Mobile patrol security, As long as there are warehouses, offices, and commercial properties; sooner than later many of these owners/managers will face the same situation: a break-in occurred near your facility, you have had an alarm go off at 2am three times in the last 30 days, or you need to improve security because of an insurance policy renewal. Your most common solution to this dilemma is to hire a full time security guard to sit at the front door. This gives you peace of mind however, hiring a full time security guard can be extremely expensive and many times is more than what is needed based on the true risk associated with your facility.
Mobile security patrols in Perth are becoming increasingly popular. As opposed to having a security officer present on the property at each hour, trained professionals will arrive without warning, conduct inspections of the property boundaries, inspect the door and gate access points, investigate alarm activity and provide reporting to you. This is an effective option, less expensive than hiring a full time employee and can be easily adjusted to meet the specific risks associated with your business. Mobile patrol security.
This guide provides an overview of the differences between mobile and fixed-site patrol services, in terms of expense, versatility, geographic range and speed of response. By comparing these factors, you will be able to determine which type of patrol service is best suited for your property
What Are Mobile Security Patrol Services?
Mobile patrol security is exactly what it sounds like. Licensed security officers will drive around in a marked car and check on clients’ property at set intervals as well as randomly throughout their work hours. A security officer may be able to cover 12 or more different clients’ properties within his/her designated patrol area in one shift. By spreading out the responsibility, the cost can be split evenly among all of the clients.
A typical patrol visit includes several tasks:
- Walking or driving the perimeter and checking fences, gates and loading docks
- Testing that doors, roller shutters and windows are locked
- Looking for signs of attempted entry, vandalism or illegal dumping
- Checking lighting, CCTV visibility and obvious safety hazards
- Moving on loiterers and anyone who should not be there
- The visiting is documented, often through the use of time stamped digital check-ins and a written or photo report.
Most security companies will provide beyond routine patrolling. They will respond to an activated alarm. After your alarm has gone off, a nearby security guard will come to check your property for security breaches. If the guard finds nothing wrong with the security of the property, he/she will notify you, management and the emergency contacts that everything is fine. However, if there are problems with the security of the property, he/she will call the police, management and emergency contacts. Many security companies also offer other types of services such as lockups, key holding, after hour escort service, and opening/closing of properties.
What’s critical is that the term “mobile” means that the officer isn’t tied to your home or business. The fact that the officer is mobile has two aspects: One, it is the greatest advantage of this approach as it allows for cost-sharing and creates an element of uncertainty; and two, it is the greatest disadvantage of this approach, as the officer will not be present at all hours of the night.
What Does a Full-Time Security Guard Actually Do?
The term full-time or static guard refers to a security professional who is assigned to be present in only one area throughout their entire working shift. There are many examples of how this works. Some examples include: • a day guard stationed in the lobby of a business. • a night guard stationed inside a small building (such as a hut) next to the entrance/exit to a warehouse. • a roving guard who remains on-site within a large property such as a shopping mall or an industrial park.
Their typical responsibilities include:
- Controlling access and checking visitors, contractors and deliveries
- Monitoring CCTV and responding to what they see
- Acting as a visible deterrent
- Responding to incidents immediately, because they are already there
- Managing emergencies such as fire evacuations or medical events
- Handling customer or tenant enquiries in some roles
No matter what type of business you have (such as one with high-risk assets, access control requirements, etc.), a guard on site will provide a continuous presence that is superior to a mobile patrol.
The catch is that you pay for every single hour of that presence, including all of the time (many hours) that nothing occurs. For example, a guard who works a twelve-hour night shift at a quiet warehouse will typically spend ten of those hours just waiting. Some companies consider this to be justified. However, many others find it to be a very expensive method to protect themselves from a risk that peaks quickly and unpredictably.
Cost Comparison: Where Your Security Budget Really Goes
Cost is where most decisions begin, so let us deal with it directly.
A full time guard would be billed on an hourly basis. In addition, there would be additional costs associated with night work (penalty), weekend work (penalty), holiday work (penalty) and if there were one post that covered a full 24/7 roster, it would require multiple staff members so they could have breaks and not get fatigued. A single over-night post, working seven days a week, would likely cost in excess of ten thousand dollars per year. Mobile patrol security.
Mobile patrol works differently. The cost structure for this type of patrol can be based upon either each visit made, each round of patrols completed, or as part of a larger monthly package. The cost of providing an officer and a vehicle to perform these patrols is divided among all of the customers that will receive some level of service from the patrol company. Therefore, you are only charged for the time the officer spends at your location, not the entire length of the officer’s shift.
