The guarding firm First Response Group (FRG) has acquired Wembley-based ISC. FRG, an ACS Pacesetters company, points to its strategy of diversification, and expanding into stadia, arena and the leisure crowd-safety sectors. ISC was founded in 2003 by Pat Carr and employs more than 800 security officers, all of whom will be brought under the FRG brand. ISC’s 500 events worked on include two UEFA Champions League finals and for bands such as Take That and Coldplay at Wembley Stadium. The company provided tunnel and back-stage security there when Indian prime minister Narendra Modi joined 60,000 spectators.
FRG chief Simon Alderson is pictured left with ISC director Nabeela Bhutta and FRG’s Stadia and Events Director Alex Philiotis.
Simon said: “For the past 20 years, ISC has enjoyed a great reputation within the industry for developing its people and embodies the exacting standards we ourselves set as a group, so it was a perfect match for us. As we extend our national reach and our range of security offerings, it’s important for us to identify trusted companies like ISC who have the resources and agility we need to meet our customers’ most demanding requirements. For this reason, it made perfect sense to bring ISC into the FRG fold once the opportunity arose. As an accredited, nationwide stadium security company we have responsive and adaptable resources to provide for the most complex of events. Bringing in the skills, and experience of ISC will allow us to provide even greater flexibility and peace of mind for our customers.”
And Nabeela Bhutta said: “We have long admired FRG, and the way in which it operates as a business. As a National Security Inspectorate (NSI) Guarding Gold certified company, raising standards within our industry has been of great importance to us. It has been vital that we develop our most valuable resources, our people, and in doing so, enable them to help shape the delivery of our services, rather than just supplying off-the-shelf solutions.
“We knew that FRG holds to the same principles, and we are very much looking forward to being part of an expanding national group, and excited for the benefits this will bring.”
About the firm
FRG, which is a finalist in this year’s British Business Excellence Awards in the Growth Business of the Year category, employs more than 2000 and is forecasting revenue above £75m this year. The group also received a Living Wage Foundation Recognised Service Provider Champion Award. Visit www.firstresponsegroup.com.
