Event season is nearly here – we are also recruiting to bank staff for events and festival
So, if you hold any of the following qualifications and want to join the team working a variety of events and festivals throughout Devon and Cornwall, then get in-touch
NVQ Level 2 in Spectator Safety (or equivalent)
Traffic Management (chapter 8 or TMCE)
Door Supervisor
Front of House Pit
Fire Marshall
Call us on 01752 227731
Security is something that ALL businesses should think about. The level of service you require may depend on the size of your business as well as the sector the business operates in and what this entails.
Security services come in a range of forms. No doubt you will want your premises alarmed then the next step is hiring a key holding company who will respond to your alarm being activated. This will take the aggravation out of responding to alarm activations and will mean that you don’t have to worry about being disturbed by false alarms. Whilst false alarms do happen, and it is no doubt frustrating being called out in the middle of the night only to find the alarm has been triggered by a door not quite closed fully. You may also wish to consider patrol services as these make an excellent deterrent to any potential intruders.
Security Management South West Ltd are one of the fastest growing mobile security companies in the Southwest, and could help protect your business, offering services such as key holding, alarm response,mobile patrols and premises locks and unlocks and operate in the Devon and Cornwall area.
Protection has always been far too important to leave to chance, so leave it to us!
The top reason for hiring a key holding company has to the safety of yourself, your staff and your business. As a business owner, it is likely that you are the main key holder. This can be a great burden, as you will always have to be prepared for a phone call telling you that your alarm has gone off. Whilst a call in the middle of the night can be extremely annoying, what if you travelled 50 miles to visit family one evening? Even with a second key holder, you cannot guarantee that they will be available at the time the alarm sounds. . Is this really a burden that you want to put on one of your employees? Not to mention the danger you could be putting them in. If you or a member of your staff turned up and the intruder was still there, would you know what to do? Or would you just be putting yourself at risk?
Hiring a professional takes these worries away. Security Management South West’s key holding service combined with their alarm response service will see a Security Industry Authority (SIA) licensed officer sent to respond to your intruder alarm activation from a rapid response unit, ensuring that somebody is there as quickly as possible. If there has been an intrusion, the officer will know exactly what to do and will not put themselves at risk. They will co-ordinate with the police and will not leave the site until your premises have been secured.
If you have multiple premises or spend a lot of time out on the road you may find the lock and unlock service handy. It can be difficult to know who you can and can’t trust with the keys for your business premises. Do you give keys to all of your staff, or a select few? If you give keys to only a select few people, they are burdened with having to be the first to arrive in the morning and the last to leave in the evening. Whilst they can take it in turns to do this, in times of staff holidays or sickness it can be burdensome to those left to manage. It could also mean that the person with the keys is left on their own at the end of the day to lock up, which is not desirable, as any potential intruder could quickly become familiar with the time of day the premises is locked up and would be able to work out if there is somebody left on their own at the end of the day. If you give a set of keys to each member of staff, not only are you placing a great amount of trust into each of them, there are more sets of keys to potentially go missing. If a set does go missing there are more sets to replace, which becomes expensive. As the risk goes up, so does the cost of re-securing your premises.
The lock and unlock service means that a licensed officer will arrive to unlock your premises and then return to lock up at a time to suit you. For small businesses it takes away some of the worry about lone working, as nobody will be left on their own to lock up at the end of the day, there will always be a trained professional there with them.
The above are all compelling reasons to hire a key holding company. You cannot put a price on the personal safety of yourself and your staff, and whilst your business can be insured, you cannot prevent loss of reputation that would quickly follow an intrusion.
Security Management South West Ltd are an excellent choice for business in the Devon and Cornwall area, as we will keep both your keys and premises safe and act quickly upon the sound of an alarm. Our combined background of over 40 years in the security industry will give you the peace of mind that we know exactly what we are doing, and will take care of your business in the best possible way. Security Without Compromise
Security Management South West now owns a state-of-the-art Mobile Command Unit, designed to function as an off-site headquarters for security officers. This vehicle has been deployed on Plymouth City Council Events and emergency contracts across Devon and can be utilised as part of the event infrastructure or as a stand-alone Welfare Unit.
