Security guard or mobile patrol: which does your site need?

Some sites need somebody there all night. Others need someone to turn up at unpredictable times. Getting this wrong means either spending more than you need to — or leaving the site under-protected.

Permanent guarding: when it makes sense

A permanent guard is an officer on site for the full shift. They're there the whole time, which means:

• The site has continuous security presence
• Access can be managed in real time
• Incidents can be responded to immediately
• The building is never unattended during the covered hours

This is the right choice when the risk justifies continuous presence. A construction site with expensive plant on it. A warehouse with high-value stock. A commercial building where the reception needs managing during the day.

The downside is cost. Having someone on site for 12 hours a night, every night, adds up.

Mobile patrols: when they make sense

A mobile patrol sends an officer to the site for each check, then they move on. They might visit two, three, five times a night. The timing can be scheduled or randomised.

Patrols work when:

• The site doesn't justify a permanent guard but needs regular checking
• You want unpredictable visits so the pattern can't be learned
• A vacant property needs visible visits to deter trespass
• The budget doesn't stretch to full-time guarding

The trade-off is that the site is unattended between visits. If something happens at 3am and the patrol isn't due until 4am, there's a gap.

When a combination makes sense

Plenty of sites use both. A permanent guard during the day when the building is occupied, and mobile patrols at night when it's empty. Or a permanent guard on a construction site during the week, and patrols at the weekend.

The combination gives you the right level of cover at the right times, without paying for continuous presence when it isn't needed.

How to decide

Start with the site, not the service. What's being protected? What are the hours that actually need cover? What's the risk if the site is unattended for an hour?

If the answer is "we can't afford for the site to be unattended at all," you need permanent guarding. If the answer is "we need someone to check it's secure a few times a night," patrols will do. If the answer is somewhere in between, talk to us about a combination.

The wrong choice isn't just about money. It's about leaving a gap in the cover that someone could walk through.