News

It was only a few years ago that ‘going green’ was seen as a rather twee idea that being environmentally friendly would somehow save the planet. Most big businesses didn’t see the link between being ‘green’ with economic growth and the maximisation of profitability. However, today being ‘green’ is about demonstrating corporate social responsibility and being part of the ‘solution’ rather than the ‘problem’. The security industry is one of the business sectors that is now having to face up […]

Security companies can market themselves in ways which are both cost effective and efficient. One of the key elements in adopting a marketing strategy is to identify your target audience. Interestingly and ideal for us as a sector – security services are ongoing and may not be subjected to market forces. There is however organisations and businesses that require security services but often resort to the services of non accredited security firms as they are cheaper. We need to highlight […]

As a security company our job involves dealing with society. We ensure the safety and security of individuals, businesses, property and events. Our job goes beyond undertaking surveillance and policing operations alone. One of the key aspects of our job is to work in collaboration with local communities promoting cultural cohesion. We rely on the members of the communities for information and support, and liaising with them is vital to our success. One of the best ways to win the […]

There’s not going to be much excitement among SMEs and private security companies as we step into 2011.  The challenges in particular for the security industry are going to be enormous:  austerity measures are beginning to bite, and many government organisations are cutting down on expenses more than ever before.  This is adversely affecting the security industry, particularly those that have contracts with national and local governments. In general, many businesses are cutting down on their security budget by 30% […]

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) says that it wants to use trained volunteers for providing security across the venues for the 2012 Olympic Games. According to LOCOG, by the time of 2012 Opening Ceremony, 100,000 people will be working on the Games including 3,000 staff, up to 70,000 volunteers and a large number of contractors. While it could be a good idea to use volunteers for the Games in general, questions can be raised […]

In two years time London will host the world’s largest sporting event, the Olympics. One of the challenges for its organisers will be to provide foolproof security for the games. The International Olympic Committee regards security as the “number one priority” for every organising committee, and we must ensure that we have the highest standard of safety procedures for the participants and the visitors alike. The organisers of the London Olympic Games have called on the citizens to volunteer for […]

As part of our recent survey across clients, retailers, public authorities and commercial facilities managers 85% of respondents cited Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as an important issue. They also said they would be more likely to choose a CSR and environment focused supplier of security services than a company which did not take such matters seriously. How times have changed! Magenta was the first manned guarding company to be ISO 14001 certified around ten years ago and since then has […]

Despite the rise of “one-stop-shop” facilities management and security providers during the last decade, Magenta’s recent survey highlights an overwhelming preference for specialists rather than multi-service providers. Magenta Security Services, Abbey Petkar: “The respondents to our survey, which included retailers, facilities managers, leisure facility managers and commercial property managers, clearly indicated their preference for single service providers and experts in security.” When asked whether they prefer to work with security professionals and additional single service suppliers such as caterers, cleaners etc or […]

In a recent survey 50% of respondents didn’t consider accreditation to be important when using the services of security specialist. Magenta, managing director, Abbey Petkar: “Accreditation demonstrates our ability and our trustworthiness – it is the benchmark of professionals and this statistic is surprising in the light of the overall survey results. The accreditation question was particularly revealing when compared to the fact that that 53% of respondents cited ‘fear of theft’ to be the prime security threat to their […]

Following our recent survey of business security issues I’m not at all surprised to see that theft tops the list of security risks, with a staggering 53%* claiming that it’s ‘the greatest security threat to my business’. Theft is devastating to any business and the people responsible for security live in constant fear of the threat of a physical attack to people and property. It’s not just the trauma of having premises broken into, and all the associated costs of repair, it’s also […]