How Much Do Security Guards Cost to Hire?

The Cost of Hiring Security Guards

Security is important, but so is watching your company’s bottom line. Unfortunately, in many regions the cost of hiring security guards has increased. There are many reasons for this, but one of the main ones is security guard scarcity.

The Birdseye Security Solution is designed to replace traditional onsite security guards with more efficient and cost-effective remote monitoring agents. We have worked with our clients to replace even their most complex onsite operations with technology-enabled virtual services.[/caption]

Since the pandemic, many businesses have found it more difficult to hire enough experienced security guards to adequately protect their properties. Supply chain issues, COVID-related situations, and economic recovery issues have resulted in there being fewer security guards available for hire.

Not only has this made it tougher for businesses to find the guards they need, but it has also increased the cost of hiring guards overall. Since there are fewer guards available, but a high demand for guards, the cost of hiring these guards has gone up.

For businesses that are still coping with the pandemic and trying to recover, these increased costs are something that they may not be able to deal with.

However, there are other factors that influence the cost of hiring security guards as well, including:

• Location
  • If your business is in a major metropolitan area, it could cost more to hire security guards
• The type of work
  • Guard costs vary depending on the type of work they are expected to perform.
  • Also, riskier work usually requires additional costs.
• The number of guards needed
  • Large properties often require additional security guards to be adequately protected. Naturally, the more guards you need to hire, the greater the expense.
  • If you need to protect a property 24/7, you’ll need to hire more guards, and this will cost more.
• The experience of the guards
  • In general, more experienced security guards will command higher rates.

As you can see, there are several variables associated with security guards that can increase the cost. However, in addition to asking “How much do security guards cost to hire?”, you may also want to ask if there are alternatives that can provide a same (or even better) level of service at a similar cost.

Alternatives to Hiring Security Guards

Businesses that are looking to reduce costs may be considering different types of security. This is especially true during the current security guard scarcity issues taking place right now. However, it’s important to remember that not all security solutions are created equal.

Some provide much greater protection and even deter criminals from striking (which can save a business time and money), but this isn’t true with every type of security.

In general, security tools can be broken down into two categories: active and passive. Passive security solutions are tools like alarm systems and unmonitored cameras. These devices don’t actually stop criminals from entering a property or committing a crime.

Consider a standard alarm system. Most alarms are designed to sound when a specific area is breached, such as when a door or window is opened. However, this means that a crime is already underway.

Once a criminal has gained access to your property, they won’t stick around for long. By the time someone reacts to the alarm, the criminals will likely have stolen what they were looking for and left the site. Even if they don’t get what they want, the break-in itself will cause costly damage to your property.

Unmonitored surveillance cameras don’t deter criminals either. This is because they know that the cameras won’t be viewed until they’ve already left the scene of the crime. If the criminals can cover their faces (such as by wearing scarves, masks, hoods, etc.) then it will be very tough to identify them on camera, so they are likely to get away with their crimes.

On the other hand, live monitored cameras can prevent crimes from occurring. When cameras are monitored by live agents, they can interject to resolve situations before they escalate. For instance, if an agent sees someone waiting outside a door with a weapon, they can communicate with the site using two-way speakers to deter the criminal from striking.

If necessary, the agents can contact the police directly, while the potential criminal is still on the scene. Police may give this call a higher priority since they know it is not a false alarm and that the perpetrator is still present.

In addition, live monitoring agents can watch over an entire property 24/7, which usually is not logistically possible even if many (costly) security guards are hired. For more information, please contact Birdseye Security Solutions today.

Is Your Security Guard Sleeping on the Job?

There are a lot of benefits to using a security guard to protect your property. For example, they are able to react to situations and investigate suspicious activity before it turns into a crime. This makes them much more useful than a traditional alarm system, for instance. However, security guards are only human. This means they have weaknesses, and these weaknesses can be exploited by criminals.

For example, your security guard could be sleeping on the job. It might sound unlikely, but it’s certainly possible. After all, how would you know if they were? And, if they were, what would you do?

Potentially falling asleep isn’t the only possible issue with security guards. They may be distracted, they may be overwhelmed by their work, they could have difficulty seeing at night, or they might just be having a bad day. This could mean they’re missing out on details or situations or even crimes in progress. Clearly this isn’t something you want to happen.

Possible Issues with Security Guards

As mentioned, your security guard could be sleeping on the job. However, even if a guard isn’t actually asleep, this possibility still points to a potential issue. Guards can get tired. If they didn’t have a good sleep the night before or if they have another issue that is keeping them from being at their best, this can negatively affect their work and leave your property vulnerable. A tired guard might be slow to react, or they may not have the focus they need to do their job correctly.

Guards can also get overwhelmed by their various duties. Sometimes, this even happens due to purposeful action by criminals. They know that they can distract, overwhelm, and even potentially threaten security guards to prevent them from doing their jobs correctly. For instance, if a large group of criminals arrive at a site at once, guards may not be able to stop them. If criminals are armed, they may be able to intimidate or even injure the guards on site.

Another possible issue is that guards have physical limitations. They can’t be everywhere at once, they can’t see well in the dark, and they may miss certain suspicious actions because they’re performing other duties.

Are There Better Alternatives to Security Guards?

One major advantage to using security guards is that they can react to situations and prevent them from becoming more serious crimes. However, they are not the only security option that can do this. Live remote monitoring can also provide comprehensive security and agents can intervene into situations to prevent them from escalating. Using two-way speakers and other tools, remote monitoring agents can stop criminals before they can commit crimes. In addition, live monitoring services do not suffer from many of the issues that can occur with security guards.

• Monitoring cameras are overlaid with artificial intelligence (AI). This AI can notice situations that may otherwise be missed by humans, such as very slight movement or more people being in a room than should be present. If the AI notices an issue, it alerts the remote monitoring team who can investigate further. This means your monitoring agents won’t miss a single thing.
• Remote security teams cannot be distracted or intimidated by criminals. Even if there is a large group of criminals or if they are carrying weapons, remote agents can still contact the police directly, provide them with the details they require, and stay on the phone with them as long as needed.
• In most cases, remote monitoring cameras can also see more of a property than guards can. This is because cameras can be installed so the entire property is visible at once. Security guards typically need to do their rounds and walk throughout a site to see everything that is happening. Unfortunately, this means they can’t see everything at once. Criminals often watch for guards and strike while they are in a different part of the property.
• In addition, high-definition CCTV cameras can capture clear footage in a variety of situations, including in low-light. This means monitoring agents will be able to see more of a property at all times than an on-site guard.

For more information on live remote monitoring and how this service can improve – and possibly even replace – a traditional on-site security guard service, please do not hesitate to contact Birdseye Security Solutions today. Our dedicated team is here to help you strengthen the security at your property.