It’s all well and good giving an extra set of keys to your business either to a close friend or work colleague. But if an alarm goes off in the middle of the night you don’t really want to put them in a potentially dangerous risk (especially if there is a threat still at your business).

Here are five reasons to outsource your keyholding responsibilities:

Staff safety

It is estimated that 5% of out-of-hours alarm calls are a result of a genuine break-in situation. If your keyholder is a work colleague or another member of staff, you are potentially putting them at risk should an intruder still be there.

A recent British crime study (2018) confirms the possible risk. It says that property crime accounts for 70% of crimes committed, of those 22% were deemed violent.

By delegating secure keyholding responsibilities to a third party such as A&R Security Services, you are safeguarding your staff. You are also ensuring that any alarm alerts are responded to by a trained security professional.

Corporate Safety

If your keyholder is a key member of your team they tend to be experienced, trusted and valued employees.  However, if such a person is attacked whilst responding to an alarm call, this can have a massive impact on your business. Having a key member of staff off sick can lead to your business operating ineffectively and that’s before you consider sick pay for their recovery period.

Injury in fulfilling work-related duties (even outside of work hours) could leave your company liable for damages. By outsourcing this responsibility, that risk is reduced.

Doubling up

Normally keyholders are paired up to respond to alarm calls, for reasons of personal safety. In real terms, one keyholder is always going to get there first and respond to the alarm, which can put them at risk. Even with two members of staff, their safety isn’t always guaranteed. After all, there is no way to know how many are involved in the break-in.

With third party keyholding services, key holders are already familiar with the possible risks. They can attend the property as a pair if need be and are fully trained security personnel.

Training

Some keyholders aren’t adequately trained to respond to alarm calls and this doesn’t mean dealing with possible intruders at your business (although that is important). Even switching off and resetting the alarm requires a thorough knowledge of the system.

Team morale

By hiring security professionals to act as your company keyholders you send a clear message to your staff. That message is that you value them and their safety. This can greatly boost employee morale as a whole. For keyholders, even if they don’t encounter a threat, it is a difficult role. False alarms in the middle of the night can be infuriating and disruptive. By outsourcing your keyholding responsibilities you’re showing that you care about your employee’s work/life balance.

If you’re a business in Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and Bridgend and in need of keyholder services, then get in touch with us. At A&R Security Services, we provide the best Secure Keyholding Services and Alarm Response. For a free quote call us on 01656 713950 or visit our website for more details.