Planning To Hire Private Security Company? Know What Businesses Need To Consider

By Author: Kevin Jackson
Total Articles: 6
Comment this article

Security is one of the top most priorities for every business. While some businesses try to do it on their own by training employees, others prefer to take help from security companies that can provide the required manpower and security.

Taking help from a security company not only helps businesses save a lot of time, but also helps them cut down costs. There are multiple factors every business needs to know and consider before hiring a private security company. Listed below are some key things.

Experience of the company and its management
Needless to say, this is the first thing that you need to consider when hiring a private security company. One of the factors that determines the stability of the company is its experience – since how long it has been in the industry providing security services. Further, check the experience and expertise of the management team.

Reputation in the industry and community
To ensure that the company is trustworthy and dependable, you need to examine the reputation of the company. Client references help you get an insight on how reliable the company ...
... is and how their performance was. You can also check the relationship of the company with the local law enforcement agencies.

Services offered
Check the list of services the company offers. It's always better to consider a company that offers more than just security services. Look for services like executive protection, after-hour patrols, special function guards, armed security, etc., because you never know what your business needs.

Hiring practices
Checking the hiring practices of the company helps you know the quality of security personnel the company is supplying. Some companies are particular about hiring people only from the relevant work experience like law enforcement or military. Some do a thorough background check. So, being aware of the company's recruitment practices is one of the important things to consider.

Official/professional law enforcement
Compared to regular security professionals, people from law enforcement background provide better security services. They already have rigorous training, real time field experience and exposure which makes them knowledgeable compared to regular officers. Real police officers know how criminals work, anticipate their moves, thus prevent crime.

Quality of training
Take a look at the kind of training offered by the company to its employees. Frequency of training, intensity and expertise of the trainers helps you identify the quality of training. The higher the quality of training, the better services.

Professionalism of the security personnel
Professionalism is not just about the way they look and behave, it is about how well they perform their duties. Professional companies always put high expectations and standards for their employees. Talk to some of the employees and the management to know more about their values and beliefs.

Proposal addressing your security needs
Take a look at the proposal submitted by the security company. See whether it addresses your specific needs or not. Some of the important points to consider in a proposal are

• Kind of security: Armed or unarmed, limited or extensive, uniformed or plainclothes - different security services are appropriate for different situations. Therefore, make sure that the company offers various options so that you can choose based on your requirement.

• Description of supervision: You need to know the nature of supervision provided by the company. How they monitor, report, and take actions, etc., are the things you need to be aware of to understand the role and responsibility of the security personnel.

• Reporting and documenting: How well they report their work defines how professional the company is. Many companies enforce strict management controls in terms of work reporting and documentation. Find out the type of reports used like daily activity log, incident reports, daily time sheets, crime reports, etc.

• Handling emergencies: The proposal should also describe how the security officials will respond and function under emergencies. Look at their approach to a wide variety of situations.

• Equipment they carry: The necessary equipment the security professionals carry will also be included in the proposal. Cell phone, hand cuffs, pepper sprays, etc., are some of them.

Customer service
Check the measures taken by the company to handle customer complaints and concerns. Many reputed companies support their security services with 24X7 help centers. Check for those who have realistic approach to address your issue.

A fair contract and competitive price
Finally go through the contract. See whether the contract is clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of the security officer and the same are meeting your needs. Also check whether the company indemnifies you for all the security-related liability for which they are responsible. Check the flexibility of contract termination policy. Also see if it is possible to change the security officer. Make sure that the price charged is competitive by getting quotes from two or three security companies.

LawMan Security & Consulting is the Tri-State area’s real professional security company staffed exclusively by active-duty law enforcement officers. Self defense classes in Indiana from LawMan Security & Consulting are professionally instructed personal instruction classes. To learn more, visit http://www.realpolicerealprotection.com.