Martin Woollam, Group Commercial Director at Professional Security, highlights the importance of operating at the highest standards in hospitality. 

If there are two sectors to operate in the current economic climate that present you with challenge in abundance – it’s security and hospitality.

Professional Security know that all too well-being the UK’s largest provider of security to the hospitality sector.  

It’s burgeoning client base includes representatives from the pub, restaurant, nightclub, competitive socialising and quick service restaurant fraternity.

The spectrum of clients is complex and expansive, as are the needs of servicing the sector.  

Investment in key management skills by Professional Security

We are proud of the decision taken to fund 20 Level 5 Crowd Safety qualifications for area and operational management.

This has meant we can engage with clients in a more informed and impactful way when planning events and venues with high footfalls.

The principle of the course is to run through the management and safeguarding of client needs, so the additional sponsorship has a high return on investment.  

By the end of 2024, a total of 20 managers and supervisors will be enrolled on either the Level 5 Excelling in Operational Management or Level 3 Excelling in Team Leadership providing a skills upload unlike any programme they have ever had before.

These courses deliver a suite of modern competencies including diversity, equity and inclusion, financial management, emotional intelligence, the use of technology and data in service provision and environmental management.  

In terms of overall impact, these initiatives will make sure that 50% of our front-line management will be qualified or studying towards a Level 5 qualification, so investing in management to deliver a better service for colleagues, clients and stakeholders in the hospitality industry. 

Investing in technology and data management  

To meet the needs of its clients several technology investments have been made with more to follow. These include:  

• Creation of a new Security Operations Centre which offers remote monitoring of technology for clients to centralise their security data needs with new state of the art hardware to support client delivery and satisfaction 

• Halo Incident Reporting software – to log trend and analyse the data created from the services we provide to provide a more intelligent deployment for resourcing and deployment. The development of databases of service delivery and incident management is helping them support business cases for additional hours or changes to service delivery and the use of other technologies like body worn surveillance.  

• Halo Body Worn Surveillance units – for remote monitoring of incidents and officer safety. These devices have proved pivotal for officer and client safety. The Wi-Fi enabled and internal sim card means that remote uploads can create a digital review suite for use of clients and emergency services.  

• These investments combine to create a more connected officer one that has a digital output giving clients confidence of a job well done.  

Flexibility and agility of delivery  

It has been a boom year in a lot of respects for hospitality, inextricably linked to the Three Lions exploits in the Euros Football Tournament.

The nation watched, caroused and socialised to celebrate the success as the England team progressed to the final.

Anticipation increased with each match, as did the requests for door supervision and hospitality-based security.    

Not only did the demands increase with each match won but the number of door supervisors was eroding as they too took an interest in the national team’s success.

With a fulfilment rate of more than 99%, the operational management team, support teams and the security operations centre worked in harmony to deliver some remarkable results.  

Operating to the highest standards  

Professional Security are one of only 159 security companies approved by the SIA for the provision of door supervisors and our most recent ACS (Approved Contractor Scheme) audit score positions us in the top 1% of all approved companies.

The ACS audit also saw the addition of close protection to our impressive suite of accreditations, in a year that witnessed Disability Confident Committed and Cyber Essentials join the stable too.  

We have set up a series of strategic quarterly meetings with key clients to appraise them of wider issues impacting the delivery of a quality and compliant service in the world of security.

The agenda is everything but operational delivery and bonds them to clients through an aligned view on the key issues of the day and those likely to impact in six months, 12 months and 24 months’ time.

We see it as our duty to appraise those whom we work for and with, of how the market is shaping and can impact their operation. 

2024 saw over 12,000 documented client surveys and audits conducted across our portfolio.

Audits are conducted with clients to make sure their needs are understood and met with the results being condensed to form industry trends and improvement points for service delivery.

It is clear the sector is giving a clear message for the need for more conflict management and DE&I training to help deal with a more confrontational and fragmented customer base.  

These are prime safety concerns for all involved in service delivery.

We listen too to their staff, with the inclusion of Front-Line Forums to give their teams the chance to engage directly with the most senior managers and have their views aired. 

Creating a 360-degree feedback loop is essential to the development of a successful and sustainable business.

One example of an output from these is the introduction of Wagestream.

This was launched post meeting, as colleagues felt they needed more timely access to their pay, despite already paying hospitality officers weekly.

This additional financial flexibility provides comfort to officers during these tough times.  

The level of blatant tax avoidance, benefit fraud, labour exploitation and all-round non-compliance in the security sector is frankly terrifying.

Tragically, this creates so many risks in the supply chains for end users, for security personnel and for public safety as a whole.

Professional are fully behind the collaboration between HMRC, DWP, NPCC (National Police Chiefs’ Council, SIA and the UKDSA (UK Door Security Association) to purge the sector of these malpractices.   

They are fully supportive of Chief Executive Mike Kill at the NTIA and his crusade to rid the hospitality sector of such unethical practices and to achieve tax parity across the security sector. 

Both sectors need to ready themselves for seismic changes in 2025 with the oncoming regulatory focus from HMRC, DWP, NPCC and the SIA. 

Professional’s advice to all buyers of security is to ensure they’re fully versed on the ramifications of being found to be facilitating fraud in their supply chains.  

This article was originally published in the December Edition of Security Journal UK. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.