CONTRACT SECURITY VS. IN-HOUSE SECURITY: WHICH IS BEST?

Security Guard

Security is a key area of investment for any successful venue. With a heavy focus on compliance and the onus of civil and criminal liability remaining with you, the venue owner, there are many considerations in choosing whether to go with contract security or in-house security.

Do you want greater level of control?

Which will most reduce your liability?

What is the ultimate cost in time, money and resources? Here we examine the benefits of both to determine the best fit for your organisational security management strategies.

Why contract security?

The benefits of contract security include:

  • Less time spent managing security issues
  • Provision of security equipment
  • Outsourcing of background checks, training and hiring of guards
  • Access to a broader range of licensed security staff
  • Experience in security-related legal issues

The most obvious reason to contract a security provider is to minimise time spent dealing with the minutiae of day-to-day security issues. Contract security will generally take care of background checks, training, and hiring of security staff, as well as sourcing equipment and uniforms, providing medical insurance benefits and more. This enables your management team to focus on your core business.
Additionally, in an ever-shrinking market of qualified and quality security staff, contract security offers diversity, flexibility and greater access to human resources, especially at peak trading times. The contractor should also deal with issues of employee relations and liability management.
As long as the due diligence is carried out in establishing the contractor’s expertise and experience as it relates to your industry, and their ability to integrate into your operations as a business partner, contract security can add tremendous value to your organisation.

Why in-house security?

  • Complete security control
  • Stronger focus on customers
  • Guard retention
  • Ability to integrate security into other areas of your business
  • Multi-skilling

Your security department should be closely integrated with administrative, operational, and human resources departments in order to provide the best experience for the customer. As a result, if you’re seeking complete management control, you may wish to keep security in-house. Doing so allows you to establish policies, procedures, and appropriate training for security staff that tie in strongly with venue objectives.

Another benefit of in-house security is the value adding opportunity to multi-skill your security staff. The integration of administrative, operational, electronic and physical security skills helps keep staff motivated and creative, eliminating complacency and performance issues and increasing staff retention. As an added bonus, in-house guards will eventually come to be recognised by staff/customer, who are comforted by familiar faces.

If you wish to keep security in-house, there is always the option of taking on security management consultants, who can provide the expertise required to implement correct security/OHS procedures and minimise legal risk while still allowing you full control over security management.

Resources:

Whichever option you take there are resources available to manage manpower requirements.

For example a public register of licence checks are available through the NSW Police – click here

Allied Risk offers Guard Services at a competitive pricing for venues – click here – Allied Risk Manpower Management

You can contact Sam by email  or phone us on (02) 9635 0477.

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