The following values are for illustrative purposes only. The cost of a service in Perth will be determined by a variety of factors including which suburb you live in, the frequency of the visits, what time of day or night they occur, and who is providing the service. Therefore, consider these figures as a guideline for comparing options rather than an official quotation.
| Cost Factor | Mobile Security Patrol | Full-Time Security Guard |
| Billing basis | Per visit or monthly package | Hourly for the full shift |
| Typical cost driver | Number of patrols and alarm responses | Hours rostered and penalty rates |
| Annual cost for a small to mid-sized site | Generally a small fraction of a guard | Often many times higher |
| Vehicle and equipment | Included in the service | Often extra, or provided by the client |
| Replacement for sick leave | Handled by the provider | Handled by the provider, but at premium rates |
| Value when the site is quiet | You only pay for visits | You pay for every idle hour |
| Best value when | Risk is occasional and after-hours | Risk is continuous and on-site |
There are a few hidden costs worth thinking about, too.
For full-time guards, remember that one position cannot be covered by the same person. A guard requires breaks; therefore, a site which operates 24/7 requires several guards to work. Additional costs include overtime, public holidays and replacement guards at short notice. Other possible requirements include a guard hut, more lighting, communications gear and a vehicle if you have a large site.
Mobile patrols often face the opposite issue regarding “hidden costs.” They typically buy too little. For instance, if you contract for two visits per day and find that you require five due to recurring problems, your costs will increase. A reputable mobile patrol service provider will assist you in establishing the appropriate visitation schedule based upon an adequate site assessment, so a risk review prior to signing is beneficial.
You also need to take into account how much it will cost to stop the things you are attempting to prevent. If a business was broken into once in their warehouse, they would lose stock, damage the rollers on the door, have a higher insurance deductible and be closed for business for a few days. If you compare a small amount per month for a patrol service with the possible losses from being broken into, the math used to determine whether or not to hire a patrol service may look much different than just comparing the hourly rate of each option.
In general terms, if most of your exposure is outside of regular business hours, and you do not require continuous monitoring of your premises, mobile patrols will provide significantly greater security for each dollar spent. Mobile patrol security.
Flexibility: Matching Security to How Your Business Operates
Businesses don’t stop moving. Seasonal highs, new occupants, remodeling periods and extended hours alter your security requirements. It’s during these times that mobile patrol services can outdo stationary guards.
Scalable Frequency. You can start with two visits each night using a mobile service and then grow to six during periods of increased risk (i.e., the weeks leading up to Christmas) where you may have a large amount of stock on hand. Once the risk decreases, you can scale back down. Although you can make adjustments to your guard roster, this will normally include minimum shift times, notice periods and fewer opportunities for fine-tuning.
The primary benefit of patrolling is that the timing of visits to the location can be random. When a guard is stationed in a fixed position, his/her schedule will be predictable. However, if a guard randomly visits the site (for example, at 10:40 P.M. on one night, but at 3:15 A.M. on another), it is much more difficult for opportunistic thieves to plan their activities around the guard’s schedule. Criminals who monitor a site usually search for patterns, and random scheduling disrupts the pattern.
Short-term and event coverage. Do you require additional verification of your property when it’s empty between tenants? Are you looking for security coverage for a building that is undergoing renovations? Is there a need to provide coverage for a long weekend when the offices will be closed? Mobile patrol services are available to meet these needs, and can be easily added and removed without requiring any long-term commitment. Mobile patrol security.
A bundled service is one where the provider will provide you with a number of different types of services (patrolling, alarm response, locking up/unlocking, holding keys, after hours escorting etc.) all bundled together in one agreement. This means that you can choose which of those services are relevant to your business at any particular point in time, and you can add or remove them as your needs change.
Contract terms. Agreements for mobile patrol services tend to be more flexible (to both begin and modify) than those for full-time guarding contracts. However, prior to signing the agreement, make sure you understand the notice periods and review provisions.
Static guards provide flexibility of a different nature. A guard can do things that may not be strictly related to security. Examples of this include checking contractor credentials, providing answers to questions and/or receiving/sending out packages. If your location requires someone to be present at the entry point of your property during normal operating hours then flexibility will be of value to your organization. On the other hand, if your main objective is to protect your property when it is closed, a mobile patrol option provides you with much greater flexibility.
Coverage: One Post vs. Many Points of Presence
Coverage is a word that gets misunderstood, so it helps to separate two ideas.
