2019 was a year of extremes. For all the great work we did, there’s no denying that political and economic uncertainty turned up the pressure for our company, our staff and our clients. However, despite the obstacles, 2019 still proved to be another landmark year for Magenta Security.
Before we head into the new decade with all the opportunities and challenges it will bring, I would like to share a few of Magenta Security’s highlights from the past 12 months:
Earlier in the year, the chief executive of the SIA visited our office where we had a very constructive conversation, and I was happy to see that the SIA has since implemented some of the changes that I suggested.
From April 2020, first aid certification will be a prerequisite for getting a security license, which will result in an immediate increase in the value of a security guard’s service while making everyone they protect even safer.
As an unintended but welcome side effect, mandatory first aid training will also guarantee a minimum level of communication skills in order to be able to pass the course. It will also prevent the current issue of instructors giving an easy pass to those applying for an SIA license, as every first aid course is recorded.
In 2019, we increased the number of children that we are sponsoring in war-torn countries from 10 to 20. Every one of these children will have their education, health, accommodation, clothing and more taken care of from the ages of four to 16 – or beyond, if they continue into higher education.
We have also been working with citizenAID to provide their educational app and software to schools so that children can learn how to be safe in event of an emergency, how to provide first aid and what to do if they notice something suspicious.
Our sustainability objective for 2019 was simply to keep it up. Magenta Security already has been a zero carbon company for a few years now and we were the first security company in Europe to achieve the ISO 14001 Environmental Certification.
So, business as usual for us, which means: our offices continuing to run on renewable energy sources, including our own solar panels; phasing out low efficiency vehicles for replacement with hybrid or electric models; training all our staff on the principles of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
Improvements beyond this come from the consultation we have provided to other companies – inside and out of the security industry – in how to successfully implement green initiatives of their own.
If you would like advice on how to make 2020 your greenest year yet, feel free to call me on 0800 772 3786.
I always say that our company would be nothing without our security officers, and 2019 proved once again why this continues to be true. Time and again our clients contacted us to compliment our security officers for going above and beyond expectations.
More importantly, our security officers have saved lives. We had multiple situations where one of our security guards prevented an individual from attempting suicide, which is testament to their empathy, communication skills and commitment to public safety.
This is also an opportunity to celebrate everyone who works at Magenta Security, from business development and account managers to our support staff and award-winning customer services team.
Next year, Magenta Security will be celebrating our 25th anniversary.
This is quite a milestone for any company but especially one in the security industry. Independent security companies tend to have a short lifespan, either because they are bought out by a larger company or they shut down.
Discussions are still ongoing for how we will celebrate 25 years of Magenta, which I can’t wait to share with you in the coming year, but you can expect us to continue as before, but better.
This means more charitable work, more green initiatives and more advocacy for improved standards in the security industry. I’m proud that we’re already ahead of the pack in these regards but that doesn’t mean we’re going to slow down.
We look forward to sharing our 25th year with you as we strive to be the most generous, most green and most principled security company in the business. In the mean time, I wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
Abbey Petkar
