A solution for residential security

All gated communities have something in common. There is a gate and there is someone who needs to open the gate for residents and visitors. Security recognized the need for developing this service and created a solution including the right technology and the right people.

The Harbourage Place, a condominium of Fort Lauderdale in Florida, USA, is a 44-unit, 23 stories high building by the waterfront. It is an exclusive unit, primarily with residents that keep this as their second or third home. People come and go all year around and they want to feel secure, knowing that when they go away for a while, their home will be in safe hands. “Our residents want to know that the outside perimeter is secure, and that we have a security staff monitoring the building 24-hours a day. Primarily, they want to know who comes and goes in the building,” says Property Manager Mark Benjamin. “We worked with Security to implement the Solutions system that has upgraded the security system, both for our officers but also for the access control system that they use with that.”

Gated communities or upscale condominiums are common in the USA and security is critical. Securitas has since long been providing basic services on an hourly basis to this special segment – basic services of a posted officer without specialized training or tools to perform his/her duties. However, there was a clear need across all gated communities for a more efficient way of handling security.

A specialized division in the USA, Security Special Markets, researched the needs and potential and after 12 months of development the result was a solid knowledge base and a gated communities solutions package. “Instead of selling guards by the hour, I can now go to a client and say: Look how much we have to offer, and how prepared we are! We have dedicated our expertise to making sure that this particular vertical market that we have experienced, is pulled to your advantage,” says Vice President Special Markets, Nicole McDargh. During the development process, it became clear that all gated communities had some elements in common.

The visitor’s management system was one of the more critical factors and the service level was partially depending on what was installed – or not – by the client. Some communities had automated processes, some had computer programs or software; others just had pen and paper or nothing at all. Security realized that a software program needed to be developed as part of the service offering. “The difference is that we now have better control over things, and at the same time we have been able to cut down on a lot of paper work. All Information is generated and stored by the computer. For example, the security officers use a PDA with bar codes when on patrol, so we can easily monitor their movements to see whether they have secured a specific area or performed a specific procedure”, Mark Benjamin says. In addition to the improved reporting there has also been a substantial reduction of administrative procedures. “We now pay on a monthly billing and we know every month that it is X amount of dollars and I know going forward that this is our budget for each month. It makes life simpler”, continues Mark Benjamin.

The most crucial element in a gated community though, is the people. With better recruitment procedures, better training and a better wage level, Security was able to provide high quality security officers. Clients were able to immediately see a noticeable difference. Concludes McDargh: “We are the same company, but we are going to bring in new officers and new technology and really change everything about what we are doing. It makes perfect sense and it is just the right thing for us to do.”

Reference Source: http://www.securitas.com/us/en/Customer-Segments/Residential/A-solution-for-residential-security/