Security guards are the protectors or retail stores, airports, event venues and business premises across the world.
Everyone knows who they are and why they are there, but surprisingly few understand exactly what their job entails. There is a common misconception that their sole purpose is to watch out for suspicious activity and apprehend any criminals who target the site they are responsible for protecting.
This is undoubtably a big part of what they do, but is far from their only task. On a day-to-day basis, security guards are rarely faced with criminals but this doesn’t mean they are not important. They have a wide range of other responsibilities to perform and offer many different benefits to a business. Select security guards when chosen correctly, are an incredibly valuable asset to have and in this article we will examine why that is.
Here are the basic duties that are performed by the majority of security guards:
Existing
Wouldn’t it be nice to know that your sheer presence is a massive boost you’re your employer and a large part of what makes you so effective at doing what you do.
This is the case for security guards. The sight of a security guard is a major deterrent to intruders and has been found to result in a major drop in cases of criminality in the nearby area. It is for this reason that you will often see security guards placed in high traffic areas such as the entrance to a supermarket or in a hotel lobby.
If a thief or similar wrongdoer knows they are under watch, the risk of them causing issues drops significantly. Even when security officers do not appear to be doing anything other than standing and observing they are playing a critical role.
Overseeing evacuations
At the end of the day, all the planning in the world cannot guarantee that an emergency won’t occur. If it does, you need to be ready and a great evacuation plan is an absolute must. Should the need arise, security guards will oversee the execution of such a plan and help to get everyone out of the property as safely as possible.
Working with the police
Security professionals often work closely in collaboration with the police and other emergency services. This may be to help track down intruders or simply to ensure that an area is as protected against criminal activity as it possibly can be. One of the times that such collaboration is most apparent is during events such as football matches where stewards, security guards, and the local police will often collaborate together.
In the event of a fire on a business site, security guards will focus all their efforts on protecting those on site, keeping staff and visitors away from the area, overseeing the evacuation and then briefing the fire service once they get there. These collaboration efforts genuinely save lives across the UK every single day and are a huge part of the security guard job.