The UK security market ranges from national approved contractors to a man with a van and a high-vis jacket, and from the outside they can look surprisingly similar. These nine questions cut through the pitch — and the quality of the answers tells you almost everything.
One: are you an SIA Approved Contractor? Two: can I have the licence numbers of the officers you propose for my site, to verify on the SIA register? Three: are all officers vetted to BS 7858, and can I see evidence? Four: what insurance do you carry — public liability, employer's liability and efficacy cover — and can I see certificates? Any hesitation on these four ends the conversation.
Five: how do you prove attendance — look for GPS-verified patrols, NFC checkpoints and digital reporting, not promises. Six: who supervises the contract and how often do they visit site? Seven: what is your relief and no-show procedure — because officers get sick, and the answer reveals whether there is real infrastructure behind the salesperson.
“Ask nine questions. The quality of the answers tells you almost everything.”
Eight: what training do officers receive beyond the licence minimum — first aid, conflict management, counter-terrorism awareness? Nine: how do you measure and report performance, and what happens if we are not happy? A professional provider answers with KPIs, monthly reporting and a named contract manager.
Run these nine questions past three providers and the right choice usually makes itself.