It is a fully equipped operational control unit fully fitted out with secure storage for equipment such as bibs, cones and site essentials for Emergency Cover. It is also equipped with digital radio communications, with CCTV installed internally, and externally which is relayed to a four-way DVR.
Senior personnel and radio controllers operate the communications to ensure the smooth running of all security assignments. This has become an essential part of our management structure within the Events Division. Emergency services, event organisers and local authority representatives have benefitted from our command unit.
Heating is always available for the cold nights and days.
Uses:
• Crime and ASBO hot-spots
• Sporting Events
• Public Events
• Short Term Site Security
• Fly Tipping Monitoring and Deterrence
• CCTV Training at your premises
This Mobile Command Unit will soon be available for Hire!!
Hiring the Mobile Command Unit:
The Mobile Command Unit is available for hire with a Driver/Operator and up to 2 additional officers. Some of the common uses are:
• CCTV Surveillance
The vehicle can be hired for surveillance purposes with one of our Operatives controlling the equipment and either with a member of your staff present as a solo operative.
• Events and Festivals
The Unit can be used as a Control Room and as an Incident Monitoring Unit. Festival organisers will have the opportunity to be based in the unit or they can monitor areas that are not covered by existing CCTV Systems.
• Football Matches
The unit can be used to monitor supporters attending matches and also to spot any supporters that are intending to cause trouble. It can also be used to identify any behaviour that will not normally be immediately detected. Spotters from the Police will also be able to identify known trouble makers in advance.
• Anti-Social Behaviour
The Unit can be deployed at short notice anywhere there is not any CCTV systems available. It can be used as a standalone unit. In the future, we are looking for it to be remotely controlled (be monitored from an external Control Room allowing the Police/Local Authority to make instant real time decisions).
• CCTV Training
If you are a Training Provider and you do not have the facilities to carry out Module 3 of the CCTV (PSS) course (Practical Assessment), we will be able to come to your location with the Unit to conduct this module in a Real Life CCTV Control Room environment.
Specifications
• Fixed Dome Cameras
Located around the sides of the vehicle, these cameras can be used for general monitoring purposes and to protect the vehicle and its occupants. All dome cameras can be monitored in the Mobile Command Unit.
x2 Dome cameras on a 4 metre extendable hydraulic mast
• Control Room
• DVR installed – continuous recording
• 2 x 19” Monitors
• Seating for 2 x CCTV Operators
• Licensed UHF 2-Way Radio System with Hand-sets available
• GPS Vehicle Tracking
• Power
•The CCTV Unit can function in the following modes:
• Roof mounted solar panels for charging
•Internal Power supply – Leisure Batteries – Maximum 12 Hours
• Generator – Continuous
• External Electrical Supply – Continuous
• Heater
• Rear compartment – secure cabinets
• Internal Night and Day lighting
“This vehicle has become a true asset to the company, and is a major benefit to our clients and our team as a control base to work from or independent from any existing set-up that maybe already in place.” Jay Morrish, Company Director
The economic recession has led to police cutbacks and staffing shortages, which has meant they are not able to attend all instances of criminal break-ins.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-27504422 Criminal activity on business premises is on the rise and companies need to take steps to protect themselves. The economic crisis has seen burglaries rise and criminal activity is on the increase. Small businesses across the UK are suffering an increasing number of break-ins and business owners are counting the cost criminal activity and replacing equipment can be financially disastrous. For example, in the London Riots of 2011, an excess of £100 million worth of damage was caused and of these 62% of the arrests were for burglary. The cause of the riots was partly blamed on police cuts and understaffing; so what can you do to protect yourself in these times?
