How important is business continuity to you and your organisation? Who’s responding to your company’s alarm activations? In today’s world these issues are fundamental to the security manager’s remit and, if you’re not sure of the answers to either one or both of these questions, then you most definitely need to read on.
Thankfully, an ever-increasing number of businesses have come to understand the inherent risks associated with appointing their own employees to act as key holders. There’s a threat to the well-being of staff, the spectre of potential litigation if something goes wrong and, in a similar vein, the possible loss of productivity. Not to mention whopping great increases on insurance cover.
“The situation in Europe is very different to that in the UK,” commented Andrew Natt, the managing director of Securitas Mobile, as we sit down in his office in Richmond, Surrey to discuss the issues that have come to dominate that element of security provision concentrating on response.
“If you look at the SME marketplace, for example, whomever is the key holder operating in one of the other European nations must be registered. Here, the key holder can literally be anyone. There’s a serious lack of knowledge on this matter, not to mention a dearth of legislation. These issues simply have to be addressed.”
Natt continued: “The SME market really is too fragmented. It’s a massive market, yes, but there are hundreds of one and two-man band companies mopping up business from clients who perhaps cannot afford ‘classic’ security guarding. Some of these key holding companies are charging a fee on activation as well as a standard monthly sum for response. That’s such a negative sell. Where’s the incentive for better alarm response in that kind of deal?” There isn’t one, Andrew.
Defining the business case
Securitas Mobile officially began life as a division of the world’s largest security solutions provider in January 2004. There was a defined need for the services this division could offer, as Securitas Security Services in the UK was, at the time, responsible for opening up 1,100 sites every morning and locking them all down again in the evening.
As (then) the astute leader of Securitas’ overall UK operation, Morten Ronning recognised a business opportunity and duly took it.
Natt and John Naughton were brought on board by Ronning as managing director and sales director respectively, tasked with opening – and then growing – what was effectively a new business. The duo worked out a development plan that, from December 2003 through to December 2008, would keep the parent company – and clients – happy.
“We reached the GB pound 8.5 million revenue target we set ourselves for that five-year period just before Christmas, and I’m happy with that,” asserted Natt. “We’ve managed to do so by charging a monthly subscription fee for our response service and no more, and adding to that through sheer hard work. The proof of the pudding’s most certainly always in the service delivery.”
Indeed so, and Natt and his team have most definitely delivered. When the division first started there were only nine branches operational and a fleet of just 21 vehicles. Adverts were placed in the Yellow Pages, field sales and customer services representatives recruited and acquisitions targeted as potential revenue streams.
Come today and the number of Securitas Mobile branches has doubled. The division operates the largest dedicated vehicle fleet of any security company in the UK and Ireland, with 200 employees promoting the cause. Not bad at all.
Guaranteeing the swiftest response possible
Natt is quick to point out that Securitas Mobile’s TracVault system ensures “the fastest response time within the industry”. A bold claim to make, but does it stack up?
“The on-site TracVault device is used to house the keys to a given client’s premises,” explained Natt, “and can only be accessed by an authorised TracKey. This intelligent, pager-sized electronic key enables us to provide a full, auditable service. As the keys are located in the TracVault on the premises, and since all of our officers have a TracKey, we’re able to send the closest patrol vehicle immediately to site. This reduces time spent collecting keys from a central point, and dramatically cuts down on response times to site.”
All of the Securitas Mobile officers are not only licensed by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) – “Most SME’s don’t know about the Regulator” opined Natt – but also carry a BlackBerry Personal Digital Assistant, which is used in conjunction with strategically placed barcodes on each site they service. The barcodes can be placed inside or outside of the property at agreed points with the client, in turn providing a full audit trail of all patrols.
Thereafter, a ‘real-time’ report is then e-mailed direct to the client’s desktop. This report highlights times the site was visited, and lists any all-important causes for concern and security hazards that have been found and addressed.
“In truth,” chipped in Natt, “we’ve been running GPS and BlackBerry-based reporting systems for the last five years. We pioneered them.” Certainly an entry on the CV worth having given the direction that technological development has taken. It’s also one that helped gain Securitas Mobile the 2005 British Institute of Facilities Management Award for Innovation in Technology.
