How I Deliver Security
Reasons To Utilise A Professional Security Service
There are numerous reasons to utilise a professional security service; of course, a generalisation would be to Safeguard your premises, whether it be to deter theft, property damage, graffiti, loiterers, checking for open window, or exits, maybe even to check that the last person out did turnoff all the lights and correctly set the alarm. However, there are another important factor that are so often overlooked until it happens.
Please consider this simple scenario, “last night you and the family went out for the evening to a favourite restaurant, wonderful meal, a few drinks and then a taxi home. Before retiring, you decide to watch the last 30 minutes of “Match of the day” with your final drink.
This Scenario Is Factual
Then off to bed for just after midnight. You are awoken at 02:45 by a phone call from your monitoring company, advising the company alarm has activated. Well, you won’t even drive after one drink, so three is out of the question. Of course, you can ring round asking staff members to attend at 02:45am, you can also get a taxi, whether you get a taxi or send a member of staff, at some stage you will be thinking about the alarm, what has happened, and the chances of you or the staff member meeting the potential intruder”.
This scenario is factual, and whilst it may not always be the same circumstances, the result of not having a keyholder to attend for whatever reason can be a very daunting prospect.
Jeff Bothwell - Managing Director In Focus
Too many times I have seen information regarding an offered service, simply copied from a textbook, or copied & pasted to a website, with only a handful of grammatical changes, and then presented as their company information.
With 45 years as an experienced professional, I want to share my knowledge and detail exactly how I deem the following services and how I and my team deliver them. Let’s discuss what’s involved, and how it affects and benefits YOU the end user:
- Alarm Response – Key Holding Service
- Mobile Patrol
- Unlock & Lock Up
This Scenario Is Factual
Then off to bed for just after midnight. You are awoken at 02:45 by a phone call from your monitoring company, advising the company alarm has activated. Well, you won’t even drive after one drink, so three is out of the question. Of course, you can ring round asking staff members to attend at 02:45am, you can also get a taxi, whether you get a taxi or send a member of staff, at some stage you will be thinking about the alarm, what has happened, and the chances of you or the staff member meeting the potential intruder”.
This scenario is factual, and whilst it may not always be the same circumstances, the result of not having a keyholder to attend for whatever reason can be a very daunting prospect.
Keyholding & Alarm response service
This is a shared service of which is enjoyed by thousands of businesses and individuals across the UK. It is affordable, safe and gives that extra level of assurance that, “We are there when you’re not”.
After the initial annual joining fee of between 99p and £1.20 per day, ex vat, you only pay when we attend. The process is straight forward, prior to joining we attend your premises FOC, undertake a full site survey and answer any questions you may have. Only at the time you decide to join, we will request all relevant numbers, codes, fobs and agree a date for collection & give receipt.
Prior to takeover
You advise your monitoring station (in writing at least 48 hours in advance if possible), that Metropolitan Security Services Limited have been appointed keyholders. You would have already been provided our full company details, 24-hour telephone numbers and email addresses. It is normal practice that you arrange with the monitoring station, a separate password allocated to Metropolitan Security, for both the monitoring station, and Metropolitan Security services to ensure the authenticity of the communication.
The Service made simply.
It is recommended (not mandatory) that smart signage is displays at your premises. Of course a little free advertising for Metropolitan Security, however, now let’s look at the actual true benefits; passersby may witness persons acting suspiciously, climbing a fence, tampering with a lock, a burning car at the gates, there are a magnitude of different reasons, I want to keep the faith that normal people will call 999, however some “don’t want to get involved”, and on many occasions it must be recognised that the Police cannot attend immediately to reports of suspicious activity. As a long-term provider of this service, “to this very day,” we receive telephone calls from members of the Public reporting concerns they have where premises are displaying our signage, although around 20% would be from previous clients.
Full External Patrol
Initially, a full external patrol to ensure the integrity of the premises shows no sign of break-in or entry, this being the safe it is considered safe to enter the premises. Alarm deactivated, panel inspected for possible information as to activation, a large percentage are for such reasons as a window/door not closed correctly, spider web on a PIR, or an air condition unit or fan not turned off. Only when the officer is totally satisfied that all is in order and the alarm has been reset will they vacate the premises, leaving a full written report on site.
