Venture Security provides manned guarding for Salisbury Cathedral

Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire is one of the UK’s most recognisable landmarks.

Set within a 60-acre walled close and housing one of only four remaining copies of the 1215 Magna Carta, the cathedral is open to the general public every day of the year and visited by more than 260,000 people annually.

Venture has been working with the cathedral since June 2017 and has responsibility for locking up the site every evening. Additionally, Venture’s SIA Licensed Security Operatives carry out daily patrols of the cathedral site on foot, between the months of June and November. The trained security operatives help to tackle any anti-social behaviour, while their presence offers reassurance to staff, visitors and local residents alike.

Manned guarding services

Following a hammer attack on the Magna Carta’s casing earlier this year and several incidents involving members of the public coming into the cathedral and acting aggressively towards staff and other visitors - one individual being armed with a weapon - the cathedral decided to expand its security detail.

Venture Security is now providing a full-time static guard on site, in addition to the foot patrols and site lock up service. And according to Salisbury Cathedral Close Manager Tony Wheeler, feedback has been very positive.

Tony explains: “We are fortunate that incidents involving antisocial and aggressive behaviour are not a regular feature of life in the Close, but nevertheless the safety of visitors and frontline staff and remains our top priority, and we take our duty of care very seriously. Our aim is to ensure that anyone coming to the cathedral has a pleasant experience and they feel safe and able to carry out their worship as they wish.” 

He continued: “Venture’s services and the foot patrols have been very effective in tackling issues such as drug and alcohol use in the grounds, aggressive behaviour and littering. They have managed to combine patrolling with presenting a friendly and welcoming presence.

“Bolstering our security with the addition of a full-time static guard has proven equally as effective, allowing us to defuse any potentially threatening situations quickly, before the situation escalates.”

Paul Howe, MD, Venture Security: “It’s an honour to be supporting the team at the cathedral. Our main priority is public safety and the protection of property.

“As a high-profile place of worship that is open to the public and visited by thousands of people every year, there are naturally incidents that need managing and our trained security operatives ensure these are dealt with quickly and professionally, with as little disruption caused as possible.”

About Venture Security

Venture Security, based in Andover, is ranked within the top 1% of security providers in the UK. The family-run company was founded in 2006 and works with both corporate and residential clients, ranging from SME’s to blue chip companies.

The company’s most popular services include night security, manned guarding, mobile patrols, premises locks/unlocks, and key holding and alarm response - which start from just 75p per day.

Venture Security was also one of the first companies in both Hampshire and Wiltshire to be accredited by the Police under the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS) for city centre security, giving accredited security officers low level police powers.

For more information, call 01264 391538 or email [email protected].

You may also be interested in:

• Venture Security becomes the first organisation to be accredited by Wiltshire Police under the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS)
• The Venture Security team picks up three industry awards
• What are mobile security patrols and how do they work?