Random patrols: a proven deterrent to crime
Innovative audit trail functions ensure that the client has visible evidence of all internal and external patrols. “Random patrols are a proven crime deterrent, giving peace of mind to the remaining officer and high visibility/vigilance as far as the criminal fraternity’s concerned,” suggested Natt.
Indeed, Natt’s company presently operates a real-time, three-way audit trail system which provides information about the location of a given set of keys, the patrol officer and the vehicle associated with them. As stated, barcodes are positioned at agreed inspection points with the customer such that, when the patrol officer scans the barcodes with their BlackBerry, a full record of when they toured the site is recorded.
Securitas Mobile is also able to offer monitoring services using real-time Track and Trace devices – recognised as the best way for customers to keep an eye on cargos, vehicles and high value items. Originally instigated in the Benelux countries in 1997, this service now has a recovery rate for stolen vehicles of well over 90% (a level that has been consistently achieved year-on-year, by the way).
“Vehicles are ‘marked’, so we know exactly where they are at all times,” outlined Natt. “If there’s an emergency situation, the driver can push a button and an alarm is instantly transmitted to our Monitoring Centre. Here, crisis management-trained operators use the satellite positioning and BlackBerry technologies I mentioned to pinpoint a vehicle’s exact position and immediately summon the appropriate response.”
Using the same technology, Securitas Mobile’s operatives can also track individuals to provide lone worker protection. No matter the hour of the day or night, there’s a cast-iron guarantee any client’s site can be reached in double-quick time.
The Securitas Mobile business model
Natt then tells me a little more about the business model espoused by the company. As stated, each branch is under the stewardship of a dedicated manager. Next in the chain of command is the branch supervisor and branch administrator, the latter taking care of credit control and wages, etc. Then there’s the all-important security consultant. The revenue driver, if you will.
“Typically, our consultants will be tasked with 20 ‘door knocks’ every week, and in that same time frame will have to arrange and attend around ten meetings in a bid to drum up new business and help the company to meet its targets,” said Natt, with serious intent written all over his face. “The consultants are people we’ve chosen because they share our core values of integrity, helpfulness and vigilance, not necessarily because they had a proven background in sales. They need to be able to work well with the local community. That’s the key.”
Statistics produced by the company suggest that, of every 100 customers seen, 20 are signed up to the service. That’s a pretty good strike rate.
There are also team leaders and shift supervisors, of course, and then the crucial mobile patrol officers themselves. “It’s the officers who really define the service,” suggested Natt, and he’s right. “We pay them salaries, not by the hour, because we happen to value the role.” Amen to that. All security operations should be doing this. We are no longer living in Dickensian times, but too many bosses and clients – willingly or otherwise – fail to recognise that fact.
An Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS)-registered operation, the Securitas Mobile business model is also characterised by close alignment with service partners. “They help us to sell on our services,” explained Natt. “We’ll deliver the response service direct to the client, but bill the third party. VSG and ADT are two of the partners who work with us on this.” A simple but successful concept, it seems.
Flexible solutions for the customer base
Higher standards in the guarding world realised by SIA regulation have brought better quality and increased recognition to the security sector (although there is still a long way to go yet). In turn, this has driven up the cost to the customer via necessary investments in higher wages and enhanced training. There’s a need for 24-hour guarding in most cases, but higher costs mean that there’s also a requirement for most security managers to review the dependency on ‘arms and legs’ as a solution.
“What we’re offering is a flexible solution,” stated Natt. “Our customers are finding that replacing one or perhaps more static security officers with higher visibility, random mobile patrols is an effective deterrent.”
Securitas Mobile works with clients across most of the traditional verticals, in fact, including transport and aviation (encompassing airports, ports and the railways, etc), hotels and both the education and retail sectors. The hotel sector is an interesting one, as Natt duly summarised.
“Security is a massively important issue for hoteliers, and it’s one that’s growing in stature all the time,” outlined Natt. “There’s an increasing amount of pressure in the hotel industry to protect staff, key customer groups and, of course, the lone traveller. We work together with the client to deliver the necessary competitive edge.”
