Last summer Advance Security was awarded the contract to provide security provision for the Imperial War Museum North (IWMN). Nine months on, the guarding firm reports.
In an average year IWMN receives over 200,000 visitors to its five acre site, which encompasses three galleries and many other public spaces. The logistics of running a site of this size are complicated and time consuming, with security in particular requiring careful consideration.
Harry Robinson, regional operations manager for Advance Security, explains the requirements: “When taking on the security duties for a space open to the public, there are various requirements that would not necessarily need consideration in a defence or logistics contract. The key is to provide a comprehensive security presence whilst not hindering the visitor experience. This does not mean, however, that security provision can be any less comprehensive.”
CCTV
Some 36 cameras are strategically placed throughout the museum, and are monitored via an in-house control room by a minimum of two specifically trained security officers. This allows one of the officers to be released to open areas and to escort visitors as required. Of the 36, seven have pan, tilt and zoom capabilities, which are detailed to survey the external areas of the museum. Harry Robinson explains the importance of the control room: “The control room provides our eyes and ears. From there we can see exactly what is going on throughout the museum and can react accordingly to any security breaches. The cameras monitor the entire museum, including the exterior, so it is vital to have competent and accredited staff manning the control room. In the unlikely event of a fire or, even worse, a terrorist attack, we need to allow the public into specific areas, whilst also restricting access to whatever might be causing the security threat. To be able to do this at a touch of a button is imperative. If necessary we are also able to directly contact the police, fire or ambulance service from the control room.”
Duty and visibility
Along with its control room duties Advance also provides manned guarding. Harry describes the day-to-day duties of the on duty security officer: “The visibility of guards patrolling the museum is effective in itself as our presence discourages people from committing vandalism, violence or any other type of anti-social behaviour. However, our guards’ role is much more complex than patrolling alone. We carry out thorough routine internal and external patrols, whilst being directly linked to our control room operators, so that we can react quickly to any situation, with any vital information from the control room operators quickly at hand. We also man the switchboard whilst the museum is shut, book in visitors and provide entry and exit security for contractors, staff and deliveries.”
Customer care is priority for the security team at IWMN. To ensure the best possible customer service, a course has been designed to give them a better understanding of customer care practices within the workplace. The course is split into identifying the customer, understanding moods and attitudes, exceeding our customers’ expectations, identifying ‘poor’ customer service and learning how to handle complaints successfully. It builds upon the existing skill set of each individual officer and ensures that a confident, efficient and courteous image is presented to all visitors.
Officers are also responsible for operating at regular functions, including conferences and seminars. IWMN plays host to a number of events throughout the year and the security for each event is treated in isolation, allowing the normal security routine, such as CCTV control room and normal patrols, to be unaffected. This frees the event team to focus solely on the manning of the function. CCTV provides an added dimension to event staffing without compromising the security of the museum. Events recently include a student end-of-year ball, a corporate bank’s annual dinner, and Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson’s retirement party with a select list of visiting dignitaries. Numbers can exceed 350 for each individual function.
What they say
Helen Robbins at IWMN says: “Advance Security provides us with a comprehensive service. On the rare occasion when there has been a security breach, they have reacted quickly and professionally. The link between the manned guarding team and the control room operators is very efficient and the management team at IWMN feels confident that the security of the museum is in good hands.”
