What we do is more than a commodity

Sir – I was very interested to read the May edition of SMT, and in particular the features by John Davies (‘Security: The Boardroom Agenda', pp17-18) and Richard Culver (‘Are you on Board?’, pp32-34).

It is rapidly becoming apparent that an increasing number of businesses are treating security provision purely as a procurement issue. Companies are seemingly far more preoccupied with the cost of security provision than the effectiveness of any solution at mitigating a (pre-defined) risk.

Although in recent times there has been a general increase in the seniority of many security managers, there is worrying evidence to suggest that security is still being purchased at the lowest unit cost in order to satisfy the ‘money men’ in the Procurement Department. This trend is being exacerbated by the behaviour of some security providers.

Many of the smaller security contractors compete to lower margins by reducing investment in officers’ wages, cutting back on training and staff development programmes and minimising both management controls and employee screening.

Tactics such as these are detrimental to officers and managers alike. Security officers may subsequently lack the motivation to deal with issues in a proactive manner. As for managers, they will have neither the time nor the inclination to provide an effective and robust security solution.

Security commoditisation can pose a significant risk to businesses. Demotivated and disgruntled security staff become part of the problem and not the solution.

The primary consideration when purchasing a security solution should be that solution’s ability to mitigate risk and protect the integrity of a business.

Douglas Greenwell, Marketing Director Group 4 Securicor (UK Security)