UK organisations are spending more money on manned and electronic security than ever before, and plan to further increase such expenditure over the next three years.
UK organisations are spending more money on manned and electronic security than ever before, and plan to further increase such expenditure over the next three years, to quash heightened threats of terrorist attack in the country, according to a survey. And they are in overwhelming support of regulation of the manned security sector, seeing it as a major step towards more highly skilled, better qualified security personnel who will play a key role in the fight against crime and terrorism.
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These were just two of the conclusions of a recent survey of UK security managers by Reliance Security Services which indicated the increasing significance that UK corporates and the public sector now attach to securing their employees, customers and property. It follows a Reliance survey of financial organisations earlier year which revealed that nearly 50pc of the financial community see disasters and terrorist attacks as ‘extremely important threats’ and have increased spending on CCTV (67pc of respondents), access control (52pc) and manned security (30) as a consequence.
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In line with this, the recent survey has revealed that more than 50pc of UK organisations generally have increased spending on manned services over the last year and that 68pc have increased expenditure on electronic security. Moreover, more than 70pc of respondents are planning to increase their take-up of electronic solutions such as CCTV and intruder detection over the next three years, while 50pc plan increased spending on access control, emphasising a growing movement to exploiting the latest security technologies. Manned services spending is also on the up (nearly 50pc), while mobile patrol services and remote surveillance are gaining in popularity with the proportion of security managers planning increased expenditure rising from 8pc to 10pc and from 11pc to 23pc respectively.
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What they say
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"Clearly, given the enhanced awareness of security matters in the light of recent world events, not to mention the general security concerns that most organisations continue to face such as theft, vandalism and illegal intrusion, it is only sensible for companies to continue boosting their defences by increasing their spending on security solutions," said Ken Allison, Chairman of Reliance Security Services. "At Reliance, we clearly believe that for most companies the future lies in deploying a combination of manned, mobile and electronic solutions, which are integrated to meet their own individual requirements. Only then can they achieve the watertight security they need ‘ by night and day ‘in an organised, effective and cost-efficient way."
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The survey, conducted in September and October 2003, also examined security managers’ perceptions of, and their planned reactions to, regulation of the manned security services sector, which will require all private company security personnel to be licensed by the Government. Feedback here indicated that any increase in the cost of manned services resulting from regulation will be absorbed, with 68pc of security managers saying they would not be prepared to switch their investment in security personnel to technology. The fact that manned security acts as an effective deterrent (25pc) and that security personnel provide additional services and manage employee and visitor contact (21pc) were cited as the main reasons for this.
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"There is general agreement that security technology cannot replace the human touch," said Mr Allison. "This is why organisations will always need to combine any element of electronic security they deploy with security personnel that can do the jobs the technology can’t. Such roles range from operating the security systems in question to ensuring a personalised, friendly and helpful service to visitors and employees – something which technology has yet to learn."
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Moreover, the survey revealed that nearly all (99pc) of security managers fully support regulation of the manned security sector with 80pc of those who actually manage in-house teams wanting to see their security personnel regulated under the Private Security Act (2001) in the same way. More than half of this sample also said they would start vetting their own people more thoroughly once regulation comes into effect (58pc) while nearly 20pc commented they would be tempted to consider outsourcing to take advantage of the benefits of regulation. Improved service (83pc), improved calibre of personnel in terms of education and training (76pc) and ensuring that security personnel do not have a criminal record (76pc) were cited as the main benefits, followed by unscrupulous security companies being put out of business.
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"What this survey clearly shows is support for the regulation of in-house teams," said Mr Allison. The acknowledged benefits of regulation are such that some corporate managers are prepared to switch from managing in-house security teams to outsourcing their requirements to security companies. What we are seeing here is a reaction to the fear that the tougher criteria imposed on those individuals seeking employment in private security companies may cause those with criminal records to specifically target in-house security jobs. Vetting your new security employees more thoroughly therefore represents a MUST for managers of in-house security personnel." The best solution is to regulate in-house security officers under the same legislation. In this way, we will not only ensure that we do not displace the rogue element associated with the security industry to in-house security, but that we avoid the creation of a two-tier security industry in which the security personnel employed are vetted and licensed to different standards."
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The recent survey was conducted across a broad range of sectors including financial services, retail, manufacturing, government and education amongst others. The security managers interviewed operated either in-house (35pc) or contracted (43pc) security operations or used a combination of the two (17pc); only 5pc of respondents contracted their security out to a facilities management company.
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One interesting point, revealed by the survey, is that the majority of organisations still rely on manned security (93pc). This was the most popular security solution in use, followed by access control (78pc) and electronic surveillance (73pc).
