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When night falls, ho safe do you feelj

12th September 1981
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Page 30, 12th September 1981 — When night falls, ho safe do you feelj
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

The flimsy perimeter fence, the dimly yard — all too often easy prey for the thielf you feel insecure on security, Mike Rutherford details the costs and the rang of services offered by a selection of reputable security guard companies

NOULD YOU expect a 3uccessful company director to eave his Rolls-Royce outside his louse for a long weekend while le suns himself in the South of 7-rance? Or that, on his return, le'd leave his yacht on the quayaide of a distant marina without adopting some kind of security -neasures.

Probably not, but it is likely the iirector of a haulage company may leave thousands of pounds North of tractive units parked in poorly lit yards with nothing 'more than a padlock on the gate 3 n d flimsy fences to deter Nould-be thieves. That's where ;ecurity companies come in.

The sometimes less-than-saluorious reputation of some securty companies in the past has lone. nothing to persuade aeople to use their services. To ;ome extent, that image has oeen improved by the British 3ecurity Industry Association _td which claims to represent about 90 per cent of the industry.

Founded in 1967, BSIA's first aim is to promote and en;ourage a high standard of athics, service and equipment. kt the end of June its memoership stood at 73 companies, 12 of which were associate nembers. Association members ;re companies of "repute" offering security services and ■ ecurity equipment in the UK. Among BSIA's publications are the BSIA directory; alarm users' handbook; and, perhaps most importantly, a list of members and associates.

BSIA member, Group 4 Total Security Ltd is a growing company with about 19,000 clients — ten years ago membership stood at 2,000. Its turnover is presently running at about £50m per annum.

The company consists of three closely linked operating divisions — guarding services; alarm installations; and research, development and manufacturing. Guarding services include beat and static watching, and cash-carrying and pay services. The company's alarm installations division encompasses fire and intruder alarms, access and control equipment, and closed-circuit TV (CCTV) surveillance systems. The research, development and manufacturing division was organised as a separate profit centre.

In Britain, Group 4 employs more than 6,000 staff. All have been trained through the company's vetting system which turns down a staggering 95 per cent of applicants. As with all security companies, the selection of personnel is an important, if not the most important, factor in operating a successful security company.

Any security system, whether or not it incorporates electronic aids, ultimately. depends on the

quality of the people operating the services, says Group 4.

National sales manager of its alarms division, Ted Strange, says that equipment programmes must be tailor-made. — There is no standard package. One of the first steps is to call in one of Group 4's security consultants who will carry out a free survey, based on specific needs.

As Ted Strange rightly says, there is no point in having a detection system if there is no response to it, though he admits that a simple alarm bell in the right place has some value as a deterrent. A private wire to a police station, automatic 999 facility or, preferably, a private wire to the security company's own central station, are more reliable, but possibly expensive, ways to guard premises.

As prices decrease, CCTV is becoming increasingly popular. But there are arguments against it. A CCTV screen is virtually useless if the person watching it falls asleep or has concentration lapses.

To combat this, "more alarms" are used on some CCTVs to warn "viewers" of any action on the TV screen. But even this device has its drawbacks — a bird or the waving leaves of a tree can trigger off the alarm buzzer unnecessarily.

For larger industrial or office complexes, Group 4 offers computerised systems at a cost of around £30,000 to £40,000. Only one man need monitor such a system, and in an emergency the computer will even advise him of the action he should take. But, once again, the effectiveness of the system ultimately relies on the quality of personnel.

"Effective security means much more than closing f gates or shutting wind means spotting gaps in s or abuses of safety p tions," says Group 4. Sentinel Security Servit Sidcup,.Kent, are a smaller t pany than some of their c titors and have a simple keting policy — to survey application and specify thei cost effective blend of metl, equipment, thus providing teg rated security system. Pip sional expertise, attention tail and adequate superA are the main ingredien ia successful security, says n el.

