On your guard

TECHNICAL SUPPORT
A range of new technology has been introduced over the past few months, including thermal imaging, density control, face mask detection and skin temperature monitoring, many of which employ Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to help reduce the human factor. However, Davies believes that while, “smart technology has its place, it can also frustrate and in certain circumstances there is no better experience than a security officer being on hand to assist.”

Read feels similarly that security solutions are best-served with a mix of officers and technology. He says: “During the lockdown, we were able to protect a lot of vacant buildings with technology, meaning that officers could be on-site where they were needed most. As employees have returned to work we have seen how technology has adapted to provide more specific alerts related to new situations.”

People counting technology helps limit the number of people within a building, from monitoring social distancing across a large estate or by simply restricting the number of people in a meeting room, alerts can raise the alarm and immediate remedial action can be taken. Says Davies: “Information from CCTV, analytic alerts and building sensors are vital tools that help our teams protect customers buildings and the people within. The security officer’s role here is to act on the information received and take that agreed action.”

MULTI SKILLED SECURITY
While combining front of house/cleaning duties with a security specific role may in theory be a practical way of helping to combat COVID, Mundell of Axis Security doesn’t believe a more effective security team can be achieved by “taking on responsibilities that ultimately detract from the provision of security.”

He does agree though that security officers are in an ideal position to add a greater level of security when they work with front of house or reception teams and they can also support cleaning operatives. He says: “This is why on some contracts our officers will carry disinfecting wipes with them when they go on patrol to wipe down touchpoints. This new addition to their duties does not replace the cleaning regimes, instead it adds an additional layer that crucially allows touchpoints to be cleaned more frequently and also provides a visible reassurance that environments are being kept safer.

“What we do also see, from our work with Acuity (our front of house business) and also with our sister business Axis Cleaning and Support Services, is that there can be benefits to combining the management of these different teams – allowing for one site manager who oversees multiple functions. It brings a level of simplicity for our customers and greater harmony and collaboration between the onsite teams.”

Bullock of Corps Security says that the role of security and front-of-house have merged in recent years and the front-of-house customer service role has complemented the role of the security officer, so, in this respect, it is a positive, multi-skilled collaboration.

But he cautions: “Combining cleaning with security is completely different and not something that would be effective. These roles demand entirely different skills and would see critical skills that are essential as part of each role being diluted.

“Security officers will not have the desired hygiene expertise that a cleaner does and a cleaner couldn’t manage secure practices and possible conflicts in a way that a security officer could. If these roles were merged, we’d see neither role being carried out to its full potential and this could be severely detrimental, with significant implications.”

VALUED PROFESSION
In June of this year the BSIA was involved in an awareness campaign designed to reset public perception of the security profession as a valued profession. Since COVID hit, security officers have become more visible to the wider public, first through their work in retail and now increasingly in workplaces, and says Read of Amulet: “I believe this has led to an increased awareness and perhaps a gradual change in perception, but still not to the level that officers deserve.”

Mike Bullock points out that a campaign to raise awareness and change the public perception of security is great for the mid to long term but it is not looking at the welfare of security officers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Corps Security produced a report with Perpetuity in May which examined ONS data that revealed that security officers had one of the highest COVID-19 death rates of any occupation at 45.7 deaths per 100,000 male officers (sadly this is now 74 deaths per 100,000).

“It would be far more beneficial,” he says “to look at what they could do now to help ensure officers are protected. Officers are at risk now, so the immediacy is now. Defining security officers as ‘critical workers’ during the pandemic needs to be reflected in remuneration. The pay for security officers has remained extremely low in some sectors, especially considering the level of expertise that is delivered. Across the industry some officers are paid less than the hourly rate for working in McDonalds. This is absolutely outrageous when you consider the skill and risks involved. Paying security officers at least the Living Wage has got to be the priority and something the BSIA I’m sure will be championing.”

Davies adds there are some prime examples of the versatility of security officers. “NHS testing centres, working with local authorities in support of the police and enforcement officers in crowded places monitoring and advising people about social distancing, and managing COVID-19 access controls for retail outlets, all significantly raising the profile, capabilities and professionalism of the security industry.”

Mundell agrees that this recognition largely remains amongst key stakeholders who are able to see the sacrifice that security officers, like all other key workers, continue to make. He reports that a “new collaboration between customer and supplier emerged with our clients asking for our advice; wanting to learn from measures we have implemented; and having a greater willingness to share best practice and ideas from other buildings or property managers with similar concerns.”

But while the perception of the security profession should and deserves to change, he wonders whether this positive impact be long lasting?

“Only time will tell. Unfortunately, the continual search for ‘value for money’ and subsequent erosion on margins has become the mainstay of security services procurement. I fear it will take more than an awareness campaign or a pandemic for the perception of the security profession to align with the very important and professional service it provides.”