What is Keyholding?
Keyholding is a specialist security service where a contracted security firm holds a set of keys to your commercial premises — in a secure, off-site location — to be used in the event of a security breach. Keyholding puts the responsibility of responding to a security issue, such as a burglary, in the hands of trained, reliable security personnel. This, as you can imagine, has a wide range of benefits to any business, and that’s what we are looking at in this article.
How does keyholding work?
Some businesses, typically smaller-sized companies, will nominate a selected member of personnel to respond to emergencies. They, often a manager or higher, will have a set of keys or a specific access code, and will be alerted when an alarm is set off no matter the time of day or night. In some cases, small shops or offices in safe surroundings, this system works. But for larger companies, especially companies in busy urban areas or industrial zones, need something more substantial. That’s where our keyholding services come in.
A professional keyholding service involves a specialist security firm taking the first-response duties on themselves. They will have a set of keys to access your premises, locked up securely at their own centre of operations, and will use them to gain access to the building in the event of an emergency. That means, if at four in the morning an emergency occurs, you’re not forcing a member of staff to respond: you’re leaving it to a security professional.
Why is professional keyholding best for my business?
With a professional keyholding service provided by a trusted security firm — such as the SES Group — you gain a number of benefits associated with emergency response time and the level of response when they arrive on site.
When alerted by an intruder alarm at the control centre, your nominated SES Group keyholder will respond rapidly, making their way to your premises immediately. Once their, the keyholder will carry out a systematic survey of your premises, analysing the level of threat — determining whether the alert is legitimate or a false alarm — and notifying the emergency services quickly, if required.
This level of response, carried out by a trained professional, is beneficial to your business in the following ways:
It is safer
A member of your own staff can respond to false alarms with ease, but what happens when the alarm is genuine? A security professional, after calling in the police, may still be forced to take action in order to protect your premises and themselves. Naturally, entrusting this responsibility to a security professional is much more beneficial to you and your business.
Guaranteed response
Keyholding is known as a ‘control room service’. That means, when an intruder alarm is activated at your business, our control room is alerted immediately. Our control room is manned 24/7 by on-alert security personnel, ready to respond at a moment’s notice. Consider how much more efficient this is than leaving the responsibility to a 9-5 employee, who will be at home and will have a vastly more laboured response time.
It cuts out confusion
A professional keyholder knows what to do at all times. They’re trained for it. Because of this, they will be able to provide an effective response no matter the circumstances. This cannot be guaranteed by leaving your keyholding responsibilities in-house — particularly if you have multiple keyholders who do not communicate with each other.
Your staff remain safe and more productive
If a staff member is forced to respond in the early hours, it means they have their sleep disturbed as they have to wake up, prepare, travel to the site and, in the case of false alarms, travel back home after giving the all clear. The next day, that staff member will, predictably, be far less productive (and probably in a sour mood). If the emergency is a real threat, then they are putting themselves at risk of injury and trauma. Both of these scenarios are best avoided, and that’s precisely what professional keyholding does.
No stone left unturned
From the initial site survey when first contracted, to staying at your premises after an emergency to ensure it is left as safe and secure as possible, professional keyholding services leave nothing to chance. Our personnel will thoroughly examine your entire premises, and using their own experience, are likely to spot security flaws that otherwise would go unnoticed. This gives you a chance to remedy the issue long before a security breach could take advantage.
Secondly, once our personnel has responded and de-escalated or resolved an emergency security issue, they will remain on site and ensure there are no further immediate risks, before finally giving the all clear. They will then report back their findings to you, in depth. This provides you and your employees complete peace of mind for the coming working day, and the immediate future.
The SES Group provides efficient keyholding services for businesses in London, Birmingham and across the UK. From initial response to taking action on-site, our security personnel ensure an effective, secure response no matter the emergency, all handled with prompt professionalism every time.
- Give our team a call on 0203 858 0528 or see our contact page for more information about our keyholding services.