Author: Staff

Whether it be a commercial property or residential building, the number of vacant properties is growing. A property may be vacant for a variety of reasons for instance if it’s undergoing renovation the building may not be fit for habitation and can retain an element of danger if not managed properly. Without staff on site, each day the risk of damage to the building increases. The main steps to managing a vacant property would include contacting your insurance company to see what their requirements are and secondly assessing the building to establish what services you may require moving forward.

Managing a vacant property has its dangers and consideration should be given as to how you protect your asset. The main problems that are faced by property owners are…

Vandalism

One problem that property owners face when managing a vacant site includes unauthorised entries and the occupation of squatters. This often leads to vandalism and damage to the property and in return will be an added expense for the property owner. As well as vandalism the building is at risk of fly-tipping, which is the illegal dumping of waste.

Fire & Leaks

Without proper management of a vacant building, it’s highly likely that the lack of maintenance will cause damage to the building. Vacant buildings are prone to fire and floods as no one is around to spot the problems when they first arise; fire hazards and small leaks may not be spotted or resolved.

Injury

If a person is injured during your management or ownership of a building due to negligence on the site it may result in you being liable for the injuries. Being liable for another person’s injury may result in having to pay a fine or other penalty.

How can RISK Management Security Services help?

At RISK Management we conduct vacant property inspections either daily or weekly so that you don’t have to make your own regular visits to the building. Property owners will be alerted of any problems at an early stage to allow instant action to be taken. This ultimately saves time and money.
RISK Management will survey and review the environment to identify which areas of the site are vulnerable and consider if further action needs to be carried out based on the current state of the property. Regular health and safety checks will be made to highlight any hazardous areas that need to be solved. To dramatically reduce the risk of a building being targeted by criminals it is important to make sure it is maintained in a good condition so that there isn’t any initial damage to encourage further vandalism. The broken window theory suggests that if one window is broken it will invite more damage to the building. This also applies to graffiti, litter and other building damage. A review will be carried out to establish which services are needed. Keyholding is often one solution that helps to manage vacant buildings as it includes a 24-hour response from a local security company.

RISK Management’s routine inspections will help prevent potential injuries when re-visiting a vacant property after some time, help to fend off any vandalism or damage caused by squatters and help to keep the site secure. Following the inspection, we provide a full report that outlines what issues the property is facing. We can also put in place further preventative measures if required. Similarly, if there is a location in need of more frequent mobile patrols or security staff on site, this can be arranged through our experienced management team. To contact us today and make an enquiry click here.

At RISK Management Security Services we provide first-class security solutions for the public and private sectors throughout Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. With our highly trained and experienced team, at RISK Management we deliver high-quality services to our clients that embrace both trust and honesty.

All Security Officers are licensed in accordance with the Private Security Industry Act 2001 and we have held Approved Contractor Scheme accreditation with the SIA since March 2006. We were the first company to undergo the full four-day inspection and achieve the accreditation and the subsequent certificate of approval is to certify to our clients that our company delivers well managed and measured services through expert leadership and guidance. Maintaining this voluntary annual approval offers reliance to companies seeking our security services and maintains trust with our existing clients.

As a security organisation, we like to ensure that our employees are suitable and reliable for a role in our company. We make sure that all employees and contractors understand the goals and objectives of RISK Management Security Services. During each candidate’s application process we conduct a profile screening and vetting to warrant the approval for the right applicant or, decline anyone that has negative results during their background check. The vetting process may also include steps such as reference checks and a more thorough look into the candidate’s profile. This helps our organisation to choose the ideal person for a role but also ensures to each client and any future client that all employees have been chosen as they’re experienced and trustworthy.

As well as our SIA accreditation we have held our NSI (National Security Inspectorate) certificate since 2006 which is a quality management accreditation. We currently hold a Gold Certificate of Approval for the NSI Guarding scheme with respect to the provision of Mobile Patrol Services, Static Site Guarding Services and Keyholding and Response Services. These are all in accordance with the following British Standards: BS 7499:2013, BS 7984-2:2014 and BS 7858: 2012. As an organisation in the security sector, we are required to conform to the British Standards that are relevant to our service and ensure that all employees are aware of the role they play in upholding these. We believe that holding such accreditations proves that we consistently meet the highest standards, reinforcing the reliability of our company.