Time coverage is defined as the amount of time that an individual will be present at your location during the course of each 24-hour period. In terms of this category, a full-time security guard would win over a patrol officer. Patrol officers are only at your site for approximately 10 to 15 minutes each time they come by and they do not spend the entire evening there.
Quality of coverage is a different question than how well a security officer checks his area. He can check all of it but miss something. That would be bad. The quality of coverage question is about “how” completely the area has been checked, and whether or not the checking addressed the real risk. In this case, mobile patrols tend to do better than stationary officers.
Some of the reasons why include:
- A patrol officer drives/walks the entire boundary on every single trip. In addition to watching over all of those areas which cannot be seen by the security guard working the primary access point (front door), he/she will also drive/walk throughout all other parts of the property, including but not limited to, the back fence line, any “blind spots,” the rear laneway and/or loading dock.
- A fresh pair of eyes can find problems and issues more effectively. A new security guard working this evening at your facility will be able to recognize a potential problem or issue much more easily than one that has been watching the same image all day long.
- Layers of Deterrence can be created with numerous visits. Many visits over a single night offer many chances to see an event happening, as opposed to a single guard that may fall asleep on duty while supposed to be working at 3 am.
- Digital check-in systems create a documented record of each person’s visit to the site, along with a timestamp to verify that the individual visited the location. This type of documentation may be used by landlords, insurance companies, and compliance auditors.
However, being realistic about what you can cover (honest coverage thinking) also means realizing where there are holes in your plan. If a burglar knows a patrol has just gone past, he will know how long he can be in the area before the patrol returns. This is why having random patrols, visible CCTV, good lighting, operating alarm systems and short response times all make up the components of a security strategy. Mobile patrols are most effective when they are part of a multi-layered security strategy rather than being the only means of protecting your property. Mobile patrol security.
In cases of larger facilities with several buildings, high-value inventory, or large amounts of employees, the single or double patrols would not give you the same level of protection that you would receive from a full-time guard. At these times the best option may be a combination of both types of guards, which we will go over in more detail below.
Response Times: What Happens When an Alarm Triggers
People who are considering leaving their jobs as full time guards worry about response times above all else, therefore this should be analyzed thoroughly.
When there is an officer present, they will be able to react to any event occurring around them, whether visually or audibly. The officer sees the issue and immediately responds to it. This provides a clear advantage.
There’s a significant difference between responding to things that the security guard sees and responding to things that are detected by the security system on site. Many times if you’re using a monitored alarm system at your location, the alarm company will call either a private response service or the police department if the alarm goes off. If you are using a mobile patrol arrangement then the patrol car closest to the location where the alarm went off will be dispatched. When you have set up a good plan for patrolling an area with mobile patrol vehicles, you can expect the patrol vehicle to arrive in a few minutes. Mobile patrol security.
Compared to what most small business owners typically do when they need someone to respond to an emergency (calling a key holder and having them wake up, drive through the city and then enter an unfamiliar environment), a professional response officer arriving before anyone else would be quicker, safer and more reliable.
| Scenario | Mobile Patrol | Full-Time Guard |
| Alarm activates after hours | Nearest patrol vehicle dispatched; typical arrival within minutes in a well-planned zone | Guard already on site, immediate check |
| Suspicious person on perimeter | Detected on next visit or by alarm or CCTV trigger | Detected and challenged immediately |
| Fire or medical emergency | Calls emergency services and attends if nearby | Immediate first response and evacuation support |
| Attempted break-in at the far side of a large site | May be caught on a patrol round or detected by alarm | May be missed if the guard is posted at the gate |
| Key holder needed to unlock or reset | Officer can hold keys and attend | Guard can assist if on site |
Two practical points are worth raising with any provider before you sign:
- Find out about the number of patrol zones and vehicles. Response times vary based upon how far away the closest officer is to your location and how many vehicles are being used to cover the area during the period in question. If a company has a smaller, better-staffed zone surrounding your community then they can provide better service than a company that provides coverage for half of the metropolitan area using only a few cars.
- Ask for a written response commitment. A reliable provider will be able to provide you with both their average and maximum response times to an alarm activation in your area as well as how they calculate these response times.
In terms of response times, there’s no question that a full-time security officer will provide you with a significant advantage. However, the difference between a full-time security officer and an on-demand service (even if you have working alarm systems and CCTV) isn’t as great as people think. And, as long as your service provider is actually located in your community, that difference gets smaller.
Which Option Suits Your Business Size?
The best decision for you will most likely depend on what type of site you have (large vs. small), how expensive the items are on that site, and at what time your risk will be at its greatest. Below is a breakdown of how this comparison is typically made based upon the size of the company.
