The Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s (MCA) hq is one of 500 buildings providing coastal and maritime safety services around the entire UK coastline. The Agency’s national network is split into different functions, with 19 dedicated operations rooms – known as Maritime Rescue Control Centres (MRCC) – taking care of coastal operations.
Due to the critical nature of its responsibilities, it’s essential that operations at hq run smoothly on a 24/7 basis. The site at Spring Place in Southampton sprawls over 60,000 sq ft, and is home to 500 full- and part-time members of staff.
Building services manager Mark Wheatland is supported by two full-time officers plus subcontracted security (courtesy of ADP Security Systems), catering and cleaning firms.
At this facility, the security personnel have become involved with the building services programme at various levels, stretching from traditional security guarding duties through to main reception, Post Room and conference facility protection. It’s a multi-functional role that’s proving useful to the client.
Strategy and tendering
The MCA has two national security managers in charge of physical and IT security planning (encompassing risk management policy) at its 500 sites. For his part, Mark Wheatland became building services manager four years ago and has since taken positive steps to improve site security (particularly in relation to CCTV monitoring).
The car park at Spring Place is an open area, with the public regularly using it as a short-cut from the city centre to housing developments. Thus the fixed and mobile surveillance cameras were fine-tuned to ensure that the building is monitored sufficiently and passive infrared detectors modified to cover an area closer to the structure.
The CCTV set-up is connected to its own Broadband line, providing instant communication to the monitoring station when an incident is detected, in turn enabling security officers to view what’s happening on site at any time of the day or night.
An access control system using proximity cards allows staff to enter the car park (which is limited to 100 spaces) and move around inside the building. Access may be restricted if desired. The security team’s involvement is to police this system and ensure that both members of staff and visitors wear their appropriate security passes. Aside from third party contractors and engineers, visitors have limited accessibility around the building and, generally, will only be allowed free movement within the ground floor conference facility.
Multi-functional FM support
Although the security team is primarily tasked with guarding the MCA’s hq, the role is very much a multi-functional one. The reception facility – staffed by ADP personnel – opens at 8.00 am, at the same time as the Post Room.
All officers on site (as well as members of the back-up team) have been trained for specific MCA duties, including the monitoring of Health and Safety hazards around the site, checking that the bin stores are locked (or open and ready for emptying by the MCA’s appointed waste management contractor) and controlling the fire alarm panel during weekly tests and any emergency incidents.
At close of play, when staff leave for home, the security personnel have to visit appointed locations and lock down the site for out-of-office hours. Security checks are conducted to spot any sensitive information that may have been left on desks, unlocked safes or security cabinets that haven’t been safeguarded.
On top of all this, members of the security team also co-ordinate the room bookings for the conference facility, which plays host to meetings of national and international delegates alike. It consists of 12 syndicate rooms, each hosting from five to 16 people and an auditorium for anything up to 60.
Importance of staff continuity
Standards for security guarding duties – in addition to reception, Post Room and conference facility tasks – are managed using Key Performance Indicators laid down in the Service Level Agreements. Monthly meetings between the off-site security manager and Mark Wheatland ensure that the whole process runs smoothly.
Since beginning the contract at the MCA, ADP has assisted in the improvement of staff turnover. Indeed, one of our original targets was to provide a full core team that would remain stable (and to supply relief or extra cover as and when required).
Ever alert to the expectation that the MCA’s Marine Emergency Incident Room might need to manage an incident during unusual hours or at short notice, we act as first key holder to support nominated staff.
A mobile patrol team is also available to provide additional security cover during night-time hours. Contactable at any time by a member of the CCTV monitoring station’s team, every now and again those security officers will be called upon to deal with unwelcome visitors (such as vagrants).
The MCA security remit offers a snapshot view of current trends in the facilities industry, where trusted security staff are being handed more and more tasks and are now really beginning to add value that supports the in-house facilities team.
