As we all know the crime rates in the UK are rising again and this time, they are crossing the limits. Police and the local authorities of every area and town are working hard to control such situations but all in vain. Everyone requires the safety and security of their businesses, employees, and customers. Businesses are hiring security guards and door supervisors for their premises to ensure protection. But, the efficiency and effectiveness of a security guard depend on how trusted and reliable he is. This is the question every business owner has the right to ask because once they hire a person as a security guard, the whole security of the business will be in his hands. Moreover, background checks are not just recommended but obligatory according to the UK’s law.
So, the person you are hiring should be trusted, reliable, and promising. To ensure all these things, security guarding companies like Guard Mark Security run thorough background checks before hiring a person as a security guard. If the background of the security guard is clean, you will be confident and know the person you are hiring is reliable and trusted. Also, if you are a business owner, always make sure to ask the security company about the background checks of their security guards before hiring or making a contract with them. In this blog post, we are going to share the importance of background checks which is important for both the business owner and the security company to know. So, without wasting any time, let’s check all the things in detail.
Importance of Background Checks
No matter if you are hiring a security guard for your office or personal security, they play a crucial role in maintaining a peaceful environment for you. Moreover, a security guard acts as a first line of defence against any kind of threat including an attack, theft, shoplifting, vandalism, and many more. Most of the time, criminals don’t engage with businesses having visible security guards protecting premises because they know security guards are well trained to take care of such situations and the tables can turn at any time which will lead them to jail.
Moreover, security guards ensure the safety and security of the sensitive areas of a business to provide protection to the data and business information. When giving such responsibilities to a person, it is important for the security guards to be completely vetted according to the BS7858 standards. All these vetting and background checks ensure that the person you are hiring is highly qualified and trusted to take care of all your business security needs and requirements.
Reasons for Conducting Background Checks
There are plenty of reasons for conducting thorough and comprehensive background checks. Here are some of the important ones:
Safety and Security
One of the major and core reasons for conducting background checks on security guards is to know about their history. In the vetting process, security guarding companies check the criminal history and behavioural track record of the person to ensure they were not engaged in any kind of criminal, illegal, or toxic activities for the sake of enhancing safety and security. If the companies at the time of hiring get to know that the person was engaged in some criminal activities in the past, they don’t hire them which helps to improve their reputation and brand name.
Trust and Reliability Factor
As we have discussed above sometimes, businesses provide access to security guards to the areas that contain sensitive data or business information. So, it is important for the business to know that the person is trusted and reliable for this responsibility. This gives them peace of mind knowing that their sensitive data is in secure hands.
Legal Requirements
According to the UK’s law, running comprehensive background checks before hiring security guards is obligatory. This also helps in maintaining the high standards of security in the industry and the business will trust that the person they are hiring is clean and vetted.
Reputation Management
If you hire a security guard with a negative background who was engaged in some toxic activities in the past, it will damage your company’s reputation. Moreover, the customers will not feel comfortable hiring such security guards from your organisation which will help your competitors grow and expand the market share.
Components Involved in a Thorough Background Check
Here are some of the key points and components that are involved in a thorough background check:
Criminal History
You can collaborate with the local authorities and police to verify the person’s data. It is important to check on both local and national levels to verify even if the person is clean or not. According to the UK’s law, you can also request the complete data of the person from the UK’s police.
Employment History
Verifying the employment history can help you see if everything in the candidate’s resume is correct or not. Moreover, the employment history can tell a lot about the candidate’s behaviour. One of the major things in the employment history is to check why he left his previous job. These things will help you know if the person is reliable and trusted or not.
Education History and Verification
Verifying the candidate’s education history helps security companies to ensure whether the person is legitimate or not. This will also help the company to check if the candidate has the required knowledge and skills to perform all the tasks in the best manner.
Ideal Security Guarding Company in the UK
If you are a business owner looking for a perfect and well-reputed security guarding company in the UK, you are at the right place. At Guard Mark Security, all our security guards hold SIA licences and are thoroughly vetted as per BS7858 standards ensuring complete reliability and trustworthiness.
If you have any questions in mind related to our security guarding services, we are just a ring away. Contact us and get all the information from our customer support team. Hire professional and talented security guards and ensure peace of mind knowing your business safety and security are in the expert hands.