Slough Borough Council opened the building in 2005 as part of a GB pound 20 million project to improve customer services by providing a High Street location focused on offering all Council services in one easily-accessible place.
“We are the first point of contact for Slough residents, and it is this front of house service that the Ward Security officers support,” explained Tina Hancock, customer services operations manager.
“We needed to change our security supplier as we felt the service we were receiving wasn’t adequate for our needs. We had numerous requests for quotations from security operators, some of whom were very high profile, but Ward Security’s focused approach meant it won the work.”
The company currently provides two security officers on site whose job it is to support the Council’s customer-facing environment.
“The officers work very closely with our Customer Service Team, providing security support for both staff and customers alike, in addition to signposting customers to the relevant points of contact,” enthused Hancock. “This works very well for us.”
Ultimately, though, Hancock stressed that the Ward Security officers are employed to support the safety of the Council’s customers.
Taking care of vulnerable customers
“We often have very vulnerable customers visiting our offices who are experiencing difficulties and need our help,” she explained. “At times this can lead to displays of emotion and agitation. Having Ward Security’s officers in place helps support people and calm these situations down.”
There are particular occasions when the officers’ skills may be called upon. For example, the Council’s Tax Department runs a pre-court surgery once a month from the Customer Service Centre.
“We see a large increase in the number of customers visiting the centre to attend these pre-court surgery sessions,” said Hancock. “It’s essential that we are able to respond to any situations that arise, and it’s down to the Ward Security officers to respond rapidly to these situations which can be challenging at times due to the increased volume.”
Since Ward Security took over the on-site security provision, the changes have been instantly recognisable. Previously, for example, Hancock suggested the security officers on site had very little support from their line management. However, Ward Security has already shown a commitment to training and is working with the officers on a continual basis to identify specific training and development needs.
Committed to supporting the officers on site
Rachael Bannister, Ward Security’s operations manager for the West, is committed to providing this support to the officers. According to Hancock, Bannister is doing this in a very subtle way.
“The officers have gone from very little visible supervision to a fully supportive network supplied by Ward Security. Rachael is pivotal to this chang. The officers now feel very confident that there’s a network supporting them, rather than working in isolation as they were previously.”
Hancock states that both she and the Council are extremely happy with not only the quality of the security provision but also the attention to quality of service that Ward Security is providing.
“We are now having regular monthly meetings – this is something that didn’t happen with the previous supplier. It really helps to cement the relationship. We have a joint objective, and that is for the security officers to be fully developed to provide the best possible service here. In order to do that, they are going to need support and, while they use their own initiative, there is a structure and foundation that they didn’t have before.”
In closing, Hancock told SMT Online: “Ward Security is able to provide a foundation on which its officers can build when it comes to their own personal development. We believe this will see them progress from doing a good job to doing an excellent job.”
Ward Security praised during UK riots
Stakeholders have paid tribute to the professionalism of Ward Security following the recent unrest in London and across the country.
While the disturbances were in progress, the finalist in two categories of this year’s Security Excellence Awards sent regular updates to its clients and officers regarding potential trouble spots while at the same time ensuring the safety of all clients and on-site personnel.
Ward Security even gave traffic bulletins to the public such that they could then avoid troubled areas.
The company deployed numerous extra security officers and dog handlers across the UK once the disorder began, leading to the highest number of security personnel being deployed in any 24-hour period in the company’s history.
Toby Smith, park services manager of Bromley Council, praised Ward Security for its unstinting efforts.
“The presence of Ward Security officers with dogs placed in high profile locations observing and being a visible presence had a great impact in reassuring the public that they were safe,” stated Smith.
He added: “With the excellent reputation that Ward Security has for co-operating with the police and the high expectation that everyone has from these officers, the police, senior Council officers, senior Councillors and members of the public are all very appreciative and grateful to see the officers out there giving reassurance. I know I was.”
Excellent bulletins from Central Ops
A senior director from one of Ward Security’s most prestigious end users said: “Thank you so much to you both and your teams for your help yesterday. It was absolutely invaluable to us.”
A client in a high security financial institute said: “I would like you to pass on my commendation to your Central Operations Team for the excellent bulletins sent out over the past few days. They have been extremely informative and relevant, and have proven to be excellent communications for our own stakeholders.”
Another stakeholder said: “Thank you for the exceptional level of team work and dedication displayed this week in facilitating the additional works in response to the riots. It is rewarding to know you have a team in place who can deliver when it really matters.”