Nottingham-based guarding firm Octavian Security has increased its workforce with 20 ex-British Ghurka Brigade servicemen.
The men will be appointed to manned security positions across the UK, as part of industrial on-site security teams, and rapid response industrial and construction site teams.
Octavian point to the British Ghurka Brigade is one of the British Army’s most elite regiments, where recruits are hand picked from a specialist training camp in Nepal. Soldiers earn their place in the brigade as a result of their academic achievements as well as their superior physical and mental attributes that make them suitable for active service at this level.
Octavian Security managing director Sukhi Ghuman decided to appoint ex-Ghurkas as security officers after speaking to business associates, who spoke of the attributes of ex-regiment members already working in the security industry.
He said: “We find that the level of professionalism that we require from our officers is inherent in ex-servicemen from top military regiments, especially ex-members of the British Ghurka Brigade. Although we train all of our security officers by enrolling them onto our own in house development programme, we still have to find men and women who match our requirements before training begins. The role of a security officer is changing all of the time, and as well as providing the best possible security service, all modern officers must learn to work closely with clients as part of their team and try to fit in with the way that each client operates. This may also involve learning to use technical equipment and adopting a professional and flexible approach to operations; ex-Ghurkas have all of these qualities in bundles!”
Octavian Security is employing the ex-servicemen, who are aged between 30 and 40, with the help of an agency dedicated to ensuring employment opportunities for the ex-Ghurka servicemen when they retire from the service. The men will arrive in the UK to accommodation provided by Octavian Property Services, another company in the Octavian Group. Ex-Ghurka servicemen have the right to work indefinitely in the UK via a recently awarded special rights visa. Octavian points to clients including Boots, Sainsbury’s, the BBC, ITV Granada, The Open and Masters Golf Tournaments, Ascot, The Royal Opera House and Nottingham City Council.
