react to a call. - What initial and refresher training do they receive? Look for conflict management, de-escalation, first aid, fire and evacuation procedures, incident reporting, radio use, and customer service.
Wye’s answer
All good questions, and you can be assured that all of our staff are fully trained. - Are guards employed directly or supplied through subcontractors? If subcontractors are used, ask who retains responsibility for vetting, standards, insurance, and supervision.
Wye’s answer
We never use Subcontractors, as we cannot have the same level of trust in such officers, as they may not be as well trained or as able as our picked staff. It should be noted that some of the larger firms do subcontract work out, this work then often being subcontracted to another firm, which is all very messy indeed and is something that does not guarantee the ‘personal’ level of service any customer should receive.
Your current security plan
Ask:
- Will you carry out a site survey and documented risk assessment before quoting?
Wye’s answer
At Wye we believe in understanding just what is needed to protect a property, so we always carry out a site assessment before quoting for the contact.
What risks have you identified, and what service do you recommend to address them?
Wye’s answer
A good question indeed. Our site survey could well show that things like window or door locks need to be improved, or that external lighting needs to be installed. We do not provide such services, but can provide details of a number of trusted companies who could do any work required. - Can the proposal be adjusted after an initial trial period if the threat pattern or operating hours change?
Wye’s answer
Yes, of course we can vary the protection we provide for your business at any time.
Cover and supervision
Ask:
- Is there a 24/7 control room or duty manager? Ask who answers outside normal office hours.
Wye’s answer
Our control room is staffed 24/7 and can call upon a number of mobile patrols to respond to an incident day or night. - How often does a supervisor visit, and are these visits recorded?
Wye’s answer
Our Director is very customer focused and ensures that he is totally up to date with what is going on in ‘our patch’ and visits as needed. As with all visits, this is recorded in our Database. - How do you prove guards attended and completed patrols? Useful evidence includes time-stamped patrol checkpoints, GPS-supported verification where appropriate, electronic occurrence books, and supervisor records.
Wye’s answer
We utilise SmartTask: an ISO27001 accredited, advanced scheduling and mobile workforce management solution that besides recording all visits to any of the sites we protect, also enables us to plan an unpredictable route that covers all the property under our care as well as super fast incident response when required. As these visits are recorded and time stamped, this allowing us to provide all the necessary data to our customers and any third party as needed.
Price and contract
Ask:
- What is included in the quoted hourly or fixed price? Confirm uniforms, radios, vehicles, patrol-verification technology, reports, supervision, control-room support, training, and management.
Wye’s answer
All of our contracts cover such items, there are no extras, or hidden ‘surprises’ with Wye Security.
I do hope that this blog means that you are better prepared when deciding which security firm to contact and the questions that you need to ask them. As mentioned, our answers are there for you to see, but we are more than happy to answer any other questions or to discuss your requirements in depth.
Please do contact us if you need the services of a local trusted security firm.