I started Magenta Security to provide a better service than that was on the market. In the 20 years since then my business has grown and so have my goals. I no longer just want to make Magenta better, I want to improve this entire industry.
Unfortunately, the security industry has a stain on it that doesn’t seem to budge.
You may know that, luckily, security guards need to have a license to work in the UK. But you probably don’t know that the companies that employ them don’t. These rogue companies aren’t held to any standards and are free to operate however they see fit, even if that means skipping vital services in order to lower their price.
Let’s start with the dangers to your business. An unlicensed security company may not be covered by insurance, leaving you with the costs should your property be damaged or your stock stolen. Then when you try to take legal action, you’ll probably find the company you trusted with the safety of your business doesn’t exist anymore.
The risks double during the night. Rogue security companies aren’t beholden to any standards – they’ll gladly overwork and underpay their self-employed security staff, to pass the “savings” on to you. Then you’ll get what you paid for: a sleep deprived security guard, exhausted from having to work multiple jobs just to make a liveable wage. How safe is your business if your security is asleep?
Rogue security companies take all the benefits of using self-employed workers (no sick pay, pension contributions or holidays) while pushing full time hours on them. A security guard working the same site five or six days a week for six months categorically is not self-employed but HMRC turns a blind eye. They also ignore limited hours work VISAs for foreign students, amongst other flagrant abuses of employment law.
And that’s just a hint at the human cost of unlicensed security companies. To bring their price as low as possible, they won’t just underpay their staff, they also won’t give them any support. At Magenta, we call our staff every hour for updates and our mobile teams are always active to perform site visits. This essential infrastructure is the first thing a rogue company will strip away.
A guard without backup could be attacked and left severely wounded for hours without anyone knowing. No one calling, no one checking up on them. It’s not just your business you place at risk by hiring a rogue company, but the life and wellbeing of those they employ.
Now you understand why business licensing is so important for the industry, and so important for you. I’ve been pushing for change for years, producing whitepapers, advising regulatory/government officials and I’m currently making exciting arrangements for the next 12 months that I can’t wait to tell you about.
And what can you do to stop help? These companies only exist because the government and the market allow them to. I’m working on the first one, but you can easily prevent the second. They prey on uninformed clients, so now that you know how they work you won’t be a victim to their dishonesty and inhumanity.
Spread the word and share this blog until every rogue security company knows they’re not welcome in this country.
Thank you,
Abbey Petkar
