Leeds has a crime rate 50% above the England & Wales average. Guard Mark provides SIA-licenced security guards, professional keyholding, and GPS-verified mobile patrols, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
130+
CRIMES PER 1,000 RESIDENTS
Plumplot / police.uk 202550%
ABOVE NATIONAL AVERAGE
CrimeRate 20257.35
BURGLARIES PER 1,000
Crystal Roof 2025#3
MOST DANGEROUS MAJOR UK CITY
CrimeRate ranking 2025Leeds recorded approximately 132.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to May 2025, placing it among the most crime-intensive major cities in West Yorkshire. The categories that hit businesses hardest are not random: commercial burglary runs at 7.35 per 1,000 residents, vehicle crime at 7.25 per 1,000, and shoplifting is rising across the city centre and major retail parks.
The areas of highest risk for commercial premises include Little London, Woodhouse, and Hunslet. But organised criminal groups do not limit themselves to well-documented hotspots. Industrial estates in East Leeds, warehouse clusters along the M62 corridor, and retail parks on the city’s outskirts are regularly targeted by groups who travel specifically to exploit sites with low natural footfall after dark.
The distinction between opportunistic thieves and organised groups matters because it changes what effective security looks like. Opportunistic thieves move on when they see a visible guard. Organised groups do reconnaissance, they watch patrol patterns, identify timing gaps, and plan specifically around unprotected windows.
Cost of one commercial break-in including stock, glazing, excess, and disruption.
Guard Mark keyholding per day — including 24/7 alarm response.
Most common hour for commercial alarm activations in the UK.
Maximum response window most insurers require for keyholding.
“A visible security guard or an unpredictable patrol schedule disrupts the reconnaissance phase before a plan is ever formed. Reacting after the first incident is significantly harder than deterring before it happens.”
— Guard Mark Security operational guidanceEvery service is SIA-licenced, BS7858-vetted, and covered by £5 million public liability insurance.
All our Leeds security guards have an average experience of 10 years and hold licences issued by the Security Industry Authority (SIA). We aim to provide high-standard and affordable security guarding services in Leeds without compromising the quality. All our Leeds security guards are trained and have gone through rigorous training. Moreover, we conduct monthly training sessions to keep our security guards up to date.
Different industries face different risks. Select your sector below.
Leeds city centre and its major retail parks — Trinity Leeds, the Victoria Quarter, Briggate — face persistent shoplifting, after-hours break-ins, and organised retail crime. Uniformed guards during trading hours create visible deterrence and active loss prevention.
After close, keyholding with alarm response converts your passive alarm system into an active attended response. High-value periods — pre-Christmas, sale periods, new stock arrivals — warrant additional mobile patrol cover to disrupt organised group targeting.
Industrial estates in East Leeds and logistics facilities along the M62 corridor face targeted theft from organised groups who specifically target stock, copper, and plant equipment. These are not opportunistic incidents — they involve reconnaissance and planning.
Mobile patrols with randomised schedules disrupt reconnaissance. For the highest-value windows, delivery periods, new stock, bank holidays, a static guard overnight removes the risk. CCTV towers provide site-wide surveillance at a fraction of multi-guard cost.
Leeds is experiencing significant construction and regeneration activity. Construction sites face phased risk: plant and fuel at groundworks stage, copper and wiring at active build, high-spec fixtures at fit-out. Each phase requires a different security response.
Our CCTV towers provide site-wide coverage. Keyholding secures the compound out of hours. Mobile patrols add unpredictable deterrence. For the highest-risk fit-out phase, when fixtures are most valuable and most removable, a static overnight guard is the appropriate response.
Leeds's bars, clubs, and licenced hospitality venues require SIA-licenced door supervisors, not security guards. This is a legal requirement under the Private Security Industry Act 2001. Using general security staff at a licenced venue puts your premises licence at risk.
Our door supervisors are trained in conflict de-escalation, crowd management, and physical intervention. We cover regular venue nights, special events, and high-footfall periods. Keyholding covers your premises outside licensed hours.
Access control during business hours, visitor management, and after-hours protection for Leeds city centre offices and business parks. Reception security creates a professional first impression while managing who enters your premises.
Keyholding covers out-of-hours alarm response. Mobile patrols provide cost-effective overnight deterrence for multi-floor or campus-style premises that don't warrant a full-time static guard.
Unoccupied commercial buildings attract squatting, vandalism, and fly-tipping, all of which create insurance complications and significant remediation costs. Many insurers require documented security checks as a condition of vacant property cover.
