Security is a primary responsibility for any commercial business, to safeguard business continuity and ensure its people and assets are suitably protected. This can come in many forms, with some businesses investing in technology-based security solutions and others relying on traditional security personnel or dog security. Of course, you can also implement a combination of the two. But if a risk assessment highlights a need for 24-hour surveillance and security, this requires a little more consideration to ensure you find a suitably robust solution.
Out of hours security gives you the peace of mind that your business is being protected at evenings, overnight and at weekends when the building is unoccupied and shutdown. A commercial business may be located in a busy industrial area, but overnight this is quiet because all the businesses are shut and there is no residential housing nearby. This makes businesses a much easier target and therefore vulnerable to theft, trespass, nuisance and vandalism.
Reasons why you need out of hours security
Out of hours security is usually classed as mobile patrols which are flexible to work exactly how you want them. This could be periodical visits at pre-agreed times to carry out a full site patrol, static guards who also carry out periodical patrols, or security professionals who are constantly on a perimeter cycle of a site. Out of hours security may be needed for a variety of reasons:
- Security threat – There has been a specific security threat recently, either on your business or a neighbouring business
- Vacant property – The property is going to be vacant and unoccupied for an extended period of time, such as a bank holiday weekend, a shutdown period, the business has ceased trading or the property is awaiting sale or a new tenant.
- Health and safety – There is a need to monitor health and safety issues such as electrical issues, water or gas leaks
- False alarms – There have been regular alarm activations
- Event – There is an important event that the business is preparing for or there is valuable stock or equipment on site that needs additional protection
- Construction site – There is ongoing construction on the premises which requires additional safety and security controls to protect the general public
- Warehousing – There are 24/7 deliveries into a warehouse which could leave employees vulnerable to attack
- Lone workers – The business employs lone workers who, by law, must receive welfare checks periodically throughout a specific time period
- Fire watch – There is an additional risk of fire on the premises due to ongoing reasons, such as hot work taking place, the fire alarm isn’t working or the water sprinkler system is inoperable.
The benefits of out of hours security
Out of hours security can be employed to cover one or more of these security issues, and can come in the form of security personnel, mobile patrols, dog security, access control and key-holding security. Whatever form of security you require out of hours, it acts as a single point of contact for all security issues and hence needs to be a flexible service which can react to various eventualities, particularly security threats and alarm activations.
Out of hours security can act as a suitable deterrent against various security threats, but is essentially a robust security defence to protect the business. It can also be useful in reducing insurance premiums and ensuring legal compliance, particularly with regards to public liability insurance. If you feel like your business needs the additional layer of safeguarding that out of hours security provides, then contact First Response Group today. We can carry out a full risk assessment of your site and operations and work with you to develop a suitable package of security measures to protect your business and its people on a 24/7 basis.
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Head of Operations: South
