How You Can Future-Proof Your Private Security Workplace, This Week.

By Dr. Mack Saraswat, Chief Product & Innovation Officer, CONSEC Group of Companies.

It’s a brave new world out there as we slowly open our country back up, and head back into our workplace… and the face of business is changing.? Clients’ needs are changing, and employees’ needs are changing too. Covid mandates are also drastically changing the way we do business, and no one knows for how long these rules will stay in effect.? Private security businesses are forced to be more flexible than ever, and bosses and their workers are facing unique challenges.? So here’s the bad news: moving forward there are a lot of changes that the industry must face.? Private security companies will find that they need to adapt and embrace innovation to remain viable and to attract the best people for the job.

As a venture & software architect, I was introduced to the private security industry two years ago to help solve some issues faced by a regional private security company, CONSEC. I was astounded to learn that the industry is significantly larger than the combined size of Australia’s police and defence forces, employing over 180,000 individuals. From asset monitoring, video surveillance, property patrolling, crowd control, access control, loss prevention services to ushering people in COVID-19 testing queues and managing quarantine operations, this massive and essential industry works tirelessly to safeguard the nation alongside our police and defence forces.?

Yet it bears some embarrassing criticisms: I was shocked to discover that 80% of the customers of the private security industry found it lacking in “innovativeness”. This comes from the recent report entitled Security 2025 - A Roadmap For The Future which was published by the nation’s peak body, Australian Security Industry Associated Limited (ASIAL).? With such startling revelations, it is time for private security to start changing its image and think outside the proverbial box.

The good news is that you (yes, you!) can help your workplace become more resilient in the future, by using your innate ability to problem-identify and problem-solve.? Out of the twelve key steps identified by the ASIAL report, I have found the easiest to embark upon, one that can be started this week. Why this particular one? Because absolutely anyone working in the industry can start working on it.? And when 180,000 people begin working together to future-proof their industry, all those hands will make light work.? So without the further ado, let’s discuss:

Many workers in the private security industry are very comfortable with computers, yet some are lagging behind their colleagues and steering clear of anything “tech” based.? From my research I’ve found that many companies are still managing their patrols using paper-based lists, for example. Whilst pen and paper is better than nothing, there are so many ways that the whole patrol could go awry: the security officer could lose the list, or they could just tick items off without actually visiting the asset,? or they could spend too long at one property without realising, then rush through everything else in the patrol to make up time. Also, there’s no proof that the officer visited the property (unless the property has security cameras) or that they adhered to the security brief.??

It is true that many private security companies are tracking their fleet of vehicles through GPS technology, but there is still no proof that the officer actually got out of their vehicle and inspected the property in the way the client has specified.??

What is even more worrying is that if an officer is injured and unable to use their mobile phone or radio, especially at night, there might be no way for them to call for help.? Technology that is able to track the whereabouts of the officer, notice if the officer is unresponsive, and call for help, could be a life-saver for the officer and the company.

In partnership with the private security company CONSEC, we developed a platform that does away with the paper-based list. An officer uses a smartphone to guide them to the property, then the app reminds the officer to complete certain tasks, tracks exactly where they are walking and how long they are spending at that location, and checks on them if the officer becomes unresponsive.? Alerts are sent in real-time to their manager if the patrol doesn’t go according to plan, and if the officer is in danger an alert is sent to the control room so that help can be dispatched.

The manager can watch any patrol in progress, in real-time, and keep track of which officers are where, and how they are coping with their workload.? This data is stored indefinitely and securely so that if a client or any authorised person wishes to question the activity of the officer, it’s all recorded and easily retrieved.? There is even an analysis page to help managers plan more efficient patrols and oversee which officers are meeting expectations, and which ones might require more training.

The most important part of the brief when we were designing this platform was that it needed to be easy and simple to use, so that even the most tech-adverse worker would be able to use it.? The platform is intuitive to the unique needs of the officer and their managers. This software hasn’t been adapted from anything else, it is bespoke and has been tailored for the private security industry. The staff at CONSEC are excited for its launch, and rightly so.?

This is a platform that can be easily used by any worker in the private security industry, and in our opinion is the best way to fulfil the ASIAL recommendation of “embracing technological innovation” for a brighter future for the whole industry.

Whether you are the CEO or the newest recruit in your company, reflect on how you and your organisation can better embrace technological innovation. If your company is still using paper-based lists for your patrols, your company’s excuses will soon be running out!? Follow the link to learn more about the platform that has been created especially for you and your private security company, and start a conversation this week with your colleagues about how technology can help future-proof your workplace.

Next week: The top three problems CONSEC Security faced, and how one platform solved them.

References:

Security 2025 - A roadmap for the future

Australian Security Magazine