The University of Southampton put its security out to tender towards the end of 2017, in line with internal procurement procedures, and Securitas won the three-year contract. The university has an established in-house security department that assumes responsibility for all security needs during the day, but they wanted to collaborate with a security provider to support in the evenings and over weekends – with a particular focus on the campuses and halls of residence.
Like many universities, Southampton has an open campus policy to offer students, teaching staff and visitors a welcoming and positive experience. With 28,000 students and 6,000 teaching staff based at the university, Securitas understood the importance of providing first-class protective services, to support the efforts of the in-house security department.
A team of 60 SIA-badged Securitas officers are responsible for the safety of people, property and assets, in the evenings and over weekends, visibly patrolling on foot and via mobile vehicles. The physical patrols support on-site CCTV cameras, operated by the university’s security department, on a round-the-clock basis.
The university has ten halls of residence to take students, many of them living away from home for the first time. Varying in size, some halls are near the city centre; others are in walking distance of campuses. As at other unis, personal student safety and well-being is paramount at the halls, particularly during evenings and over weekends.
Protection of the university’s property and assets is also critical, and a key remit for Securitas. Facilities across the campuses include five libraries, a multi-use research aquarium, a wind tunnel complex, sports centre and 13 on-site cafes, bars and restaurants.
Nick Povey, Chief Security Officer at the University of Southampton said: “The University of Southampton prides itself on running a professional and committed security department, we see ourselves as ambassadors for the university where customer care is a priority. Providing a positive student experience is one of our key objectives, it is essential that all of our contracted partners have the same attitude.
“We have worked closely with Securitas since October 2017 and it is encouraging to see that we share the same values with regards to customer service and the student experience. The University has set itself some challenging goals over the next few years, which will require my department to develop and adapt to ensure we provide the best possible service, I am confident that Securitas is well equipped to join us in this journey.”
Securitas’ Education Team has protective service contracts in place with other universities: Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Cranfield (featured in the May 2018 print issue of Professional Security magazine), Gloucestershire, Leeds Metropolitan and West Scotland.
Besides the main campus, Highfield, the University of Southampton has five other campuses; Avenue, Boldrewood, Waterfront (NOCS), Winchester and University Hospital Southampton, plus a campus in Malaysia.
