Does Your Business Need Private Security? 10 Questions to Help You Decide

If you have a business, you may need to consider hiring private security. Then again, private security is an extra cost that may not be strictly necessary. How can you tell if your business needs private security? Which questions should you be asking to determine your needs? And how should you decide on a private security company to hire?

The Value of Private Security

Private security companies come in many shapes and sizes, but most offer a combination of services – and customizable plans. Depending on your needs, you could staff your buildings with dedicated security guards at various posts, patrol those buildings with vehicles on the outside, or have security guards making routine patrols and checks.

Private security protects your business in multiple ways simultaneously. The very presence of security guards functions as a deterrent, making many crimes and actions against your organization less of a concern. If someone acts suspicious, these guards might be able to proactively deal with them. And if an incident does start to unfold, security guards can step in and mitigate potential damage. On top of that, having private security forces will make everyone onsite feel much safer, including your employees and customers.

Does Your Business Need Private Security?

Does your business truly need private security?

Answer these questions to find out:

1.   What other security measures do you have in place? First, take an audit of your existing security measures. Hopefully, you have strong locks on your doors and a handful of cameras capturing footage 24/7. Beyond that, what are you doing to make your organization and its buildings secure? The less you have in place, the more you should think about expanding your arsenal of preventative and responsive tools.
2.   Is your business vulnerable to theft or robbery? Next, consider whether your business is especially vulnerable to crimes like theft or robbery. Is your retail store constantly under threat by shoplifters? Has your convenience store been the target of a robbery in the past? Do you believe that your type of business is naturally going to be an especially attractive target for criminals?
3.   Is your business located in a high crime area? Crime rates are always fluctuating, but some areas are generally more dangerous than others. If your business is located in an area with high crime rates, you should be more motivated to pursue private security. If there are other businesses and homes that have been targeted by thieves and criminals in the nearby area, you would be reasonable in assuming that your business could be a target as well.
4.   Have you or your employees ever felt unsafe? These fears should be compounded by past experience. Have you or your employees ever felt unsafe in this environment? Even if your business hasn’t been the target of robbery or theft, there may be suspicious people engaging in unscrupulous activities in or around your business. Even something relatively innocuous, like feeling a sense of unease in the parking lot, can be problematic for your business.
5.   Is your business vulnerable to sabotage? Next, consider whether your business is vulnerable to sabotage. If a malicious character got access to a specific building or a specific location in one of your buildings, how much damage would they be able to do? How much would you be willing to spend to prevent that damage?
6.   Are you concerned about recordkeeping? Some people hire private security services because they’re concerned about something related to recordkeeping. They may be concerned about inventory loss, or they may have a suspicion that someone on the team is keeping records inaccurately for personal gain. In any case, a private security team might be able to help you prevent future issues.
7.   Do you want your customers to feel safer? It’s definitely worth hiring private security if it’s going to make your customers feel safer. If one of your patrons feels even marginally unsafe or uneasy, they’re going to be much less likely to visit your business in the future. A single security guard may be all it takes to help them feel calm and protected.
8.   Do you have sensitive information to protect? Businesses that have sensitive information to protect should also strongly consider private security. If you don’t want this information in the hands of your competitors or available to the general public, you’ll need measures in place to prevent it from being stolen or leaked.
9.   Has anyone raised concerns about security? Is there anyone on your team, or are there any customers who have raised concerns about security in the past? If so, you should take those pieces of feedback seriously. If multiple people have raised concerns about security, hiring a team could be the right move.
10.   What is the emergency response time like in your area? Emergency response time is crucial in any unfolding emergency. The faster emergency responders get to the scene, the more damage they can mitigate – and the more lives they can save. If your area has an average or slow emergency response time, private security becomes even more important.

Security should be one of your top concerns as a business owner, as lax or nonexistent security strategies can be incredibly destructive and expensive. Once you hire a competent private security team, your organization will be much safer.