We all know the scenario, writes Craig Swallow, Managing Director, Connexion2 Limited.
An alarm is activated at a business premises and the keyholder is called out, often late at night, to investigate and switch it off. However, whether the keyholder is an employee or owns the business, he or she never knows whether the alarm has been triggered by a malfunction of the equipment, an animal or a break-in.
Crime against business premises has almost doubled since 1989, with retail premises now facing a higher risk of burglary than homes. Police are growing increasing concerned about high levels of crime against business and retail premises with many being targeted over and over again.
Key and Key Management
Keys should be allocated to specific keyholders and regular checks should be made to ensure that none have been mislaid. It is advisable to use keys that are registered to a company or organisation that will demand detailed information before they produce duplicates. Nominated staff members need to be appointed as keyholders to attend out of hours, in the event of a fire, crime or other emergency. Many alarm and security companies provide a keyholding service. In addition, some will organise urgent repairs, boarding up, etc. on a company’s behalf. This is usually done in conjunction with an alarm company, to comply with police alarm response.
Responding To Alarm Call Outs
Key holders attending premises out of hours in response to alarm activations are at risk of violence, and need to be trained in the correct procedure. Key holders should not put themselves at risk by chasing a suspect into the street, particularly into deserted or unsafe areas. It is important to ensure that keyholders are not compromised or called to a building under a false pretence only to be threatened and forced to allow access to the building and switch off alarms.
It is essential that a keyholder’s movements are monitored so that they can summon help if needed. This is especially necessary in the case of security guards, caretakers and night watchman whose welfare is the responsibility of their employer.
Exposing employees to violence may place an employer in breach of section 2 of the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA). The HSWA obliges employers to take such steps as are "reasonably practicable" to ensure that the employee remains safe from ‘reasonably foreseeable dangers’, and breach of these regulations can result in an employee claiming for damages.
In the case of lone workers, all too often employers believe that giving their lone workers a mobile phone will help safeguard them. However, should a lone worker find themselves in a dangerous situation and attempt to use a mobile phone to summon help, they may find the aggressor becoming even more agitated which could exacerbate the situation and lead to aggression and even violence. Using a mobile phone in such a situation is often futile as it can be easily and quickly knocked to the ground.
Mobile phones neither protect nor provide a means of covertly notifying an employer when a lone worker such as a security guard, caretaker or night watchman is entering a potentially dangerous situation. With problems of violence against security personnel increasing year on year, the electronics industry has been under pressure to develop a means of both capturing evidence of abuse and safeguarding personnel from assault.
It is also important that owners of premises protect themselves from potential violence or other emergencies. As the main, or all too often, only keyholder, they need to ensure that their movements are monitored and support is at hand if they encounter problems when responding to an activated alarm.
About the product
Identicom looks like a normal ID holder, but is equipped with mobile phone technology. Identicom not only enables the keyholder to covertly raise an alarm if threatened, but also allows a third party to listen to what is happening, whatever the distance, and summon help in an emergency. The device can also support the pinpointing of a worker’s location using GSM/LBS technology.
The device includes a lanyard attachment that enables it to be worn around the neck as a standard ID and hides a ‘rip alarm’ function, which is triggered if the unit is forcibly removed from the wearer. Identicom is flexible enough to be configured in a number of ways, thereby allowing an employer to adopt the device without the need to significantly change or alter current working practices.
Continuous evaluation and development of best practice strategies and equipment are the most important elements in reducing risks for keyholders. Police crime prevention officers, local authorities and sector/industry bodies should all be able to provide advice.
