A body called the Civil Service Pay Research Unit is an unlikely treasure trove for what the UK private security sector looked like in its early days. It’s a file at the National Archives at Kew in west London.
File CSPR 1/53 is a survey by the unit of 15 (mostly unnamed) guard forces and commercial security firms, carried out between November 1959 and June 1960. The reason for the survey; as an aid to the civil service in pay negotiations with occupations, in an era when the public sector as a rule had in-house security staff, whether gate-keepers, door men, night watch men and messenger-porters. It documents what seldom got aired in public such as security officer earnings – in London, put at four shillings and threepence (23p) and hour on appointment, and a few pence more after one or two years’ service. An officer might work 55 hours in a five-day week. In the Midlands, hourly pay might be slightly less – four shillings – and in the provinces 3s 8d.
Comparisons
The unit noted that by comparison an engineering factory had a chief security officer; and each factory had several gate-keepers earning £10 a week. In the day, gate-keepers issued keys to cleaners from 6am; and collected pass-outs required by workers leaving the factory during working hours; and did the unlocking and locking of buildings, noting in a register all vehicles entering and leaving. At the end of the factory’s day, they patrolled to switch anything off such as heating and lighting. They would escort cashiers (who paid workers in cash); among other tasks. The night shift of security staff did three rounds of the place, taking in 26 clock points.
The company security chief was paid more than a guard or gateman; perhaps £1000 a year. Such a chief arranged security clearance of staff doing classified work for duplicate safe keys; government; issue of uniforms; and disposal of classified waste.
There as in another group of factories, training was ‘on the job’, such as by accompanying an experienced man for the first two weeks. But promotion prospects for a gateman or watch man were typically poor or nil. A works security chief might be in charge of the works fire brigade.
As for a large tobacco firm, its chief security officer was assisted by two male and two female security officers. Besides, in the day the firm had four commissionaires or door men, from the Corps of Commissionaires (which in the 21st century has become Corps Security); and by night, contract security. The commissionaires looked after visitors; recorded their vehicles; and tested fire alarms daily; and received mailbags. One thing they didn’t do was any patrols. The security officers escorted wage clerks; and were a check on the theft of cigarettes (in an era when smoking was the norm, and cigarettes being portable might be prone to employee pilfering). A commissionaire was earning £687 for a 55-hour week. A chief security officer (CSO) arranged duty rotas; and was responsible to the duty manager. Recently, the CSO had been made responsible for fire prevention. He (as a rule CSOs were men) had a company car and telephone and three weeks’ holiday a year (excellent perks for the time) which compared with a commissionaire’s two weeks (with pay). Security staff could take meals in the factory canteen (where three courses might cost three shillings).
A confectionery factory in the Home Counties that had 2200 employees had a dozen commissionaires. Usually they were recruited from employees who were described as ‘smart and reliable’. Commissionaires searched the male workers off the premises for company goods. A patrol by the night shift went to around 30 clock points. Among security duties over a 39-hour week were to prevent the workers from one department eating the products of another; and enforcing uniform and no-smoking regulations. Factory guards typically checked that taps were not left running.
Another tobacco factory employed more door keepers, who worked like guards, than outright security men and gate men. Generally they were recruited from employees with slight disabilities. By contrast, an unnamed security company (that had a control room at its London headquarters) preferred recruits ‘with a services or police background’). But to return to the tobacco factory, its normal working hours were 8am to 6pm, and gave 50 free cigarettes a week to each employee (perhaps, we can assume, to head off pilfering). The pay of guards and night watch men was between £9 and £11 a week. The company aped police ranks, although the sergeant and inspector might do the same work as a guard. The surveyors noted that a ‘customer’ taking commercial security staff would like a ‘higher rank’ of security guard.
As for the security specialists, a Midlands-based company called recruits to its head office training school for a three day course ‘in security theory, self-defence, first aid and searching techniques’. The days included lectures by police and the fire brigade. The company was ‘expanding rapidly’ and promotion prospects (in contrast with working for an in-house force) good. The company too named its supervisers as (police-like) sergeants and inspectors.
Airport
At London Airport (the era’s name for Heathrow), the airline BOAC’s security staff numbered 37 security ‘wardens’ under eight sergeants and four inspectors. Training was ‘on the job’, but did require starters to have a certificate in first aid. One warden was always on duty in the strong room in the BOAC freight shed, to look after the diplomatic mail, bullion and other valuables. The day was split into four shifts; the shift pattern was of 168 hours over four weeks of nights (11pm to 7.30am), aerly (7.30am to 310pm) and late (3.10pm to 11pm). Security staff would patrol; issue keys to cleaners; check locks; and look out for pilfering (the wardens had the power to search BOAC employees). Security staff would go by car into central London to check BOAC showrooms and offices. The airline had a factory and test bed at Treforest that had several wardens. Pay for wardens was £10 14s 6d a week, rising to £12 after six years.
Banknote printing
Also identified in the survey was the Bank of England, that had 25 door keepers and 24 inspectors by day, and at night 22 watchmen and ten ‘superintendents of watch’. Most inspectors were either recruited as disabled, or were bank printing works employees in ill health. The Bank’s night watch was usually ex-police. The main print hall was 800 feet long by 150 feet wide, with a screened gallery for a view of the operation. One inspector would sit on a chair at opposite sides of the gallery, to watch; an inspector would telephone if he saw anything other than routine and a foreman would investigate. The other inspectors were stationed on the shop floor. A foreman was earning £17 a week, an inspector £9, and a door keeper or gate man £10, while working a basic 42-hour week.
Canteen
Typically, security staff in a works got a cheap canteen lunch, or a voucher; and issues of uniform; and sick pay.
Betting
British Road Services was nationalised haulage. Its depots had a total of 333 full- or part-time night watch and gate men. Another business peculiar to 1960 was postal betting, as betting on the high street was frowned upon. Gamblers would send money through the post to place bets; bringing an obvious risk that employees might keep the money. Hence a head security officer with four assistants; the company had four buildings. Its security recruits were from the police; or were retired Post Office investigators. The security staff operated envelope slitting machines, and distributed the envelopes among staff, and watched them. Security collected the cash from the envelopes, and took it to the cashiers. On the doors were Corps of Commissionaries men, who signed for deliveries.
Co-operative
The survey visited a London Co-op, that had gate men and night watch men – usually older men already on the staff – at head office and some depots, earning £9 a week. A shop might have a night watch only after a burglary. They worked an 88-hour fortnight.
