If you are looking for different ways to keep your business safe and secure this year, you should consider hiring a mobile security patrol. Mobile security patrols are becoming an increasingly popular and effective way of securing business premises by offering the advantages of having a physical and responsive presence, unlike that of a security camera or alarm.
When hiring a mobile security patrol for your business, choose a security services company that equips their mobile patrols with the latest security software technology for real-time situational awareness. Patrols can scan checkpoints and submit incident reports with pictures and video directly from their mobile devices, while in the back office, security managers can create and assign post orders, dispatch patrol officers to your premises, and track their movements via GPS, providing you with accountability and reliability.
An alternative to static security guards, mobile security patrols are not only an economical solution, but a strong visual deterrent for guarding your premises against criminal activity like vandalism, theft or other criminal activities.
Mobile patrol units visit your premises and carry out whatever tasks you assign to them through post orders. This might be a drive-by observation patrol or involve patrol officers getting out of their vehicles and performing a tour of an entire building and all doors and windows on foot, to ensure the premises are secure. Patrol visits are also conducted at random intervals to prevent anyone from detecting a specific patrol pattern or routine.
Whether you choose your mobile patrols to be done via vehicle or on foot, here are the top eight benefits that your organisation can recognise by adopting mobile security patrols.
Top Eight Benefits
1. Visibly Deter Crime
Patrolling officers in uniforms or in marked cars can be recognised from a distance. This helps people visually recognise and understand that there is security present and acts as a warning to anyone considering committing a crime. The hands-on approach of having someone who is dedicated to the safety and security of an area can be considered a disincentive for criminal activity.
2. Surveillance of Multiple Locations
Patrol officers can patrol on foot, by bike, or by car, which means that they can monitor multiple areas during a shift. Through consistent rotations, they can keep an eye on several areas and help ensure that the premises are secure. Whether on foot or in a car, patrol officers can cover ground quickly, get to an emergency in plenty of time to avoid any alarm violations, and potentially catch criminals in the act.
3. Perform a Range of Security Checks
Patrol officers can carry out a wide range of security checks. Not only can they monitor and respond to alarms, security officers can carry out exterior patrols in places which may not be visible by cameras. They can also ensure that everything is locked up and secured by properly inspecting doors and windows. Mobile security patrols can be contracted to perform any number of patrols, or property checks, day or night. Many security companies also offer on-demand services, emergency dispatch patrols, and are available 24 hours a day.
4. Key Holding and Alarm Response Services
If an alarm goes off on your premises, as a property keyholder, you must be able to get to your premises within 20 minutes to resolve any alarm issues. Failing to do so on more than three occasions may result in the police ignoring future alarms and your alarm will be regarded as a nuisance.
Mobile security patrols can also provide professional key holding and alarm response services in accordance with BS7984 to secure your business ensuring the safety of your business and your employees. In the event of an alarm, a mobile security patrol can go to your property in your absence and take the steps necessary to re-secure the premises in the event of a break-in or criminal damage. Patrol officers can also liaise with local law enforcement to provide you with a report for your insurance company and keep you up-to-date as events unfold. Patrol officers can also arrange for any door repairs and fixes in the case of a break-in.
5. Mitigate Future Threats with Security Patrol Software
While mobile patrols can rapidly respond to unlawful activity at your premises, it isn’t enough to merely respond to security threats and other incidents as they come up. In the end, the goal should be to implement strategies that mitigate threats and prevent future incidents altogether. Consider equipping your mobile patrol officers with security patrol software. By implementing the latest technologies to analyse trends and gain new insights, your business is in a far better position to prepare for the future.
6. Drive Actionable Insight with Data
By using a security patrol software platform to collect and analyse data on past incidents, it becomes much easier to plan for the future. The areas that have seen the highest number of incidents should naturally have their security needs addressed first. A closer look at the types of incidents that have affected the premises should have a direct impact on threat mitigation planning. For example, if data from the incident response platform indicates that a door is frequently left unlocked, it becomes much easier to find connections between other reported incidents like theft and vandalism. In other situations, data insights might reveal a need for an increased security presence or even the installation of a security fence around the premises. Using data enables everyone involved in the decision-making process to understand which factors have truly contributed to past security problems. These actionable insights allow for the creation of a security strategy that will actually work.
7. Cost Effective Option
If a permanent security guard is beyond your budget, you may find mobile patrol services to be much more cost-effective. With mobile security patrols, you can choose the scope of the officers’ work and can pay for only the services that you use. Having a mobile security officer watch over different parts of your premises also helps reduce your losses and liabilities from break-ins, vandalism, and other damage. The money saved from not having to pay for building repairs or a lawsuit is another way mobile patrol units can help you reduce costs.
8. Peace of Mind
Mobile security patrols are a good choice for business owners who own several companies or buildings, or larger premises, as patrols can cover a wider area faster and more efficiently than traditional static security guards. Patrol officers offer around-the-clock protection in a designated area to ensure that the premises are safe and secure. They also offer peace of mind to employees especially for businesses that operate a 24 hour, 7 days a week shift. Patrols ensure employees that they are working in a safe and secure environment.
There are too many benefits that can be recognised by hiring a mobile security patrol to protect your business premises to list. The days of pen and paper are over though, so make sure your security services company is taking advantage of the latest security software technology to help mobile patrols identify suspicious behaviour and address it in real time, protecting your property and premises from vandals, thieves, and other potential risks.
