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Five Straightforward Measures to Stabilising A Security Guards Services in Cape Town


When shopping center managers hire security guard companies they've got a picture in mind of what their contract security force will look like, but too often what they get is not what they pictured. What we've found is that most security guard companies can handle providing the service that property managers want, but too often usually do not because of a deficiency of ongoing quality control procedures.

Security guard companies are unlike any business that a shopping center manager usually hires. As soon as you hire a painter, you can still see whether they are doing their jobs by looking at the walls. But when you hire a security guard company, how often can you observe whether the guard company is doing their job which incorporates running background checks and drug screenings, providing good training for your guards, and effectively monitoring and supervising your guards. In most instances they probably are, but it is important to implement a system of verification and quality control to ensure that problems linked with the shortage of performing these jobs don't begin to occur.

In this post we will discuss five (5) easy steps to improving your security guard service and achieving what you picture as your ideal security guard force.

Screen Your Guards Qualifications

In many countries, guards are mandated to have a specified amount of coaching before they can begin working as security guards. In case your state is one of those states, be sure that your security guard company is compliant.

If you are within a state where there are actually no state requirements for guard certification, then investigate the sort of coaching that is certainly being provided by your security company and ask yourself does it seem adequate.

Additionally, is your security guard company performing background and drug screenings on your guards BEFORE they send them to your shopping center? If they are, they ought to be providing you with verifications. If not, why?

Another excellent approach to screen whether the guard is an effective fit for your property would be to conduct a short "interview" to get a feel for this guard and to clarify your expectations. This initial conversation can tell you plenty about what to anticipate from that guard but it creates a chance to request a new guard if you are feeling that it's necessary.

Examine Guard Schooling

Even though most security guard companies have a very thorough orientation that introduces each guard to the company itself, in several cases the guard's orientation to his assigned real estate is absolutely not as complete. We call the orientation for the assigned real estate "Site Specific Training".

Understand what your site specific training sounds like:

• Does it occur at your business?
• Who does the training?
• How long is each new officer trained?
• How long does the security company double bank? (Double banking is the process of having a veteran guard working similtaneously the new guard.)
• How thoroughly are your post orders explained?

Determine the answer to every these questions and be sure that they fit with what you are feeling is adequate. I suggest you even consider sitting in in yoursecurity guard company's orientation plus yoursite specific training to obtain an understanding of what goes into preparing a guard to work on your property.

Review Your Guard's Management

Guard supervision is without doubt one of the most important factors of good security guard service. When security companies provide poor supervision, there is not enough emphasis placed on stopping errors, problems, and complaints. Lack of supervision also removes the chance for your guard to understand and better understand their duties. If the guards aren't being supervised, they start to feel that their work seriously isn't important and they start to view themselves as less of part of the safety team. When guards tend not to feel like part of the team it typically causes unacceptable practices like unprofessional behavior, tardiness, as well as theft.

Dependant upon the structure of the contract, on-site supervisors may not be included. But if your contract does not require on-site supervision, how does your security guard company remotely supervise its guards? Outside of the traditional security company field supervisor spot checks, bothmethods of remote supervision that prove most successful are:

1. Officer Tour Tracking Systems
2. Officer Check-Ins

If your guards are required to walk rounds of the shopping center, then a system for tracking them while on duty is essential. Officer Tour Tracking Systems provide a remote way of monitoring the guards while they really are in your real estate. These tracking systems allow the security guard company to watch the time and log the activity for this guards while they are making rounds to various areas on your shopping center. Most Officer Tour Tracking Systems can generate reports that enable the security guard company to quickly get an understanding of whether the guard is making rounds. The property manager must also be supplied with an abridged version of these reports. Manufacturers of such systems include Deggy and Timekeeping Systems, Inc.

Along with Officer Tour Tracking systems, we've found that developing a system for guards to check in regularly with the security guard company provides a method of ensuring that every guard is safe and alert. By having guards check-in regularly with the security guard company, at the least every half-hour, guards feel that their safety is essential understanding that being awake and alert is a crucial part of their job.

After hours inspections of the guards are always great ways of finding out what is going on with your security while you are not there. During these inspections, make sure that to ask your security guards questions about their duties and responsibilities to make sure that they understand their jobs. In actual fact, we propose having your security guards audited regularly, formally (i.e. post inspection) and informally (i.e. secret shopped) by a licensed security consultant as part of your ongoing security program.

Firms like Asymmetric Strategies provide a free service geared toward doing exactly that. Remember, when choosing a security consultant be sure that the consultant isn't actually a security guard company. If so, your audit is guaranteed topresent problems using your current security guard company.

Get together together with your Security Guard Company Regularly

The fifth and simplest step should be to regularly meet together with yoursecurity company. Without providing regular response to your security guard company, real estate managers are missing out on chances to accomplish incremental increases in proficiency. Topics along the lines of tenant response, guard attrition, comment from any remote supervisory systems, and any security audits is required to be discussed during these meetings about securitycompany cape town



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