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When It Comes To Security Companies, Less Is More

Many of those charged with organising large events and shows have been mislead into believing that all SIA licence holders are of the same standard. It is time to wake up and smell the coffee.

Author: Andrew Cameron
Date: Dec 6, 2010 - 11:53:12 AM

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Are you a Personal Assistant or Events Organiser who hires only major security companies for your event, based on the supposition and expectation that they guarantee the best service and value for money?

Maybe you are someone who was asked to arrange security for an event and went down the road of hiring a big name security company and were badly let down by their attitude and overall quality of staff?

If you answered yes to one or both of these, what you need to be asking yourself is; is it really so unexpected that large security companies who proclaim to have access to thousands of SIA licence holding personnel cannot necessarily assure the quality you imagine or more importantly, the quality that your client demands?

The SIA will try and convince you that holding an SIA licence is indeed an assurance that the standard of employee will be of the highest order because they have fulfilled the required SIA criteria but ask those who find themselves directly involved with the events, if they believe the quality is of a consistently high standard and you will get a resounding no.

When it comes to large security companies then it can be very much a case of quantity over quality.

For you to understand fully why using the services of large security companies are not always the best option for you, then you need to know why the SIA was created and just exactly who they are.

Read the SIA literature and it will say that prior to their creation, the security industry as a whole, had a reputation for being run by the criminal element found within society and therefore was in desperate need of regulation and image enhancement.

The SIA is responsible for regulating the security industry. They are an independent body who are accountable to the Home Secretary, under the stipulations of the Private Security Industry Act 2001. They are tasked with controlling the private security industry with the intention that they reduce criminality, raising quality and to identify quality service providers.

 

They have two key duties. One is the obligatory licensing of individuals undertaking designated activities within the private security industry; the other is to handle the voluntary Approved Contractor Scheme, which measures private security companies against independently assessed criteria.

What we have now, as a result of SIA meddling, are Personal Assistants and Events Organisers who cannot see past the SIA smoke and mirrors and believe that all SIA licence holders are created equal and therefore do not believe it necessary to research the company or their staff backgrounds.

If we go back and look at the claimed reason for the formation of the SIA, were they justified in making that statement about widespread criminal involvement?

Perhaps this accusation of criminal involvement was solely aimed at to the lower end of the security spectrum, the doorman and site security markets because it certainly did not apply to those working in Close Protection.

The people who were working in Close Protection were self-governing and were very particular about maintaining their hard earned reputations; only working with those they knew beforehand and were of the same calibre.

The Circuit was the name given to the London Bodyguard scene and if you were not referred in, then it was almost impossible to get a placement on a contract, so strict were the criteria.

This may seem tough, maybe even unfair but it worked and ultimately kept clients safe and protected.

You may well be asking a couple of questions, like why would I employ from one of the smaller security companies, who are looking to provide more expensive Close Protection Officers, for a post that I believe only requires those holding Door Supervisor credentials and as a result be cheaper, also can a big company not supply the same sort of security staff?

Simply put, flexibility and overall quality. You will discover that a smaller security company has an improved relationship with their staff as it is more intimate, plus their workers will have a different way of thinking to those working for a major firm.

They will be vastly experienced, they will have an greater sense of pride in their work and will attain a level of professionalism that cannot be matched.

Initially you may flinch at the difference in cost between the two types of security officer but when you realise what you are getting for your money then you will understand that it is the best value possible.

What you are in fact getting for your money is a top class operator who has a skill range far in excess of that of a Door Supervisor, someone who can tasked with a multitude of security related responsibilities.

Should you still not be convinced that a smaller security company would suit your and the interests of your client far better, then the best of luck to you as you will need it. Some of the incidents we have witnessed, whilst subcontracted to these large security companies, would open your eyes to the types of character that slips through the net and onto their books. Such as; initiating fights for their own personal gratification, boasting about what they have just stolen from the very people they were hired to protect, disappearing every time a police sniffer dog was in the vicinity and SIA licence holders who could not speak English.

So just how do you know if you are hiring the right security company? The best way is to go back to the techniques used before absolute belief in the SIA badge and that is through word of mouth, others recommendations, testimonials and references from people who have had a great deal of satisfaction from using a particular company.

You must understand that a smaller firm knows only too well that it cannot stay in business if the reputation of the company has been tarnished through supplying anything other than the very best security personnel and services.

For further information about this article or if you have a general query then please contact us via the information contained on this page or visit our website.

We as a service provider at Go Executive Protection Ltd utilise only experienced and professional Close Protection Officers and Witness Protection Officers and do so at a price to suit you.

We as a service provider at Go Executive Protection Ltd utilise only experienced and professional Close Protection Officers and Witness Protection Officers and do so at a price to suit you.

View all articles by Andrew Cameron

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