MartinDomm, Author at Winicur

No matter if you run a business, manage a property, or a running an event security is a major part of the planning process.

The easiest way to ensure that you take suitable action to protect all of those on your property is to hire the services of a professional security company. They will quickly analyse your site and inform you exactly what threats you are likely to face and what they would recommend that you do to prevent them causing major problems.

Most people think that they have a good idea of what a security company does and the services that they provide but there are actually plenty of myths about the industry that we come across regularly as one of the leaders in the UK market.

Today we intend to debunk some of the most common of these, giving you a better idea of exactly what to expect when you hire a professional security firm .

Common Security Company Myths

Keyholding is a pointless service

You would be amazed how many times we here someone say that keyholding services are a waste of time and money. Sure we can see where this idea comes from. Why pay a security firm to look after a set of keys and open and close the premises every day when you could get a trusted staff member to do it.

However, most people who have this mindset have never been the victim of a burglary or other emergency situation in the workplace. In the event that an alarm does go off on site, which would you rather? An untrained staff member putting themselves in danger to reset the alarm and check the site is secure when an intruder could still be on the premises, or a team of highly trained security officers who have all the skills required to deal with whatever situation they find once they arrive?

 The truth is that whilst you, or your staff, could be the one who attends burglar and fire alarm activations, it is not generally a good idea, and one incident that turns sour could have devastating consequences on your company and even put innocent lives under threat. Key holding security services are actually some of the most valuable services offered by any security firm.

CCTV is a government surveillance tool

One of the wilder security conspiracy theories, but also the one that has gained a tremendous amount of traction in recent years.

Many people believe that private CCTV systems can be accessed by the Government or other groups and used to spy on you and the general public. This is a complete myth. You have total control over your CCTV camera system and can access your footage as and when required. Of course, with any system connected to the internet, there is a threat of cyber attacks, but as long as you choose a CCTV system from a well respected security company, the risks are low.

The only other people who will be able to access your cameras are your security team, those who are granted access to your control room, and the security firm you are working with in the event of a monitored CCTV system being installed.

Security is only needed in areas with high crime rates

Wrong. Criminals travel far and wide in the search for properties ripe for exploitation and will often look in well-off areas where guards are down and security is limited.

It doesn’t matter if you live in the busiest of cities or the quietest of rural villages, if you are starting your own business there are certain security threats that you will need to guard against. Fair enough, these might change depending on where you are, anti-social behaviour may be more common in certain places, for example, but there is always a benefit to consulting with a professional security company.

Only your security team need to worry about security

A professional security firm will take control of your security needs, but it is important to make sure that your entire team is aware of certain key security protocols such as evacuation routes, where the fire alarms are located, and basic health and safety practices.