There’s the delivery of car park patrols. Licensed officers can carry out such patrols at any time of the day or night. “This affords guests peace of mind that their property is secure”. Also, in-house hotel duty managers and staff can be afforded more time for customer service by allowing security personnel to take care of floor-walking duties, most notably at peak times. Thanks to the reliance on BlackBerry PDAs, all issues are reported immediately and dealt with on the spot.
Night-time at some city centre hotels can be a pretty hectic part of the day. The provision of short bursts of a security presence can – and does – make all the difference. “Speed of response is crucial, and the need for an additional security presence in a hostile situation ought never to be discounted by the client when they’re procuring a solutions provider.”
Protecting the retail supply chain
In the retail sector, prevention as well as cure are equally essential elements within what Natt referred to as “a balanced security solution”. There’s a stated desire to find “tailor-made, low cost security solutions for distribution and supply in the retail chain”.
The client can increase sales and staff productivity by moving to ‘out of hours’ deliveries, for example, which lessens disruption to the consumer environment and renders more accurate stock accounting.
“More efficient and accurate stock delivery means that clients are able to store less stock on site. More frequent and smaller deliveries reduce the risk of loss and improve transit vehicle logistics. You have a completely protected supply chain where stress and worry is removed from the process.” It’s a compelling argument.
How the protection service works in practice is that a licensed patrol officer will verify the contents of a given delivery vehicle at its start point, sealing the container with an auditable locking system. The delivery vehicle is then met on arrival to site by another patrol officer, who will verify the seal and the lorry’s contents.
Finally, the delivery is overseen on to the premises. If there are any returns, the delivery will receive the same standard of care, again in a sealed vehicle.
Tackling the tricky issue of school security
Over the years, the security problems associated with school buildings have been well documented (many times over, in truth). Vandalism and unauthorised people on site outside of normal school hours are but two of the issues to be addressed by head teachers, governors and local councils. With the high-tech teaching practices now in operation, there’s also plenty of expensive equipment about that represents a thief’s dream.
“OFSTED is now continually monitoring schools against the provision of a safe and healthy learning environment,” explained Natt. “That environment can often be degraded due to vandalism and the littering of school premises out of hours. Not only can this be unsightly, but it might also result in areas of the school having to be made out of bounds to pupils, taking out valuable time from the day of given school staff.”
Patrol officers are able to secure buildings, turn off lights and equipment at the end of the day, ensure that windows and doors are securely closed and locked. “That’s a win-win for the end user,” eulogised Natt. “They can reduce their school’s carbon footprint, energy bills and labour costs while at the same time guaranteeing the security of their premises.”
Corporate Social Responsibility is high on the business priority list just now, so we continue the theme for a minute or two. “Having one of our officers switch the lights off can save the client up to 10% of their current electricity bill. A computer monitor left on continuously for 24 hours will cost around GB pound 45 per year to run. Switching it off out of hours reduces that cost to less than GB pound 10 per year. Office equipment left on during Bank Holidays and at weekends could cost SMEs nearly GB pound 6,000 per annum.”
Not only is Natt’s operation technically astute, then, but it’s also pretty savvy when it comes to the ‘green’ agenda.
What does the future hold?
On Natt’s wish list is the desire for 50 Securitas Mobile branches across the UK and Ireland and 500-plus patrol and response vehicles. And the projected timescale for all this to happen is? “Oh, within the next five-to-seven years, I would hope”.
In a way, although he’s fully in favour, licensing appears to have hindered Natt’s operation somewhat, simply because so many SMEs haven’t a clue what it’s all about. “We’re engaging them in an educational process,” he said. “It’s a slow and continual project. We’ll get there. I’m very confident of that.”
Bearing in mind the bullish talk surrounding monetary growth, Natt is insistent on one thing. “Turnover is vanity. Profit is sanity. I want to ease clients away from talking about man-hours in the security equation and have them think more in terms of the profit they can realise for themselves if they’ll just revisit the tried-and-tested security methods. Methods that, in this day and age, perhaps aren’t serving as well as they once did.”
The time for the new security era’s broom to sweep clean is nigh.