Another accreditation that we maintain is The SAFEcontractor certification. This scheme is designed to review and audit the health and safety policies, procedures and documentation to make sure that we are operating in line with basic health & Safety Requirements. We first achieved SafeContractor status in 2003 and have held it ever since.

Our SafeContractor Certificate Number is UU3312

We continue to maintain a structured and manageable growth and have developed a portfolio of high profile customers from a wide range of industries who benefit from our expertise within the security services market. We have also developed a large portfolio of customers within the residential market.

At RISK Management Security Services we are committed to providing each customer with the service they expect. We will do this by ensuring that all members of our team fully understand our goals and objectives and understand how we achieve these. We have been keeping UK businesses and properties safe for over 37 years and always ensure our staff are friendly, reliable, experienced and effective. If you would like to make an enquiry click here or to view our services you can click here.

Manned guarding is a 24-hour operation that often entails the act of protecting people from harm, guarding a building against unauthorised access and lowering the threat of theft or damage to a site. Some roles include a front of house, reception duty and require certain professionalism in order to engage with residents or employees of the building. Another role of a static guard is to carry out regular patrols around the building to help eliminate any risks to the premises.

At RISK Management Security Services we provide our customers with exceptional levels of management support and high quality, specially selected security teams. All of our staff are selected on a site-specific basis with each customer offered the opportunity to become involved in the recruitment process ensuring they’re 100% satisfied. Staff will also be recruited based on whether they reside locally to the site, it ensures they obtain a good knowledge of the area and can be more prompt.

Manned guarding is a complete operation that often requires working alongside the team in the control centre. The control room is the central hub for our security operations, this is where we handle calls from security officers or clients and where incidents are dealt with. The control room is manned by our employees 24-hours a day, this helps ensure a faster response with tasks such as responding to alarm centres alerting the status of any alarms that need to be deactivated.

Some features of our control room include:

• Up to date rostering software
• Live vehicle tracking software, for tracking our mobile patrol team
• 24-hour telephone call access for clients with any support issues

Although throughout the years, technology has advanced significantly to improve the security industry, manned guarding is still a necessary service to help raise security levels. On-site guards are often acknowledged as a visual deterrent for any potential criminals. Guards are able to use technology to their advantage to help improve their service. The control centre helps guards as it’s available 24-hours a day and they are able to seek assistance with any incidents.

The role of security officers covers multiple responsibilities, all of which help build the level of security for a company’s site. Some of the tasks and responsibilities are as follows…

Lock & Unlock

A lock and unlock service eliminates a job for the owners of the building as hiring an SIA approved manned guard will ensure the task is completed by following the correct procedures put in place. This is important because it’s often a requirement for insurance companies.

Building Patrols

A security officers main responsibility is to manage the security of a premises, this means they must be aware of what is going on at all times. Guards cover all areas of the building via routine patrols, its an important task for a guard in order to check everything is safe and secure to the standard that has been set.

Front of House

The Front of House responsibility for a guard allows them to restrict access to the site. They must also maintain reception duties which could include greeting employees, answering phone calls and ensuring all visitors are logged into a database.

Control Centre

At RISK Management our manned guards have 24-hour access & contact with the control centre. The control centre ensures the safety of our guards that work alone. This is because they are able to track the location of near-by mobile patrols and have access to buildings CCTV.

At RISK Management Security Services our security officers are dedicated and SIA approved. We take pride in the services that we offer including our manned guarding service. To make an enquiry click here.

There are two main types of security officer roles, static and mobile patrols. Static security guards, despite the title of their role, are not always stationary. ‘Static’ refers to the location in which they are guarding as it doesn’t change, as opposed to mobile security officers who are often guarding a larger area and covering multiple sites. A large priority for mobile patrols is key holding and alarm response, this prevents inconvenience for companies with single or multiple buildings as well as residential properties as they can trust RISK Management to respond out of hours and deal with any situation that may have occurred.

At RISK Management Security Services we offer job roles for both static and mobile security officers. A typical static security guard job role includes a customer facing service as it often requires meeting and greeting our client’s guests at the building that is being guarded such as a corporate head office or business park. Typical duties may include controlling access to the site, responding to alarms, incident handling and other general security-related tasks.

A mobile security job role with RISK Management often includes general security checks of multiple sites, performing lockdowns, key holding and emergency alarm response. This job role is perfect for an individual that is organised, professional and enjoys driving.

