Nothing – but nothing – lowers the reputation of a contract manned security company more in the eyes of the public than its overall performance in the silent hours of the night. In the concluding article to the current series, we review the limitations of night cover, the rather timid efforts made by the industry to meet the requirement of providing effective security when the commercial world's asleep and what can be done to alleviate the situation.
How often have we sat watching in mock horror at the portrayal of security officers in David Jason's excellent series 'A Touch of Frost' and complained that the old, unfit and scruffy night watchman is yet another attempt to place the security industry in an unfavourable light? Think about it, though. Is reality so far behind?

As a result of the night audits we've conducted during the past five years or so, we have no doubt that there are literally thousands – yes, as many as that – of security officers working at least six nights a week. A minimum of 72 hours. How can this industry possibly achieve credibility for itself when it singularly fails to tackle this most basic of problems?

At The Watchdog, we'd also ask the question: "Why do Inspectorates seemingly avoid making inspections at a time when the industry is at its most vulnerable (ie at night)?" Is it merely down to administrative inconvenience, or an innate fear of what might be unearthed?

Either way, this is an issue that must be addressed with the utmost urgency. Indeed, the Security Industry Authority should make it a top priority when remodelling the industry's inspection regime over the next few years.

A sea change in attitude
Notwithstanding that, there needs to be a complete sea change in our attitude to employing security officers at night. At present, and largely because they come and go unseen, there's a tendency to allow the less presentable members of the contract company to carry out nightshift duties. Invariably, these individuals are also paid marginally less than their daytime compatriots – and the management support to them is, at best, skeletally thin.

Surely the reverse should be the case? At night and at weekends, when the rest of the world has gone home, the security officer is almost single-handedly responsible – as a first 'line of defence' – for literally billions of pounds worth of client assets. Realistically, we should be selecting the very best officers for night duty, and rewarding them accordingly.

How many contracts have been won or lost because of the limitations of night-time operational teams? Unquestionably the majority, and yet contractors still continue to pay lip service to the need.

The night operations team has an almost impossible task. It's there to provide management support to the night shift , but almost within the first hour of the duty has been swept aside into a series of crises. The mobile supervisory team has invariably been swallowed up on unmanned assignments as temporary cover, while the night duty manager struggles with the roster.

In addition, meaningful night visits to staff – such a vital part of the procedure – fall by the wayside and, whenever they do happen, turn into a race to see how many assignments might be visited in the time available. If a signature (particularly in red ink) appears in the Daily Log then it may just convince the client that regular and meaningful visits are taking place. Rest assured you are living on borrowed time.

Night officers need support
The tragedy is that the night security officer really does need support. They have genuine administrative problems involving uniforms, pay and holiday entitlement, etc to deal with, not to mention their own personal problems, so they really do need someone to turn to.

If the contractor ignores them, then ultimately they will leave and, if they do, my guess is that the company may not be too long in following them off site.

With proper planning and leadership, this gloomy scenario can be very different indeed. John Wright, managing director of contractor Trident Safeguards, regularly pays random night visits to all of his officers. The knock-on effect of this is obvious. The other members of Trident's management team follow John's example. They'd be foolish not to! The night officers then feel that a genuine interest is being shown in their needs, and the company's clients will – quite rightly – be impressed.

At night and at weekends, when the rest of the world has gone home, the security officer is almost single-handedly responsible – as a first ‘line of defence’ – for literally billions of pounds’ worth of client assets. Realistically, we should be selecting

Even with this degree of support, there'll be cases when certain individuals will still up and leave the company. You cannot avoid those 'Phantoms of the Night', but you can significantly reduce the numbers.

Here at The Watchdog, we're in the throes of setting up a Control Centre to support smaller contractors. Further to that, we're also introducing 'NightWatch' to help cover the needs of those officers out on duty at night and over the weekend.

Taking solutions to site
Dedicated controllers will discuss officers' administrative problems with them over the telephone, complete a proforma and then e-mail this to the operational hq of the company's support management.

When the night manager or mobile inspector visits the site, they then take with them the solutions rather than trying to identify the problem. The overall effect on officer morale – and, dare one say it, staff turnover and client retention – should be quite dramatic.

It's vital – particularly in the absence of any compliance with the terms of the Working Time Directive – to elevate the selection and management of night-time officer teams to a much higher level.

The guarding companies which genuinely concentrate on a much-needed raising of standards in this area could well be richly rewarded for their efforts.

  • Beginning in the March edition of Security Management Today, Terry O'Neil embarks on a new series of monthly interviews with managing directors of manned guarding contractors, eliciting their views on the current and likely future state of the private security sector.

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    Postscript

    Terry O'Neil is managing director of The Security Watchdog