At first a security guard looks like an individual who stands guard of a specific area of the business, but this couldn’t be any further from the truth. In the security industry there are many security guards who specialise in different sectors of businesses. From Front of House security to Mobile Patrols, security is bigger than you think.
First of all, what is a security guard?
A security guard is an individual who is employed and is tasked to secure a business property, safeguard individuals, and valuable assets. Security guards are typically trained before they enter the field. In the UK, for an individual to become a security guard they would have to be certified. The best way to become a certified security guard is to undertake the SIA training program, choosing the right training course for you. The different types of training courses range from Door Supervisor to Cash and Valuables in Transit Training.
Below we have listed a few sectors that security guards tend to go once they’ve attained their SIA licence.
1. Mobile patrol officer
A mobile patrol officer is essentially a security guard who is always on the move. This type of security guard can move around the interior and exterior of your business in a security vehicle. Allowing them to scope out the different areas of your business. This gives them the advantage over a regular security guard as it provides a lot more mobility.
2. Concierge officer
A concierge officer specialises in meeting and greeting clients, reception duties as well as keeping the client safe at the same time. Concierge guards are trained to multitask giving the maximum value to the client. Concierge security is typically selected by businesses which require control of the traffic coming through their access points. A fine example of a business using concierge security would be hotels as the access points of hotels are usually busy and require traffic control.
3. Alarm response officer
An alarm response officer focuses on responding to the sounding of alarms as quick as possible. These types of security guards are not typically onsite security guards. In the case of an alarm, the security officer will receive a notification from our control room and arrive to the client’s building as soon as possible. Usually, response times can take anywhere from 5 – 30 minutes. The security guard is then tasked to find the cause of the alarm and report it in our security workforce management software. If the issue seems to be in a more serious state for example, a fire or an intruder, our security officer will immediately contact the emergency services.
4. Fire watch security guard
This type of security guard is usually assigned to buildings which are a vulnerable and a target to fires. For example, an apartment complex or a set of flats. Ever since the incident at Grenfell, business owners want to have double down on security measures making sure the same thing doesn’t happen again. The duties of a fire watch security officer will normally include patrolling the apartment complex and removing potential risks. These officers will also monitor the property’s alarm system making sure that everything is working accordingly. In the case of a fire outbreak, the officer will evacuate everyone within the building and emergency services will be contacted in the process.
For more information regarding our officers and the sectors we work in contact us via 0161 628 9169 or [email protected]