RISK Management’s recruitment process ensures that we find the right candidate for our team. The process includes the following:

Evaluate Candidates:

This step is important to evaluate the candidate’s application and CV to see if it is in line with the job specification and description we have given.

Telephone Pre-screening:

A telephone call is usually the next step of the process. It allows us to filter down some of the candidates and decide who is right for an interview.

Face to Face Interview:

This is the final step of the interview process to decide which candidate is best suited for the job role. The interview is always with a Risk Management representative.

Client Meeting:

Meeting with RISK Management clients in order to get to know their requirements and responsibilities for the role of a manned guard to their property.

Identification:

Once a candidate is chosen RISK Management must be able to identify them as a trustworthy employee via background checks and a follow up of references.

RISK Induction:

An induction into the company and the RISK Management team will be carried out for the new employee to ensure they know our ethos, values and our ways of working.

Health and Safety Inductions:

New employees will also be made aware of any health and safety precautions to ensure staff are safe on site.

Ongoing Mentoring:

Mentoring will be ongoing with anyone’s time working for RISK Management, performance monitoring by the management team will allow employees to continually grow and improve.

In order to be an ideal candidate for RISK Management, it is a requirement to have previous experience within the security industry. Experience is important to ensure the candidate is professional and capable. Maintaining a valid SIA licence is another requirement as we take pride in the fact that all of our contractors and employees are SIA approved. Written and verbal communication skills are a key factor especially when applying for the more front of house roles as a static security guard.

You can view a list of our current available vacancies and make any enquiries here. Or, to contact us about our services or any other enquiries click here.

What is a Combined Security Service?

A combined security solution is often provided through one organisation or system that can supply different security services catered to you. A bespoke package can offer a complete solution that includes a variety of services such as security guarding, keyholding, alarm response, patrol service and security systems. This system is often referred to as an Integrated Security Management System (ISMS) as it offers the management of all aspects of an organisation’s security.

Larger corporations may need higher security and therefore multiple solutions. This is why a bespoke service is tailored to help you find the correct combination of services that suit your operation.

What are the benefits of a combined security solution?

Investing in a combined security solution package will reduce the hassle and time of having to communicate with multiple contractors for different services. This means you will have one point of contact that will be able to answer any queries related to the security services provided to you. This includes the benefit of being able to instantly see what is going on within the facilities and areas of work in your business due to the centralised operation. So, the major benefit is that you can view and discuss all services and systems via one company that provides a combined security service.

Integrated security solutions are cost efficient as they offer a more proactive security strategy and over time reduce the business expenditures. The management of multiple security solutions through one system or business saves money and is effectively easier to handle as it helps to eliminate some of the costly manual processes. Many businesses have acknowledged that it can be more beneficial to use a combined security service due to the lower upfront cost and the increase in efficiency.

Time efficiency is also increased with the use of combined security services. Having one point of contact as stated before massively cuts down time spent on communicating with multiple different contractors or with multiple security systems on different platforms. Being able to have a bespoke combination of security services is time efficient as it offers a complete system that results in effective levels of security and thus reduced incidents. Dealing with security breaches and incidents is time-consuming and can also be costly.

How can RISK help?

At RISK Management we offer a combined security service that can be customised for your operation. Our complete security package combines many of our different services, some of which include the following:

• Keyholding
• Alarm response
• Dog Handling
• Security Guarding
• Mobile Patrol Service

RISK Management can tailor the security package to your specific needs and ensure the level of security provided is commensurate with your business/industry and caters for measures of contingency that are always essential when managing security. RISK will be your point of contact and will manage all of the security services that you choose, this will help save time as we will be available to help you with any security needs.

At RISK Management we can assure you will see the benefits of our bespoke packages as we have many years of industry experience and are an SIA approved contractor. We have many examples where we have implemented our combined security solutions package that has resulted in businesses and companies across the UK experiencing the benefits of year on year savings whilst maintaining effective levels of security. This has resulted in our Combined Security packages being a popular choice for big corporations and businesses that require an efficient and flexible service.

If you are looking for a security package that is combined with the services that YOUR organisation needs then contact RISK Management today. We can help you improve time efficiency, cost and reduce any hassle as we will manage your services in one centralised area and we will be your one point of contact.