Break-ins and the disruption caused in materials being stolen has a much greater effect on businesses than just the cash value of assets. Projects can be delayed and clients can become concerned with the ability to deliver the contract dates promised. In the current economic climate there are so many other contractors out there who are ready to snap up your business and negative press can have a devastating effect on any future contracts. Being victims of crime not only has a negative effect financially, but employers also have a moral and legal obligation to provide a safe and secure working environment for their workforce. Nobody should be subjected to a working environment where they feel uneasy arriving at or leaving a building for work.
The police are often criticised for not doing enough or failing to solve crimes, but the truth is they do a good job. Unfortunately they are overstretched and that they cannot always be in the right place at the right time. They have limited resources and have to decide how best to employ them. Break-ins to business premises overnight are not always their number one priority when there are violent crimes being committed every night.
When your alarm is activated, are you one who has to attend? To walk around the building, normally in complete darkness? Not knowing who/what is there? Do you play the “what if” game? “What if there had still been someone in the building?” “What if there were multiple intruders inside?” “What if they were armed or had weapons?”
Hiring a private security company means as their clients, YOU are our priority. You know that if and when your alarm goes off, your alarm monitoring company will get straight into contact with us and we will have officers on route almost immediately. We are able to deal with the situation quickly and efficiently and with a minimum amount of disruption to your business.
Our Consultancy Services can provide a bespoke protection solution to suit your specific requirements ranging from keyholding,alarm response, mobile patrols, static guarding, lone worker protection and Lock and Unlock.
You can have the best insurance in the world, but prevention is better than a cure. By using a professional security company, your staff and premises are kept safe. More additional benefits can be had by informing your insurance provider as this can also reduce your insurance premium.
Purchasing a security service on price alone can be hazardous. Buying ‘cheap security’ could mean that you end up with officers who are very poorly paid and have no real interest in the job. These security companies are usually operating on a shoestring, which means that they have no back up, no checks on the officers and no local control centre.
Can a security guarding company really only charge £7.00-£8.00 an hour?
We are increasingly finding competitors charging ridiculously low prices to win business. Does it work? Yes, of course it does, they win the business on price and everyone is happy. But are they?
As a customer, what sort of Security Service can you really expect for £7.00 per hour?
Let us start with the basics:
• UK minimum wage is now £6.50 per hour
• As an employer, there is a requirement to pay employees for holidays – Assuming the officers are getting 20 days plus UK bank holidays then this would equate to around £38 per week per officer in holiday expense. On an average of 48 hours per week, this takes the cost per employee up to approximately £7.45 per hour.
• In addition, employers have to pay National Insurance for each employee, which again is calculated as a percentage. The current rate is 12% of earnings so the cost per hour is now approximately £7.98 per employee per hour.
• On top of the employee costs, there are then additional costs such as Uniform and PPE – in the security industry this is a generally accepted figure of around 8% of the wage cost. The cost per employee per hour is now approximately £8.72.
• We haven’t even factored in to the figure other costs such as capital purchases like equipment, training, supervisor visits, plus the general everyday costs associated with running a business.
• Oh and, of course, not forgetting profit!
Now ask yourself, “How can anyone charge £7.00-£8.00 per hour and offer a reliable, quality service?”
This is something we come up against every day in our business.
Put simply, it is impossible for any professional Security Company to offer a reliable, safe and quality service for those sorts of prices.
Are these companies SIA approved contractors?
Approved contractors are demonstrably committed to customer service and the compulsory licensing of their staff. This means their customers can rest assured that every private security operative deployed on their premises will be working within the law.
So how and why do companies do it?
The only way that could possibly be done is if they are using staff on a self-employed basis to get out of paying PAYE/National Insurance contributions, and holiday pay. This of course breaches Employment Law because according to Revenue and Customs employment regulations NO Security Officer can technically be self-employed because they are told where to work and when, and cannot send somebody else to cover their shift.
In our experience, another trick they use is to start to reduce the number of hours spent on site over a period of time.
For example if you are paying for a security officer to be on site Mon-Sun 1800-0600, and Sat-Sun days 0600-1800 this gives a total of 108 hours per week, and at £7.50 per hour this is costing you £810 per week.