I must refer to another scenario, should the officer arrive at the premises and there is evidence of a break-in, they must immediately call 999 and await the police arrival. In situations such as this the risk escalates as the intruder may still be inside.
Our Officers & Fleet
All mobile security officers are fully SIA licensed and insured. They would have been vetted to BS7858 standard and together with background checks, would have provided the original right to work in the UK visa (if required). They are presented in full company uniform displaying their licence.
Our vehicles are modern, high-profile Hybrids, regularly serviced, maintained sufficiently to ensure their busy schedules, and kept clean both inside and out.
Additional
Lock-up and Un-locks – This is a service available to clients with a specific requirement, to lock up the staff car park at a certain time at night and to reopen their carpark first thing in the morning.
This type of service is ideal to avoid the carpark being used as an overnight carpark for anybody and also minimises the risks of the late at night evaders from a small number of the travelling community.
Other clients use this service to open their offices first thing in the morning, to avoid the unnecessary requirement to issue to many main access keys, early evening we return, ensuring all windows are closed, lights, fans & office equipment is turned off and of course double check all toilets making sure there are no running taps or leaking water.
Activation and Response
Call from monitoring station 03:47 am
Password exchange
Activation at 111 Portland House, London W1 XXXX
Call confirmed, logged and the nearest mobile driver is contacted & provided with a post code and
a “one time use reference number “to a sealed security pouch, presently in a safe within the vehicle. The security seal is broken, revealing a set of fobs/keys or maybe cards to access the site.
All additional information is held upon our encrypted system within our central control, let me
highlight, that at no time throughout the service are the site instructions/address, in the same place or location at the same time. Upon confirmed arrival, GPS & voice, the officer is provided with premise name and number, all relevant site instructions & information are provided by the duty controller. At this stage, the officer has activated their bodycam and is in voice contact with the control team.
Our Officers & Fleet
All mobile security officers are fully SIA licensed and insured. They would have been vetted to BS7858 standard and together with background checks, would have provided the original right to work in the UK visa (if required). They are presented in full company uniform displaying their licence.
Our vehicles are modern, high-profile Hybrids, regularly serviced, maintained sufficiently to ensure their busy schedules, and kept clean both inside and out.
Additional
Lock-up and Un-locks – This is a service available to clients with a specific requirement, to lock up the staff car park at a certain time at night and to reopen their carpark first thing in the morning.
This type of service is ideal to avoid the carpark being used as an overnight carpark for anybody and also minimises the risks of the late at night evaders from a small number of the travelling community.
Other clients use this service to open their offices first thing in the morning, to avoid the unnecessary requirement to issue to many main access keys, early evening we return, ensuring all windows are closed, lights, fans & office equipment is turned off and of course double check all toilets making sure there are no running taps or leaking water.
Mobile Patrols
Mobile Patrols – Again, another popular service, although more often utilised by the larger companies. Mobile patrol visits are provided for an internal or external patrol, normally decided by the company. Our officer will attend the assignment and undertake the requested service(s), this could be once a night, or 4 times a night and at times will include a day visit at weekends,
Accountability is a word that springs to mind, after all we are all accountable generally.
Weekly data is presented to all clients detailing all dates, times, images, and patrols of our officers. Unique, unintrusive codes are placed at strategic locations of which our officers are required to visit. They digitally record their visit, this information is collated by our encrypted server and presented to our clients.
Summary and conclusion
Keyholding & alarm response would by far be the most popular service, it provides a cost-effective level of protection available to both businesses’ & individuals. I have also given brief details of other services that are available to clients with additional requirements. When undertaking any level of additional security, I constantly suggest to all clients that it is worth
“Calling your insurance company”. I cannot confirm that you will get a small deduction from your premium, but for the sake of a telephone call its worth asking, especially in the current economy even a few pounds are a saving!
I would like to thank everybody who has taken the time to read what I feel could be informative, although maybe long winded.
Keep Safe!
Kind regards
Jeff Bothwell – Managing Director
In the event that you may require additional information, or simply want some advice, please feel free to contact me at jeff@metropolitansecurity.com
Making The Correct Security Decisions With Jeff Bothwell
