Private security forces have been used to protect corporate property and estates for more than a century now, and have long been common sights at warehouses and other areas where valuables serve as enticements to criminals. In recent years, however, expanded demand and cost concerns have changed the way in which many security companies operate, and the well-staffed security force on many sites are now becoming a thing of the past. In fact, it is more likely than not that the security you are most likely to see on-site at any corporate location is a hybrid of security camera technology and security patrol cars that make periodic rounds and checks.
Technology has reduced the need for stationary guard duty, as security cameras, motion detectors, and other tools now enable security firms to monitor sites just as effectively from locations hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles away. When something is amiss on-site, the cameras and other technologies detect it, and a call goes out to the security patrol assigned to the area, who then responds by going to the site. In most cases, the process is so seamless, and the response time so quick, that the hybrid system is all but indistinguishable from having security personnel on site.
Like other security guards, security patrol personnel spend their time observing their surroundings as they make their appointed rounds. They are trained to notice suspicious activities, as well as people, and to respond in a professional way governed by very specific guidelines. Security patrol officers lack the arresting powers of law enforcement personnel, but they often detain criminals after making a citizen’s arrest. When they detain someone suspected of a crime, it is only until the real police make it to the scene to handle the situation.
Of course, security patrol forces undergo the same training that other security personnel are required to complete, and are thus competent in managing the same types of situations as their stationary counterparts. Their mode of transportation varies, depending upon their job assignments and locales, but in many of the warmer climates security patrol officers have been known to make their rounds on everything from a golf cart to a horse. Other security patrol personnel are assigned to escort valuables from one location to another. One well known example is the guard who protects armored car shipments.
The effectiveness of security patrol cars and personnel will probably continue to be debated for quite some time, as the growth of the security industry and the ever-increasing demands placed upon it continue to force security firms to develop new efficiencies and new ways of conducting their business. There seems to be general agreement in most circles, however, that security patrol officers – when used in conjunction with a quality system of electronic monitoring – are able to provide security for larger areas with fewer officers, and manage to do so with the same high levels of competency and professionalism that most people have come to expect from the industry.