The company feels that largely overcome the prol$ normally associated with :urity guards by treating each fividual assignment as a 'arate entity and according it ividual attention from the nning to the manning stage. esical and phone supervision in important feature of Senti's service, involving regular nmunication with its control rtre, which is manned 24irs a day.

he company also operates bile radio patrols, a keyholdservice, fire/rescue service, urity consultancies, and a line service. Lifeline supports tamers' own, often elderly, tchmen, Without the backing supervision, the watchman's is fraught with potential ards, says Sentinel.

he company's group general nager, Bill Carter, says that spite the often insecure 'mises that they occupy, .ilage companies are not :urity conscious. Large 'rating premises are often in lote poorly-lit areas — easy jets for thieves.

Surroundings often hinder urity. It's a difficult industry protect," says Mr Carter. 'curity is an overhead but it save money. You can't nce your arm forever!'

he fact is that some hauliers take chancds. Bill Carter )ws of unlocked vehicles ked overnight with keys in ignition, ready for a speedy away in the event of a fire, y convenient for any nocturprowlers, too.

;ecurity makes sense, of course, but what about the cost? A guard on duty 24 hours a day would set you back about £30,000 a year, according to Sentinel. But manpower coupled with security equipment can greatly reduce long-term costs. For instance, a guard plus CCTV system could be used instead of two guards. Quite simply, equipment can reduce running costs.

That view is shared by fellow BSIA member, PPR Security Group Ltd of Ilford. "Any security company worth its salt must look at electronic techniques," says PPR's Dave Archer. The company offers the usual security package, and like its rival companies, prefers to carry out a survey on customers' premises, no matter how small, before quoting prices. However, a 24hour guard can be provided by PPR for about £25,000 a year.

The company recommends that BSIA members should be used whenever possible and insists that security firms should not act as business rivals, but as support to the police.

The best-known of all security companies, is probably Securicor.Cash carrying is carried out by many security companies, but Securicor see itself as the "acknowledged experts" in the field. With its massive vehicle fleet, the company carries about £1b a week.

Apart from its range of other security services Securicor also provides a wage packeting service. It collects cash from the bank and can prepare individual' wage packets for delivery in Securicor vehicles, often overnight.

The company lists theft, fire, floods and vandalism as industry's security hazards. Fire, it says, can be the most destructive. There is no standard prescription for burglar alarms and fire alarm installations for businesses as the requirement of each needs to be established by experts, says Securicor.

"The first essential is that every business should have positive attitudes to the need for security. They should appoint one or more people to be responsible for security throughout the business and should ensure that these have the necessary status to report and make recommendations at top level," according to Securicor.

Security companies can offer training courses in such cases and people responsible fo security may conceivably hay( other functions within a busi ness.

Security can also providr guard dogs with handlers, anc all dogs are trained at the corn pany's own kennels. But then are dangers with guard dogs Dog handlers, security corn panies, and even site owner: can be held responsible for at tacks by the dogs in the event a a legal claim.

It's also worth rememberinc that diesel fumes can throv dogs off a scent. One securit% company, which has stopper using them, feels that they an nothing more than a threat o force, and something of ar anachronism in the Eighties.

Nonetheless, London-baser Centuryan Security Ltd, whilE recognising the potentia hazards, does use dogs witl handlers. The company also pro vides cash in transit, alarms, mo bile patrols and internal guard: on a nationwide basis, but feel: it does not need the backing o the BSIA.

As with most companies, Cen turyan finds it difficult to quoti prices until it has surveyed cus tomers' premises and assesser needs.

To conclude, if you think you security is less than adequate o unsophisticated, a visit to you local police crime preventior officer before contacting a secur ity company, would be no bar thing. He can give you an un biased and independent view point. This could be followed to contacting a BSIA-recognisei security company which will as sess your needs, irrespective a the size of your operation, be fore talking about costs.

The final word from BSIA ha a familiar ring — don't go for th; cheapest.

Tags

Organisations: BSIA
Locations: London

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