What often happens unbeknown to you is the officer is pulled off site midway through a shift, for say a couple of hours to cover another job down the road. This not only leaves your site unattended, and vulnerable it also means that you are now only getting an officer for 94 hours per week but you will still be paying £810 per week.
So in addition to the 2 hours per day the officer is off site during the week before you know it you are not even getting 94 hours of cover you are now only getting 70 hours cover per week! But you can be sure you are still paying £810 per week for the 108 hours of cover you think you are getting. Therefore, the £285 per week you are paying out for cover that you are not getting is where they are making their money.
This is how they are able to quote such ridiculously low rates, and make a profit! As you can see they only need say four sites like this, and that’s £1140 per week or £59,280 per annum they are making just by not covering those sites!
By all means, especially in the current economic climate, businesses should shop around for a competitive price but that price needs to be realistic and it needs to be relative to the quality of service you want and need to receive. If one security company is charging considerably less than the others, work out how much you are paying per hour and then ask yourself can they really afford to charge that price?
Like most things in life, if something seems too good to be true then it probably is.
Better to utilise the services of a company that pay their guards a living wage and have the resources to keep a check on their officers’movements and activities, and have the back up to respond to any situation that occurs. True, this may cost the client more, but what price do you put on your property, your security and your peace of mind? The saying ‘you get what you pay for’ is never more true than when it is applied to security companies, so digging a little deeper into your pockets will be far less painful in the long run than utilising bargain basement companies to appease the bean counters.
The Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) is the UK’s national proof of age accreditation scheme. It provides minimum standards and criteria for proof of age card issuers to meet. PASS is endorsed by the Home Office, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), the Scottish Government, the Security Industry Authority (SIA) and the Trading Standards Institute (TSI).
The PASS Proof of Age Scheme was launched in 2001 and since then, over 5 million cards have been issued with the PASS hologram being widely recognised and accepted in both the on and off trade.
According to Home Office statistics, alcohol-fuelled harm costs society around £21billion a year and the new PASS is a major step forward in the prevention of alcohol abuse and associated anti-social behaviour by underage drinkers. In addition, lost Passports can cause a major problem not only for the owner but for the police should they fall into the hands of criminals. There is now no need for young people to take these valuable documents into town for a night out.
Bill Butler, Chief Executive of the Security Industry Authority said “SIA licensed door supervisors have a difficult job to do, often in a challenging environment. The PASS proof of age card has helped door staff carry out their duties in a responsible and effective way, and the new card design is a massive step forward in making PASS cards easy for door staff to recognise and accept.”
More information can be found at http://www.pass-scheme.org.uk/
Will this have an impact on your business? What are your thoughts on this?
On 24 March, the Security Industry Authority will stop issuing paper-based licence applications and from 7th April, the SIA will no longer accept the paper-based applications
Individuals
New licence applications: Applicants fill in a form online at the SIA website; they are told which identity and other documents to take to one of over 750 post offices around the country to complete their application.
The Post Office will complete licence applications by:
The applicant’s photograph and signature are sent to the SIA electronically by the Post Office. The SIA will then add them to the application information already received and continue with its checks, just as it does today.
The service with the Post Office makes applying for a new SIA licence easier and cheaper; most applicants will no longer need to post valuable documents and supply a photograph, which can be costly and inconvenient.
Licence renewals: Individuals renewing their licence can use the SIA’s telephone renewals service, as now.
Businesses
Bulk applications: The SIA’s bulk application service – a service used by companies to manage the completion and submission of new applications on behalf of their employees – remains available to existing company sponsors.
Existing Company Sponsors: Can use the bulk application service by visiting the SIA’s website and downloading a bulk application pack.
Licence renewals: The SIA’s e-Renewals service – which allows companies to renew SIA licences, or apply for additional licences, on behalf of their staff – will continue for existing and new company sponsors.
http://www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk/Pages/about-news.aspx?newsID=485&ArtTypeID=12