6 Things to Look for in a Security Company

What Should UK Businesses Look For When Hiring a Commercial Security Company?

Selecting the right security provider directly affects how safely and efficiently your business operates. This guide is written for UK business owners, facilities managers and procurement teams seeking a security company that offers consistent performance, real expertise, and transparent agreements. From risk analysis to staff training, this article helps you compare security companies based on facts that matter.

1. Understanding Your Security Needs

Start with a Full Security Site Analysis

Before engaging a provider, complete a walkthrough with someone who understands the layout and operations of the premises. Record access vulnerabilities, alarm blind spots, and weak areas in perimeter coverage. This initial security site analysis should lead to a visual risk zone map and an outline of your site’s specific needs.

Identify and Classify Business Assets

Each commercial site houses different types of assets. These may include IT infrastructure, retail stock, staff areas, or client data. Knowing exactly what you need to protect helps shape asset protection plans and supports accurate threat evaluation.

Recognise Time-Based Threat Patterns

Analyse incident history to identify high-risk periods such as weekends, early mornings, or after-hours operations. These patterns often reveal gaps in keyholding setup or patrol schedules and allow better shift pattern planning.

Account for Site-Specific Challenges

Security needs vary based on property layout. For instance, a business with multiple entry points may need more visible security presence at reception and monitored access logs at delivery areas. Parking zones, shared loading areas and isolated storage units also introduce distinct risks that should be reflected in your threat landscape.

2. Proven Track Record and Client Trust

Check Their Business Reputation and Track Record

Ask for proof of their commercial client list, years of experience, and any recurring contracts. Look into client testimonials that describe how they manage live incidents, respond to client feedback and improve on-site operations. A performance logbook or service review document provides useful insight.

Look at Reviews and Ask for References

Independent reviews on Trustpilot or Google reveal consistency in service. Ask for local references, ideally from businesses that are similar in scope or size to yours. This gives you direct insight into service delivery and complaint resolution practices.

Ask About Client Retention and Complaint Handling

Find out their average customer retention rate and how long their longest clients have stayed with them. Request information on how complaints are managed and if responses are documented in logbooks or site-specific feedback records. These indicators help verify reliability.

3. Experience in Your Industry

Why Is Industry Experience Important When Choosing a Security Company?

Security risks vary depending on your sector. Choose a provider with hands-on experience in environments like retail, logistics, warehousing or construction. They should understand how to set up access logs, manage keyholding procedures, and apply delivery gate controls that are standard in your field.

Ask About Similar Clients and Contracts

Security for a logistics hub will differ from retail or corporate office protection. Ask for examples of active contracts in your industry. For instance, construction site security experts often provide overnight patrols and vacant property checks. In retail, check if they are part of the Fight Back Against Retail Crime initiative to show recent and relevant experience.

Review Their Industry Procedures and Logs

Request actual documents such as alarm response sheets or control room incident records. These confirm whether they follow risk-based procedures and industry-compliant workflows. For advanced providers, ask if they offer any cyber security oversight, such as Cyber Essentials certification, which is increasingly relevant with networked alarm and access systems.

4. Response Time and Monitoring Capabilities

What Kind of Response Times Should a Security Provider Offer?

Your provider should give a precise average response time and clarify if this is contractually guaranteed. Alarm-to-attendance gaps should be logged and monitored, especially for mobile patrol response or remote alarm checks.

Check Whether They Operate Their Own Control Room

In-house control rooms offer faster, more accurate communication. Confirm whether their control centre staff coordinate patrols directly and if they use live camera feeds to assess threats in real time. Ask if they monitor for dual path transmission failures, which can occur when both internet and cellular alarm paths go down undetected.

Look at Vehicle Tracking and Communication

GPS tracking of mobile patrol vehicles, real-time radio login logs, and response verification all matter. Ask how attendance is recorded and whether dispatch time and staff locations are monitored through a live system.

Match Monitoring to Your Risk Profile

Sites with large perimeters or limited public visibility often benefit from round-the-clock CCTV monitoring or increased mobile patrols. Match your coverage hours and system features to your known risk zones.

5. Staff Quality and Training

Ask How Staff Are Vetted and Trained

All officers should be fully licensed by the SIA, but equally important are DBS checks, ongoing induction training, and site-specific readiness. Ask how often refresher training is completed and whether the company provides a clear induction process.

Check Qualifications Beyond SIA

For most commercial premises, basic security is not enough. Officers should know how to handle public interactions, respond to emergencies, and follow a conflict handling protocol. Look for first aid training, fire marshal certification and customer-facing experience.

Understand How Guards Represent Your Business

Professional appearance, punctuality, and conduct matter when guards are part of your day-to-day operation. Confirm uniform policy, use of bodycams and whether the company uses a feedback loop to monitor staff behaviour.

Confirm Supervision and Staff Rotation

Ask who supervises staff on site and how absences are managed. Good companies have a trained backup roster and regularly rotate officers while maintaining quality through performance tracking and attendance logs. You can also ask if they support the Disability Confident scheme or are signatories to the Armed Forces Covenant, both of which are supported by the BSIA and reflect good workforce practices.

6. Transparent Pricing and Service Terms

How Can You Make Sure You Are Getting Clear Pricing From a Security Provider?

Always request an itemised charge sheet. This should list hourly guard rates, equipment provisions like CCTV or radios, and any add-on costs for mobile patrol or control room response. Match costs to your service-level agreement so there are no surprises.

Understand the Pricing Model and Scope

Be specific when discussing shift cover, response times, and out-of-hours attendance. Compare hourly rate brackets across providers to understand the full value of your commercial security contract.

Review Equipment and Service-Level Terms

Confirm what’s included in standard coverage. Will they supply monitoring tools? Who owns and maintains the systems? Are your CCTV feeds managed by their own staff or subcontracted? Be sure the SLA terms are fully transparent.

Confirm What’s Included and What’s Not

Understand if you’re being charged extra for callouts, rapid deployment or additional shift cover. Ask for a sample invoice to verify scope of service and ensure invoice transparency aligns with the proposal.

7. Security Provider Comparison Checklist

Use This Checklist to Help Compare Providers

• Have they done a full risk-based site assessment?

• Can they show contracts and case studies in your industry?

• Do they offer guaranteed response times with 24-hour support?

• Are their staff fully vetted and properly supervised?

• Do they use GPS tracking, real-time monitoring, and control room support?

• Have they explained all costs, coverage hours, and included equipment?

• Can they give you references with contact details?

• Are they affiliated with schemes like Disability Confident or Cyber Essentials?

• Do they conduct post-incident performance reviews?

Use this checklist to score each company you contact. Keep a simple spreadsheet or printed copy handy to rate each against what matters most to your business.