Regular vacant property checks with written reports create a documented audit trail that satisfies your insurer and evidences your duty of care. Keyholding covers out-of-hours alarm response if an alarm system is in place.
Every price includes the compliance, documentation, and insurance coverage your business needs. No hidden extras.
| Service | Guard Mark Price | What's Included |
|---|---|---|
| Keyholding & Alarm Response | £2.50/day | 24/7/365 response · No callout fees · Written incident report every attendance · Encrypted key storage · Police liaison · Premises secured after every visit |
| Manned Security Guard | £16.89/hr | SIA-licenced operative · BS7858-vetted · Shift reports · Public liability insurance · Daytime rate, overnight and bank holiday premium applies |
| Mobile Patrol Visit | £25/visit | GPS-confirmed attendance log · Perimeter checks · Door and gate verification · Full patrol report · Randomised visit timing |
| CCTV Tower Hire | Quote on request | 360° solar-powered tower · 4G connectivity · Remote mobile app viewing · 24/7 remote monitoring · Rapid deployment and repositioning |
| Door Supervision | £19.89/hr | SIA door supervisor licence · Conflict management training · Physical intervention trained · Event and venue cover |
| K9 Dog Patrol | £19.89/hr | Handler and trained security dog · NASDU-standard · Perimeter deterrence and active search capability |
Company-level accreditation on the SIA's public register — not just individual guard licences. Verifiable in seconds. Required by many commercial insurers as a policy condition.
Full criminal record checks, 5-year employment history, identity verification, and reference checks. Significantly more thorough than a basic DBS check.
We commit to a specific response window for your exact premises address before the contract starts. “As quickly as possible” is not a guarantee.
Documentation your insurer can use. Evidence of your duty of care. A paper trail that protects you legally.
Every alarm response is covered in the daily keyholding rate. You will not receive a surprise invoice after a 3am activation.
Minimum coverage for all Guard Mark operations across Leeds and Yorkshire. Higher coverage available on request for larger or higher-risk sites.
We cover all Leeds postcodes LS1 to LS29 and the surrounding West Yorkshire area.
Not sure if we cover your site? Call 03301 755 786 — we’ll confirm in minutes.
Red = highest commercial crime concentration
124 City Road , London , EC1V 2NX
Guard Mark manned guarding starts from £16.89 per hour for SIA-licenced, BS7858-vetted guards. Overnight, weekend, and bank holiday shifts carry a premium above the standard daytime rate. Mobile patrols start from £25 per visit. Keyholding starts from £2.50 per day with no callout fees. Contact us on 03301 755 786 for a site-specific quote with contractual response time commitment in writing.
Yes. Under the Private Security Industry Act 2001, all security operatives working under a contract must hold a valid SIA licence. You can verify any individual licence number on the SIA’s public register at siaonline.org.uk. Any reputable company will encourage you to check. A company that resists or deflects verification is a red flag.
Keyholding means Guard Mark holds your keys and responds to alarm activations, we attend when something happens. A security guard is a physical presence on your site during an agreed period, active whether or not an alarm triggers. Many Leeds businesses use both: keyholding for out-of-hours alarm response, and a guard for the periods of highest operational risk.
Many commercial insurers offer reduced premiums to businesses with a professional, SIA-licenced keyholder arrangement in place, and some require it as a policy condition. Guard Mark can provide documentation of our SIA Approved Contractor status and service standards to support your insurer’s requirements. The specific impact on your premium depends on your policy, speak to your insurer with our accreditation documents in hand.
Response times are contractually agreed for your specific premises address before the service begins. We do not offer vague windows, we commit per address in writing before you sign. Every attendance is timed and documented in the post-callout incident report, giving you and your insurer a complete audit trail.
Yes. Guard Mark operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. There is no reduced service over bank holidays, Christmas, or New Year. These are among the highest-risk periods for commercial premises in Leeds, we cover them as standard with no additional setup required.
Yes. We provide our SIA Approved Contractor certificate, individual licence numbers for guards attending your site, our current public liability insurance certificate, and copies of all incident and patrol reports after every attendance. This documentation satisfies most commercial insurer requirements and supports your duty-of-care record.
We cover all Leeds postcodes from LS1 to LS29 and the surrounding West Yorkshire area, including Morley, Pudsey, Horsforth, Garforth, Rothwell, and Wetherby. We also cover the M62 corridor industrial and logistics estates. If you are not sure whether we cover your specific site, call 03301 755 786 and we will confirm immediately.
The businesses that call Guard Mark after a break-in spend more, recover slower, and face higher insurance costs for years. The ones that get security in place before anything happens don’t start from a deficit.
