Securi-Guard Arc Services | News Archive

Promotion for finance director who helps drive strategy

Securi-Guard Financial Controller Richard Musson has been promoted to Finance Director in recognition of his wide-ranging work to help develop the company.

An experienced business manager, Richard’s new role will involve him overseeing all the company’s client accounts, as well as helping to drive the overall strategy of Plymouth-based Securi-Guard.

Richard’s past business experience as both a managing director and a sales and marketing professional means he also plays a key role in Securi-Guard’s commercial negotiations.

Scott Boyd, Managing Director (Operations) said Richard’s promotion was well deserved and wished him luck in his new role.

“This promotion is recognition of the key role Richard has played in many facets of our business,” said Scott.

“He brings a wealth of business experience to Securi-Guard and has played a pivotal part in many of the commercial successes we have enjoyed as a company in recent years.”

Richard, aged 56, has spent the last 25 years in management roles for medium sized businesses in a variety of sectors, including jewellery, textiles, automotive and manufacturing.

He started working in the Manchester area where he grew up before moving to Plymouth in 1991, joining Securi-Guard in December 2002.

“I am very proud to have received this promotion, which I feel comes at a very exciting time for Securi-Guard as we look to develop new business opportunities both here in the South West and further afield,” said Richard.

Securi-Guard recently signalled its intention to expand across the UK with the appointment of experienced security industry professional Paul French, who is covering the whole of the country selling the company’s fast growing fire and security systems monitoring services to installers.

Paul’s key role is at the heart of a new drive to raise the profile of Securi-Guard’s Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) which monitors intruder/fire alarm and CCTV systems across the UK and vehicle tracking devices and lone worker alarms, both here and in Europe.

buddi, the world's leading gps personal tracker, appoints Securi-Guard Monitoring to man new 24 hour response

buddi, the world’s leading GPS personal tracker with emergency support, has appointed security specialists Securi-Guard Monitoring to provide 24-hour emergency support to all buddi customers.

The Securi-Guard team will act as the first response in the event that the emergency buttons on the buddi unit are pressed. The emergency call will alert the Securi-Guard team who will then be able to locate the wearer via GPS, inform the customer’s pre-chosen guardians and, if necessary, refer the incident to the relevant local authority or the police.

The fully trained staff will be based in Securi-Guard`s“Cat II level” response centre, which is quality assured to British Standards and registered with every police force in the UK.

buddi provides GPS accuracy to within three metres (10ft) worldwide and uses the latest assisted satellite technology which gives an instant location on a map accessible via a laptop or pc, mobile phone or Blackberry.

buddi is the brainchild of entrepreneur Sara Murray who developed the device after her daughter went missing. It is currently being used by a number of local councils in the UK for its lone workers and the vulnerable, such as the elderly or those with dementia, and has been adopted by NHS Trusts for midwives and nurses on home visits.

Sara Murray, CEO of buddi, said: “buddi is the world’s leading GPS personal tracker, which is why we are delighted to appoint Securi-Guard to monitor the buddi system. They are established experts and will help contribute to the outstanding level of service which buddi customers have come to expect.”

Scott Boyd, Managing Director (Operations) for Securi-Guard, added: “Through our state of the art Alarm Receiving Centre in Plymouth, we are an established company at the forefront of lone worker monitoring, as well as vehicle tracking, fire and intruder alarm and CCTV monitoring.

“The buddi is one of the leading devices on the market and we are delighted both to endorse the product and play such a key role in helping to protect those who use it.”

Key appointment at the heart of new business drive

Securi-Guard has signalled its intention to further develop business opportunities across the UK with the appointment of a new national business development manager.

Experienced security industry professional Paul French, 42, will be covering the whole UK selling the Plymouth-based company’s fast growing fire and security systems monitoring services to installers.

The key appointment is at the heart of a new drive to raise the profile of Securi-Guard’s Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) which monitors alarm and CCTV systems across the UK and vehicle tracking/lone worker devices, both here and in Europe.

Such is the growth of the monitoring side of the business, Scott Boyd, Managing Director (Operations) recently launched a separate website devoted to its services.

“Technology in the field of security monitoring is developing fast and we want to be in a position to capitalise on that as well as grow our business in this particular area,” said Scott.

