Security Guard Service FAQs

A security guard service places an officer at a site to carry out agreed duties such as access control, patrols, visitor management, incident reporting, key control or monitoring site systems. The role should be defined by written assignment instructions and the risks of the premises.

Common duties include checking people and vehicles against site procedures, managing deliveries, patrolling buildings and boundaries, monitoring alarms or CCTV where authorised, recording incidents, contacting responsible managers and supporting agreed emergency arrangements. Duties vary and must remain within the officer’s licence, training and assignment.

On-site guarding may be appropriate when a person must make decisions, control access, challenge unauthorised activity, manage visitors, patrol changing areas or respond to events that technology can detect but cannot physically manage. Guarding can also work alongside CCTV, alarms, access control, patrols and keyholding.

No. Some assignments are suitable for one officer, while others require two or more because of the size, layout, public interaction, expected incidents, search duties or safe response arrangements. Staffing should be based on the risk and required outcome rather than price alone.

Searches may form part of an assignment only where there is a clear lawful basis, an agreed site policy, suitable officer training and a safe procedure. The client should define consent, refusal, escalation, privacy, recording and any restricted items before the service starts.

No. Security officers do not receive general police powers through an SIA licence. Their main role is prevention, observation, access control, de-escalation, reporting and following the agreed emergency plan. Any physical intervention must be lawful, necessary, proportionate, within training and followed by prompt reporting and police involvement where required.

Contracted officers carrying out licensable security guarding duties must hold the relevant valid front-line SIA licence. The licence type must match the activity the officer is expected to perform, and licence details can be checked against the official SIA register.

The SIA carries out criminality checks as part of the licence application process. That is different from saying every officer has a separate current DBS certificate for every assignment. Where a client, site or safeguarding role requires additional checks, these should be agreed before deployment.

No blanket statement should be made for every assignment. A separate DBS check depends on the role, eligibility, client requirement and environment. Any required level and acceptable issue date should be confirmed during planning rather than assumed from the SIA licence alone.

Selection should consider the required SIA licence, relevant experience, communication, presentation, public contact, conflict exposure, travel, shift pattern, lone-working conditions and the practical duties. The chosen officer must then receive a site-specific briefing.

Yes. The assignment should define the premises, authorised contacts, access process, patrol expectations, keys, reporting, alarms, emergency arrangements, prohibited actions and escalation routes. Client inductions or specialist instructions are added where required.

Continuity is usually beneficial and can be planned where the contract, staffing and shift pattern allow. The service must also provide for relief cover, holidays, sickness, handovers and changes to the assignment so that knowledge is not held by one person only.

They can monitor site systems where this is included in the assignment and the officer has the appropriate licence, competency and instructions for the activity. The client must define what the officer should do when an activation, fault or unusual event occurs.

Reporting can include timed patrol records, NFC or QR checkpoints, occurrence logs, incident reports, photographs or video where appropriate, and notifications to authorised client contacts. The method and access arrangements are agreed for the assignment.

Yes, where photographs are relevant, lawful, appropriate and permitted by the assignment. Images should support factual reporting rather than replace a clear written account of what happened, when it happened and what action was taken.

The officer follows the agreed instructions: making the area safe where possible, contacting the correct manager or emergency service, preserving relevant information, recording actions and continuing only within the limits of the assignment and their training.

They can support the client’s established emergency procedures where the role, briefing and training are clear. Security officers should not be presented as substitutes for the emergency services or specialist fire, medical or technical personnel.

Yes. Guarding can work with mobile patrols, alarm response and keyholding, CCTV, intruder alarms, access control, temporary detection and site security audits.

There is no responsible universal rate for every assignment. Cost depends on location, dates, shift length, days or nights, bank holidays, number of officers, duties, risk, travel, welfare, notice and contract duration. A written quotation should explain the hours, charging basis, assumptions and exclusions.

Provide the site address or postcode, property type, required dates and hours, number of officers, main duties, risks, access arrangements, welfare facilities, preferred start date, expected duration and the reason for the requirement. Complex sites may need a visit before the proposal is finalised.

Mobilisation depends on suitable officer availability, location, shift pattern, travel, welfare, inductions, risk information and the time needed to agree instructions. Urgent cover can be assessed, but a fixed deployment time should not be promised before the requirement is reviewed.

Temporary, urgent, overnight and incident-related cover may be available. Call directly with the location, hours, duties, preferred start date and reason for cover so staffing and practical mobilisation can be assessed.

Yes. Ongoing assignments can be considered for gatehouses, commercial premises, warehouses, construction projects, industrial sites, education, property and other suitable environments. The proposal should address staffing continuity, supervision, relief cover, reporting and service reviews.

MW Global Security Services maintains insurance for its security operations. Client-specific limits, evidence and contractual requirements should be confirmed during the quotation process rather than assumed from a general website statement.

Urgent guarding requirements should be raised by telephone. Operational support arrangements are agreed for active assignments, while new enquiries are reviewed according to urgency, location, information supplied and suitable availability. We do not rely on a blanket promise that every enquiry can be mobilised immediately.

Call 07469 886958 or use the guarding enquiry form with the site, dates, hours, duties and risks. We will review the information, ask any necessary questions and explain whether a site visit or further assessment is required before quotation.