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It’s frustrating when my potential clients don’t understand that when they hire self-employed guards, they put their business, their staff and the security guard themselves at great risk. Remember that all it takes to be a security guard is to pass training and receive a certificate. After that, any agency can scoop them up, advertise they have security officers available and then sell their services to you. You might think you’re getting a great deal as self-employed guards are usually […]

Selecting a security company in London should go far beyond looking at how much it costs. But all too often overall price dominates the services that people opt for. The security industry is riddled with ‘cowboy’ firms and rogue operators. These companies take business away from legitimate businesses by undercutting costs yet they provide clients with sub-standard services. Too many times I have witnessed customers realise they have made a costly mistake by working with these companies. Customers choosing a […]

The recent riots around UK didn’t come without warning or prediction. In a survey of our customers, contacts and prospects, 53% cited theft as the greatest security threat to their business. In most cases fear of property theft was higher than the fear of Intellectual Property (IP) theft, which was only mentioned by 2% of respondents. Anti-social behaviour was rated as the second biggest threat to businesses. Businesses surveyed included retailers, local authorities, recreational facilities and commercial buildings – the […]

Security guards  are some of the most important people in society. They are responsible and selfless. They guard our people, property, and assets and put themselves in a harms way to ensure that we are safe as we go about doing our daily tasks. But what makes a great security guard? To be a great security guard involves having a strong commitment to care for people and society at large. Though security is often associated with being tough, dealing with […]

As a company dealing with security, our people serve on the front line of society under exceptional circumstances. Every year we have stories of our staff showing great presence of mind and courage while on duty. We take extreme pride in our people and organise award ceremonies to thank and recognise them for their various achievements. Recently, we organised our first award ceremony to recognise individual achievement, extraordinary acts of heroism while on duty and meritorious service. This year’s awards […]

There has been a lot of debate about how the Protection of Freedom bill will work. My particular concern is in regard to the CCTV usage. Reports over the years have suggested that Britain is probably one of the most watched nations on earth, making it, what many call a ‘surveillance society.’ There are up to 4.2 million CCTV local cameras operating in Britain – about one for every 14 people. The average Briton finds himself captured on CCTV footage roughly […]

The Security Industry Authority has continued to play an important role for regulating the private security industry as per the Private Security Industry Act 2001. As an independent body they have been instrumental in reducing criminality, raise standards and recognise quality service across the United Kingdom but they quite simply have not achieved enough. Why was such a body set up in the first place, with two such differing tasks: to ensure compulsory licensing of individuals undertaking designated activities within […]

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 […]

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 […]