Small Offices and Single-Tenant Premises
A small office has many of the same things (e.g., computers, files, cash) that other offices have. However, most small offices are unoccupied during the day and on weekends. The major threats to a small office are after-hours burglaries and damage. Hiring a full time guard would be too expensive for a small office. Patrols randomly throughout the night, responding to alarms, and locking the doors after business hours will provide excellent security protection while remaining affordable.
Small to Mid-Sized Warehouses and Industrial Units
Warehouses have many types of inventory (stock), tools, and vehicles, which makes them appealing to thieves. In addition, warehouses usually reside in industrial areas where there is little activity or light after dark. Mobile patrols can be used as part of a comprehensive security strategy, including using effective lighting, CCTV, and a monitored alarm system. Patrols should be increased during high-stock seasons. When storing very expensive products, it may be beneficial to hire a security officer to watch the facility during those times when the facility is at the greatest risk for theft.
Large Warehouses, Distribution Centres and Logistics Hubs
Large companies that operate around the clock, have continuous vehicle movement at their facility, or hold extremely valuable items may require a security guard at the entrance to regulate entry into the site and provide assistance with day-to-day operations. However, during times of lower activity (such as after hours, weekends, and holidays) when staffing levels do not justify the expense of a full-time security staff, a mobile patrol can monitor the site. Mobile patrol security.
Commercial Property Managers and Strata Portfolios
A mobile patrol is an excellent option for managing multiple buildings. A mobile patrol can be assigned to multiple buildings within the same area, providing one contact person, consolidated reporting, and being much less expensive than hiring guards for every building. Also, mobile patrols provide incident reports that are useful for communicating with property owners and tenants. Mobile patrol security.
Multi-Site Businesses and Franchises
Retail chains, depots and franchise networks that cover the area of Perth will have the same scheduled patrol and reporting for each location. This allows for a much easier management of a patrol provider, as opposed to having multiple guard contracts to deal with.
Quick Reference Table
| Business Type | Typical Risk Profile | Best Starting Point |
| Small office | After-hours break-in, vandalism | Mobile patrol with alarm response |
| Small to mid-sized warehouse | Theft of stock and equipment overnight | Mobile patrol, higher frequency in peak periods |
| Large distribution centre | Constant movement, high-value goods | Gate guard plus mobile patrol for off-peak times |
| Property manager (multiple sites) | Vandalism, trespass, tenant complaints | Mobile patrol across the portfolio |
| Construction or vacant site | Theft of materials, squatters | Mobile patrol, temporarily increased |
| Retail or high foot-traffic premises | Shoplifting, aggression, crowd control | Full-time guard during trading hours, patrol after hours |
Seven Situations Where Mobile Patrols Are the Smarter Choice
If you’re still trying to decide on this matter, there are several instances when a mobile patrol will produce the most desirable outcome.
- The site is closed during the night and on weekends. It’s difficult to justify paying a guard to work at a site that no one will use for 12 hours. Therefore, patrols occur only when your site is most susceptible to being breached.
- You don’t have a lot of money to spend on security, yet you want the same quality as those who can afford a full-time officer. Mobile patrol gives smaller and medium-sized organizations the ability to hire professional, licensed security officers at an affordable price point.
- A security system with monitoring capabilities or a CCTV system. Technology can detect intruders; patrols can respond. The two together are efficient because the human officer will arrive only when there is an actual event occurring.
- You have had many repeated small issues. Irregular patrolling helps to prevent problems such as graffiti, loitering, illegal dumping and even attempted forced entry. Irregular patrolling prevents these problems from happening because criminals do not know when a patrol car may appear.
- Several properties are managed by you. There is only one patrol provider; there is only one contact person; there are only one set of reports. This provides both financial and administrative savings that are equal in size.
- You have a short-term/temporary risk. Holiday periods, building work, empty rental units, and peak inventory levels are examples of times you may increase your patrol coverage, and then decrease it.
- You need evidence of your due diligence. For the purpose of providing insurance, landlord requirements, and regulatory compliance, the use of time-stamped patrol records and incident reporting will provide you with a “paper trail” that may not exist when there is no activity during a quiet shift.
When Full-Time Guards Are Still the Right Call
Without being totally honest in our assessment of when static guarding really does have the upper hand, it will never be a fair comparison. Sometimes, a mobile guard can be as efficient and professional as possible but still be the wrong way to protect something.
- Access control is an everyday requirement. In order to check and sign in every guest, contractor, and delivery, you will have to have a person working at either the main entrance or the front desk.
