Why Is Security Important?

Security continues to grow increasingly important in today’s environments. In an analysis conducted by Census 2021, crime in England and Wales in the year ending June 2023 has increased by 4% compared to the previous year – from 6.4 million to 6.7 million reported crimes.

With the crime rate continuing to rise, the need for businesses to put security measures in place to protect their property, assets and employees also increases. In today’s article, we’ll cover the burning question of “Why is security important?” and answer what measures you can put in place to safeguard your business.

Establishing your business in a secure environment is vital for its long-term health, especially if you’re working in a customer-facing industry. Without the correct security measures in place, you become a lot more vulnerable to internal and external threats.

By refusing to invest in safeguarding your company, not only are you putting your property and assets at risk, but also your employees – and customers if you have any. It is standard practice that a business is expected to have measures in place to ensure the protection and safety of their employees and customers whilst they are on the premises.

Alternatively, some other reasons why security is important include:

Prevent Security Risks & Threats

By hiring security guards to protect your business, you significantly reduce the likelihood of internal and external threats affecting operations. Even the act of just having uniformed officers on-site can mitigate the chances of a criminal setting their sights on your business, as the guards act as an effective visual deterrent, making most potential lawbreakers think twice about touching your property.

Act as an Immediate Emergency Response

Oftentimes, when criminal activity occurs on an unguarded site, it can take some time for someone to even notice, depending on the crime being committed. Then, even once the crime has been seen and reported, it can take authorities a while to turn up and take care of the situation. By employing a security guard on your site, you remove the time wasted waiting and provide yourself with instant emergency response times.

The guards that you hire will keep a constant vigilance over your site, and will be able to intercept and take control of a situation the moment they notice one occurring. As a bonus, they can then detain the perpetrator until the appropriate authorities turn up at the scene and take over from there.

Co-Ordinate Evacuations

If a health and safety risk occurs at your site, such as a fire or some other form of natural disaster or threat, security officers stationed on your site can immediately hop into action. They can aid in the evacuation of all personnel on-site, and any members of the general public there. Additionally, they can collaborate with the responding emergency services to help resolve the issues.

Help with Customer Service Roles

When there are no immediate threats in retail settings to tend to, security officers can double up as a customer service role. They can actively engage with customers who come into the storefront, asking if they are okay, or if they could use any assistance with anything.

Maintaining frequent engagement with shoppers around the store can help to reduce the likelihood of shoplifting or other retail-related incidents, such as violent and abusive crime or vandalism. This is because having a guard talk with someone who is considering committing criminal activity, or even just showing them that there are active personnel on site can help to make them think twice.

Customers are also more likely to report suspicious activity they’ve seen to security personnel that they trust and feel are more positive and actively listen to them. They may also end up requesting help with other matters, such as escorting to their car late at night, or aid with finding certain areas/items. Overall, this helps to positively improve the company’s reputation, acting as multiple benefits in one.

Allow You to Focus on Other Tasks

With professionally trained and SIA-licenced personnel handling all of your business’s security needs, you no longer have to worry about it. This provides you with a subconscious peace of mind and reduces a lot of the stress that would have accumulated on your shoulders. Now, with one less factor to worry about, you can pour your time and effort into other areas of the business that are deserving of dedication, improving them.

Now that we have covered the reasons why security is so vital for businesses, we can begin to delve into the different security measures that can be implemented to help safeguard your assets. There are a plethora of different security solutions that a business can choose from, which are often adaptable to the independent needs of that company, for example:

Security Guards

Perhaps the most obvious and adaptable of all the security solutions to be presented. Security guards are an incredible source of protection for your company, able to perform regular patrols of your sites and ensure that there is no criminal activity taking place. Additionally, as briefly covered above, they can be trained to monitor your property through surveillance systems, identify potential security risks and threats that your site could be vulnerable to, or respond to emergencies. They also provide a presence that acts as a visual deterrent, preventing a relatively large portion of crimes from occurring in the first place.

There are countless uses for security personnel within a business setting, making them by far one of the most professional and flexible solutions out there for your security needs.

CCTV

Another popular method of crime prevention and security is CCTV, or some form of surveillance system. Having a clearly visible surveillance system installed can make most felons think twice about choosing your company as their target. Its adaptability makes it a top contender when it comes to security solutions, being able to be installed both inside and outside of property buildings.

This tool can be utilised hand-in-hand with security guards to have active site monitoring. Alternatively, it can be a great standalone tool used to track the location and identity of suspects who may have committed a crime against your business. This helps to ensure the safety of on-site employees (and the public) should anything happen.

Access Control

Monitoring access points to permit who enters and who doesn’t can play a great part in the overall safety of your site. By verifying identities and controlling who gets in and out, you can have a firm handle on any potential threats that arise within your premises. Access control can be utilised to designate and control restricted areas, ensuring their 24/7 safety – especially for sensitive areas like server rooms or equipment storage. With this in place, you can be sure that only authorised personnel will be getting in and out of controlled areas, mitigating the risks of internal incidents.

Keyholding & Alarm Response

Whilst keyholding can take a lot of trust, given that you provide a dedicated team of security personnel with an extra set of keys to your property, it can be an absolute life-saver. In the event that alarms are set off on your site, a nearby team of professionals will be released to your premises to scope it out and ensure that everything is okay.

In most cases, you will be provided with a thorough incident report that details what happened to set off the alarms; with the situation that caused it dealt with. Once the issue has been resolved, and your site has been assured as clear, the security specialists will leave and all will go back to normal.

Keyholding and alarm response services act as fantastic insurance for when there is no one else present on site – like closing hours for retail stores, for example.

In conclusion, there are many contributing factors that make security crucial for businesses. From personnel safety to asset and property safety and emergency management. We’ve also been over what security measures you can put in place within your company to help improve its security and the different effects and areas that they can cover. The main takeaway is the peace of mind that it offers you in general, allowing you to focus on other areas of your business’s growth.

If you’re interested in keeping up to date on other security guard news, take a look at our blog. Alternatively, if you’re interested in discovering our security services and solutions that we offer nationwide, check our our service page for further information!