If you have been looking into hiring the services of a professional security company, you may well have been surprised by the vast number of options that are available.
Whilst there are many different security companies that operate across the UK, the quality of the services that they provide varies dramatically.
Given the importance of the role they will have in keeping people and property safe whilst on your site, it is crucial that you make the right decision, no matter if the organisation you manage is commercial, corporate, governmental, or otherwise.
So, what exactly should you be looking for in a great security company that can help you to narrow down your search for security in Leeds?
Here are 6 of the qualities that all the best security companies possess that you should look out for:
Comprehensive vetting process
You only ever want the highest quality of security personnel operating on your property. To ensure this is the case, you need a security company that has an incredibly strict vetting process and only ever hires the best of the best to provide security services on their behalf.
When narrowing down your search, ask each security company what their interviewing process is like, what training their staff must go through before they are deployed in the field, and which accreditations they hold that require the highest standards of service to be maintained.
Alongside checks to ensure that a person is capable of performing the services required, security companies should do a deep dive into the history of each individual including references, background checks, drug tests, and more to ensure they are fit to work in a highly pressured and responsible role.
Extensive training programme
All security guards must be licenced by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) in order to perform security guarding duties in the UK. As part of the application process for an SIA licence, individuals must partake in training courses and pass a number of assessments focussing on different aspects of security, including conflict resolution, first aid, and crowd management.
This is the very bare minimum, however, and you should look for a SIA licensed company that goes above and beyond when it comes to training both as part of the initial hiring process and on an ongoing basis to ensure that their standards never drop.
Experience
Having past experience to draw upon is an undervalued trait of any great security guard be it from years of work in the security industry of from a previous career in the military or police.
Military veterans have a skillset that is incredibly well-matched to security guarding and the role often provides a valuable transition back to civilian life once they have finished active duty.
Reassuring customers
Security companies must not only ensure that customers and staff are protected from a variety of external threats but also that they FEEL as though they are being protected.
Security guards should be a reassuring presence to all but those intent on harm and should inspire confidence in all those living and working nearby.
When dealing with the public or a member of your team, security guards should be personable and friendly and be willing to have a chat or provide key information.
Track record of success
Reviews, and the opinions of previous customers are a great place to start when searching for a security company to protect your site.
If you run a business, why not get in touch with similar sized businesses in your industry and ask who their security is provided by and what their experiences with them have been like.
This will not only give you a good idea of what certain companies will be like to work with, but also help you find security firms with experience of dealing with businesses with similar security requirements to your own.
Embracing technology
Certain security companies who have been working in the industry for many years have become rather stuck in their ways and whilst their security guards may bring a wealth of experience to the role, their reluctance to embrace new security technologies could prove a major issue.
CCTV, access control gates, and motion detection alarm systems are all essential parts of the new world of security in which we live, and the modern security guard should utilise these tools to create the most secure security system possible.
The best thing to do to make sure that you choose a suitable security company is to look for one that provides both security officers and security technologies themselves.
These companies will incorporate the use of their own CCTV and alarm systems into the training that they provide for their staff, meaning that they will be more comfortable and confident utilising it to provide a more effective security service once on your site.