Security Guarding in Cumbria

What security guarding from AJ-Security covers

Security guarding is more than a uniform on the door. A good guarding service understands the site, knows what is normal there, and notices what is not. Our roles are written around your building and your routines rather than copied from a generic template.

• Static guarding, gatehouse and reception cover during the hours you need it
• Access control for staff, visitors, contractors and deliveries
• Internal and external patrols, with timed checkpoints and written logs
• Lock-up, key holding and unlocking routines, including alarm procedures
• Monitoring, reporting and escalating incidents, with a clear chain of contact
• Traffic management and marshaling on busy sites and yards
• Fire watch and evacuation support alongside your fire wardens
• Visible presence during periods of higher risk, such as closures, refurbishments or stock takes

Who we provide security guarding for

We guard premises rather than property types, so the list of sites we cover is broad. Cumbrian businesses we work with include:

• Retail units, shopping areas and garden centres
• Offices, corporate receptions and business parks
• Industrial estates, depots, yards and storage sites
• Construction and civil engineering projects
• Warehouses, distribution and logistics sites
• Schools, colleges, community buildings and public venues
• Licensed premises needing door and floor cover together

How we set up guarding for a new site

1. Site visit. We walk the site with you and look at access points, blind spots, previous incidents and the parts of the site that cause you concern.
2. Written proposal. You get a proposal setting out duties, hours, shift pattern and number of officers, so you can compare it against what you actually need.
3. Assignment instructions. We write an assignment instruction for your site, covering the detail an officer needs on their first shift.
4. Briefed officers. Officers are briefed on your site before they start rather than learning it on the job.
5. Ongoing supervision. A supervisor checks the site by day or night, and you have a named contact to speak to when something needs changing or a concern needs raising.

What every AJ-Security officer brings to your site

• A valid SIA licence, screened and vetted before their first shift
• Direct PAYE employment, so you are not paying for layers of subcontracting
• Full insurance, including public liability cover
• Site-specific briefing, uniform and identity card
• A clear, courteous approach to staff, customers and visitors
• Radio or phone contact with our control and on-call supervisor
• Written reports of patrols, incidents and handovers

Choosing a security company: what to check

Price matters, but the cheapest hourly rate can cost more than it saves. When you compare security providers, it is worth asking a few direct questions:

1. Are the officers employed directly, on PAYE, or will the site be covered by subcontractors?
2. How are SIA licence numbers and vetting checks verified, and how often?
3. What happens when an officer calls in sick at short notice?
4. Who supervises the site, and how often is it visited out of hours?
5. What reporting will you receive each week, and who reads it?

We answer all of these in writing as part of our proposal. If a provider is vague about employment status and supervision, that is usually the part of the service that suffers first.

Security guarding around Cumbria

Our office is in Maryport and we cover the west coast, the market towns and Carlisle, so officers are working in the county rather than travelling in from outside. That makes short-notice cover and site visits noticeably easier, whether you are guarding a town centre shop, a coastal industrial site or a rural premises open to the public.