Responding to Alarms and the Crisis Due to Cost-Cutting in Private Security

The title of the diploma thesis he chose related to his two years of experience in one of the private security companies. He sought his sources primarily from the service literature of the time, with the help of which he completed additional training such as: cash transport, security of catering establishments, use of firearms, use of pepper spray. Regarding problems in road traffic, he found that a lot of work would be needed before intervention teams could obtain an audible siren and blue flashing light for their vehicle and thus the designation of a priority vehicle or person. A thorough change in legislation would be required, but the benefits would be significant.

Problem

The title of the diploma thesis he chose related to his two years of experience in one of the private security companies. He sought his sources primarily from the service literature of the time, with the help of which he completed additional training such as: cash transport, security of catering establishments, use of firearms, use of pepper spray. There is also a vast amount of data on this topic online, related to the Private Security Act.

He simplified the laws as much as possible so that the diploma thesis could be understood even by those who have no experience in this industry. He described most of the topics from his own experience and the experience of former colleagues, and supported the diploma thesis with his own photographic material, thus presenting the subject matter he chose as clearly as possible. At the beginning of his writing, he presented who can become a security guard, what are the further conditions for obtaining various licences: intervention, cash transport.

He clearly presented the measures of security personnel to ensure the most successful security possible, and also highlighted criminal offences. Namely, an intervention security guard most often encounters cases of criminal offences, whether these are burglaries, robberies, thefts, attempted burglaries. In the secured area, he is most often the first person present when a certain change occurs. Unfortunately, in most cases he is sent to a triggered alarm alone, he is often under pressure and his own psyche, what is happening at the facility, what is happening on the way to the facility, as well as the question he often asked himself when an alarm was triggered: what awaits me at the triggered alarm?

Is it a false or real alarm? As he described, it is necessary to respond to a triggered alarm as confidently and professionally as possible, whether it is an alarm that triggers every night or an alarm that has triggered for the first time. Routine performance of work often occurs, especially with patrol facilities.

We are deceived by the feeling that the facility has always been without incident until now, which can mislead us. Users of this facility also make mistakes – they forgot something open or switched on (most often these are mini cookers and various heaters), which can cause a fire or even a major disaster. Patrol facilities are also often an obstacle to alarms, as patrol facilities are large, we find ourselves in the middle of one when we receive an alarm, the response time of the intervention officer increases significantly before reaching the exit from the facility and activating the alarm system itself.

He himself would reduce the number of patrol facilities for intervention officers, primarily highlighting those that are large. He believes that an intervention officer can only visually inspect such facilities where he does not need to enter the interior.

Results

Regarding problems in road traffic, he found that a lot of work would be needed before intervention teams could obtain an audible siren and blue flashing light for their vehicle and thus the designation of a priority vehicle or person. A thorough change in legislation would be required, but the benefits would be significant. The number of unsuccessful interventions would decrease, the time required for intervention in the event of a fire alarm would be significantly reduced.

However, he does not approve of the misuse of equipment that would be prescribed for vehicles, so constant monitoring of vehicles would be necessary. As a hypothesis for his diploma thesis, he also chose cost-cutting in private security, which proved to be correct. He himself also noticed that competition in private security is high, so some companies perform their services below the economically justified price.

Consequently, less money remains for employees, which is felt as payment of minimum wages for work performed, as outdated equipment, and most controversially – outdated vehicles that are no longer suitable for urgent and daily performance of tasks. Equipment often influences safe and effective intervention. Since an intervention security guard is like a travelling advertisement and shows the image of the entire company, it is appropriate that he is tidy at his workplace and never has a worn-out uniform, which represents the mirror of the company.

At the end of his diploma thesis, he concludes and believes that he successfully carried out his goal, as the author managed to describe in detail the problems in the field of private security and presented the work of an intervention security guard. Through writing, he learnt to use various sources, and also learnt a certain responsibility that he assumed at the very beginning of writing the diploma thesis. In a few words, he would describe his diploma thesis as an interesting experience that will help the author on his further path to fulfilling his set goals. [deof_form download_text="Pečovnik-Tomaž-DD.docx" download_url="https://www.academia.si/novice/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Pečovnik-Tomaž-DD.docx"]