- Constant physical security presence is typically justified for high-value/risk items such as jewelry, pharmaceutical products, electronics, fire arms, and businesses with a need to handle cash. In addition to justification for constant security presence, some insurance carriers will also require it.
- Crowds and Public Interactions: Shopping centers, event locations, hotels/restaurants, etc. require security guards who are capable of managing individuals as they occur.
- In addition to known and active threats, if you are being specifically targeted by an individual or organization, or have received what appears to be credible threats, it would be much safer to use a continuous form of protection.
- Safety-Critical Environments. Sites that pose high levels of danger from fires, chemicals, or other safety hazards may require a full-time, trained, on-site staff member who can respond to emergencies.
- The minimum required guarding levels may be specified by contracts, regulations, insurance policies or industry standards.
If any of the above situations apply to you, a full-time guard is not merely a “nice to have,” it is the correct response. While this article does not advocate for patrols over all other forms of security, it will assist you in avoiding spending too much money on security when your true level of risk requires less.
The Hybrid Approach: Getting the Best of Both
Many medium-to-large sized companies have realized that the most logical option for their business is not necessarily “either/or.” A hybrid approach will allow a company to combine the benefits of each.
- A security guard will be on duty for all of the busiest and/or most dangerous times of day/night (i.e. business hours) and/or for the highest-risk time period at night. All other times are covered by mobile patrol.
- Static Guard at Main Gate, Perimeter Patrol. A stationary guard will control who enters through the main gate, and then a mobile unit (patrol vehicle) will be dispatched to secure the exterior of the property and neighboring areas.
- The patrol serves as a backup to the technology. The technology includes CCTV, alarm systems, and access controls which monitor, while the patrol responds and verifies.
- Seasonal guards with permanent patrolling. Maintain patrols all year long, and provide an additional guard during times of increased risk (e.g., peak stock levels at the end of the year).
A hybrid method is typically much cheaper than having a full-time security officer and it addresses the majority of the vulnerabilities left open by an only-patrol method. To begin, you must conduct a thorough risk evaluation before you make assumptions.
How to Choose a Mobile Patrol Provider in Perth
All patrol services are not created equally, and the least expensive quote will usually be the most costly option. Prior to making your commitment, use this checklist.
Licensing and Insurance In Western Australia, security companies and employees are required to have the correct licenses. Request to view current licenses and certificates of currency for public liability insurance as well as workers compensation insurance.
Local expertise. When you have a provider that operates in your neighborhood on a regular basis, they are familiar with the area’s top crime-prone locations, the alleyways and how to contact the local law enforcement agency. The local expertise can be used to improve response times and enhance the effectiveness of the checks.
The patrol technology used to report on patrols. Look for: – GPS tracking – Digital check-in points – App-based reporting – Prompt reporting of incidents. Without confirmation that a patrol took place, you are using your own judgment as to whether or not it did.
Ask for average response time to alarms in your area, and what methods you use to track these.
Staff vetting and training. Officers will have access to your keys and access codes. Therefore, you should inquire about the officers’ background checks, training, and supervision.
The initial assessment of the site is critical. A reliable security company should conduct an on-site inspection of your property to determine potential access points, possible threats, and recommend a patrol schedule based upon their findings. Caution should be taken when selecting a security provider who provides a quote for services without physically visiting the site first.
Transparency in contract and pricing terms. Be sure to check what services are included, what will be the additional cost of extra visits or emergency service calls, and how much time you have to give notice before making changes to your contract or ending it.
Customer Service When something goes wrong at 3:00 am, there is no substitute for a real person to answer your call. When looking for Lookout Mobile Security Customer Service, please be aware that searching for this term may also produce results related to a security app for cell phones. Therefore, when attempting to contact a physical patrol provider with a local control room and after-hours emergency line, verify that you have found a physical patrol provider with a local control room and after-hours emergency line. Prior to signing any contracts with a security company, assess the speed of response time to your initial inquiries and whether or not the responses provided were understandable.
There’s no such thing as a “better” choice between mobile security patrols and full-time guards. The issue is which option is best suited to meet your actual risks. If your business is closed most of the time, your primary risks are after-hours theft and vandalism; if you already use or intend to install alarm systems and surveillance cameras, then a mobile security patrol service in Perth is generally going to offer you a greater level of security, flexibility and comprehensive coverage at a significantly reduced price. On the other hand, if your facility requires continuous supervision, daily access controls or crowd control, a full-time guard is still the most appropriate choice; however, a combination of both options (a hybrid) could potentially provide the ideal solution.