No matter the size of your business, or what industry you operate in, you will face certain risks that need to be managed.

No-one runs a business for many years without eventually being the victim of or at least the target of criminal activity.

So how do you go about protecting your staff and your asset from these threats?

Manned guarding has been around for centuries now, but remains one of the best possible measure that you can take to avoid unforeseen criminal activity. Every single business in the UK could benefit from security guarding services, no matter how many new security technologies come on the market.

What is manned guarding?

Manned guarding is the term used to describe the activities of highly trained and licenced security guards. It remains the single most effective pro-active measure that you can take to protect a business from crime.

Once on site a security officer tasked with manned guarding duties will guard against workplace accidents, unauthorised access, vandalism, theft, assault, and much more besides.

What are the benefits of manned guarding for your business?

Optimise your security systems

Many security firms will tell you all about why security technologies such as CCTV are not reliable and why manned guarding is a better option. That is not us. We recognise that the security industry is evolving at a rapid pace and that technology plays a critical role in keeping the modern business safe.

Rather than working as an alternative to technology, our security officers utilise and optimise it to create the most comprehensive and effective possible security system.

Our security officers are trained to use CCTV, access control gates, alarm systems and more as standard and will create a bespoke security system based on the needs of your property.

For example, even the best security guards can only be in one place at a time whilst CCTV allows the entire site to be monitored simultaneously. Should an incident be detected on CCTV, your security officers will be on the scene in no time, dealing with whatever situation may have occurred.

Increase productivity

Research shows that, on average, there is a noticeable increase in staff productivity following the implementation of a manned guarding service.

There are a number of reasons why this might be the case. Firstly, staff who are being monitored, or think that they might be being monitored are likely to increase their work rate, and less likely to slack off.

More importantly, however, the presence of security guards will reassure your staff that they are safe whilst at work and protected from intruders etc. A safe and happy working environment is a productive working environment after all. An increase in staff morale will also likely result in less staff turnover, so hiring security guards might actually make your job a whole lot easier in terms of time spent on recruitment.

Reduced risk of crime

If your business in the target of crime, security guards are responsible for taking action to deal with the threat, intercepting intruders and restraining them until the police arrive.

However, what many people actually fail to realise is that the biggest benefit of a security guard’s presence is that criminals are far less likely to target sites with manned guarding in the first place.

Businesses who hire a team of professional security guards often report a sharp downturn in criminal activity immediately after. This is not a sign that manned guarding is no longer required and is a waste of money, but instead that it is working as a highly effective deterrent.

Most criminals are opportunistic and do not plan intricate heists like we see in the movies. If they approach a property and see security officers stationed outside the building, the chances are that they will simply move on to another target.

How to find a manned guarding service

The first thing to do when looking for a manned guarding service to protect your business is to ensure that the security firm you are considering is a member of the Security Industry Authority (SIA) AND the Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS). This will give you peace of mind that any security officers that they provide you with have been trained to the highest possible standards and are capable of performing a wide range of different security duties.

You might also consider asking other similar business in the area who already have security guards in place which firm they used to hire them, and their experience so far.

It is always best to hire from a local security firm if possible as although they will still need to conduct a risk assessment of your site, they will already have a good understanding of the threats posed to businesses in the area and how to guard against them.