“The appointment of Paul is pivotal to that growth and we are very excited at the prospect of taking our high quality monitoring service to a whole new customer base throughout the British Isles.”

Paul has a worked for two national companies within their own ARC’s and has extensive experience of monitoring services. He also has a proven track record in developing news sales as well as managing existing clients.

Paul, from Ludlow in Shropshire, said he was extremely excited at the prospect of working for Securi-Guard and helping to capitalise on new business opportunities.

“Securi-Guard has an excellent reputation within the industry and I fully intend to help them build on that and bring a fresh dynamic to their new business drive,” said Paul.

“I am hugely impressed with way Securi-Guard operates and its reputation for the highest levels of customer service. I am delighted to be part of its continuing success story.”

Alarm staff help to jail a burglar - 200 miles away!

Alarm Operators in the ARC helped to put a prolific burglar behind bars more than 200 miles away - after he tried to claim he hadn’t actually broken into a house.

Surrey Police identified David Howard from forensic evidence found at the scene and he was arrested and charged. He later attempted to convince police and the court he hadn’t actually entered the property.

But thanks to the sophisticated nature of the security system protecting the house, the prosecution was able to prove the offender had gone inside – and even which rooms he had entered.

Alarm Centre Manager at Securi-Guard, Adrian Baker, supplied a detailed statement to police and it proved crucial in helping to convict 43-year-old Howard, who was sentenced to four years in prison at Guildford Crown Court earlier this month.

Securi-Guard was monitoring the system on behalf of the installers, Sector Alarm UK, which is based in Chiswick, London.

“When we checked the log of the alarm system we were not only able to prove this chap had actually got in the house, but thanks to the individual sensors, we could also track his movements through the house,” said Adrian.

“In this case, the technology used in the system was vital in giving us the information we needed to help the police. We are delighted we were able to help bring this man to justice”

The alarm system – A Visonic Powermax Plus - alerted police to the raid at a large detached house in Banstead in June this year, but although police arrived within minutes, the offender had already fled.

He admitted he had been at the property but gave an account, which denied he had actually entered the house, hoping he could get away with a lesser offence.

State-of-the-art tracking equipment keeps mobile units safe from vandals

Securi-Guard Monitoring is helping Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust keep their breast screening programme on course, thanks to state-of-the-art alarm and tracking devices which aim to deter vandals from breaking into mobile units.

Securi-Guard stepped in after staff learned how mobile breast screening units equipped with specialist X-Ray equipment were being targeted by vandals.

Two 45 foot trailers currently based in Liskeard and Plymouth city centre have now been fitted with hi-tech alarms and GPS tracking devices which will enable Securi-Guard to monitor and trace the unit in the event of a theft.

Pete Stanley, systems operating centre manager at Securi-Guard explained how it works. `The X-ray equipment in those units is worth thousands of pounds and this system enables us to monitor the unit as a whole. If any of the equipment is stolen or broken into, the GPS device sends a message to our central control room in Plymouth and we can pinpoint its location anywhere in the UK.

`When we heard how vandals had recently caused the units to be taken off the road after creating £1,000 worth of damage we wanted to help out and give something back to the community. We also contacted a company we work in partnership with, called Aeromark, which are based in Bedford and they agreed to install the GPS devices free of charge`.

The mobile screening units are part of the national NHS breast screening programme which was established in 1988 and was the first of its kind in the world. So far, throughout the UK, 19 million women aged between 50 and 70 have been screened and 117,000 cancers detected. It is thought to save around 1,400 lives every year.

Diana Nicholson is the superintendent radiographer in charge of the breast cancer screening programme in the Plymouth area, she said, `We screen about 55 women every day using the mobile units so if they are out of action for even a day, it has a huge knock on effect on the programme as a whole. These units do save lives so we want them to be out in the community as much as possible`.

Alarm systems have also been fitted to allow NHS staff manning the units to covertly call for assistance from Securi-Guard if they feel threatened or intimidated. Ms Nicholson continued, `The units are always manned by two radiographers at any one time for security reasons but it is an additional reassurance for staff to know that if they do feel at risk, they just have to press a button to alert Securi-Guard`s control room who will immediately send one of their own response teams or contact the police`.