Benefits of using a professional keyholding service

No-one enjoys getting ‘the call’.

You know, the one that comes through at 3am telling you the intruder alarm system is going off at your business premises and that you need to attend to investigate.

Not only is it unpleasant – especially if you live some distance away and it happens regularly - but it can also put you and your employees at potential risk, if the cause of the alarm is an intruder and they are still on site.

Speed of response in this situation can also have consequences, as every minute counts. The longer a would-be criminal is left on site undisturbed, the greater the potential financial and reputational impact of their actions may be. But it’s not always easy for employee key holders to mobilise themselves quickly.

Which is where professional key holding and alarm response services come in.

How do keyholding and alarm response services work?

If you work with a professional security company, such as ourselves here at Venture, then we can look after a set of keys to your premises and become the primary responder in the event of your security, fire or even plant alarms being activated. Instead of calling you, the alarm company will call us if an alarm is going off and needs further attention. We are always ready to respond at very short notice, 365 days a year.

Our trained, vetted and SIA licenced security officers will then attend the site and investigate the cause of the alarm, alerting the emergency services and your team where appropriate. For example, if they discover a commercial burglary in action, trespassers on site, or the alarm has been caused by a maintenance issue that needs immediate attention (such as a burst water pipe).

All our officers are trained in conflict management and crime scene management and have a company-wide average response time of just 22 minutes, meaning the window of opportunity is minimised.

All activity on site is recorded electronically, including proof of attendance, written reports and evidence capture whether or not there has been a false activation, and reports are sent directly to the customer.

5 advantages of using an external keyholding service

• Takes pressure away from employees and risk away from employers
• Ensures a quick response time - reducing the window of opportunity for an intruder
• Removes issues of lone worker compliance
• Leaves crime scenes to be dealt with by trained security personnel
• Stops you wasting time on false alarms

Lone worker safety and keyholding

If you do use employees as key holders, then another issue that needs careful consideration is lone worker safety and ensuring you are keeping employees safe and comply with all relevant health and safety regulations.

The rules are designed to protect staff member who may find themselves, or be required to work, alone at any time. They ensure that risk assessments have been carried out and appropriate consideration given to the individual and any lone working situations they may be faced with. 

For more advice on this subject, take a look at our blog: ‘Employer’s guide to lone worker safety in 2022’.

Aside from all of this, employees must be able to rest and switch off, they could be unwell, they may wish to indulge in alcohol and may have time off. It can be difficult managing this with an on-call rota, especially when it is not part of your day-to-day activity.

Senko – key holding Basingstoke

Prior to working with Venture, responsibility for responding to alarms at tech company Senko had generally fallen to the warehouse manager. This included being called to the premises in the early hours several times and on one occasion arriving to find the police on site looking for an escaped prisoner. Believing there had to be a better and safer way, Venture was contracted to help in 2020.

“Calling on the services of Venture is genuinely one of the best things we’ve ever done. Their responses and communication are excellent and we’re very happy with the service”

Read more.

Lawton Communications Group – key holding Southampton

For many years, Lawton Communications placed responsibility on staff members to hold keys and respond to alarms out of hours, with employees taking it in turns by rota. But after discovering a break-in in the early hours and wanting to reduce any risk faced by employees, the team spoke to experienced local security provider Venture.

“It gives us great peace of mind knowing that a trained and experienced security operative is dealing with things, rather than placing any risk or responsibility on our staff members.”

Read more.

Crescent Pharma - key holding Basingstoke

Venture was brought in to take responsibility for responding to alarm activations away from Crescent Pharma employees, many of whom lived some distance away. This relieved them of the need to visit the premises at unsociable hours and also removed the risk of encountering intruders.

“What we find very appealing about Venture is that they are a local company and very professional. They are easy to work with and highly responsive to requests. They listen and are genuinely nice people”

Read more.

Interested in keyholding services for your business?

At Venture, we support hundreds of businesses across Hampshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Surrey and Dorset with our popular keyholding and alarm response services, which are available from just 75p a day. It’s time to stop dreading those alarm calls!

Increased security for complete peace of mind

From security guards to mobile patrols and our other popular security services, there are many ways we can help protect your business. Whether you’re a small business, a large manufacturer, or a multi-site organisation, we can help you.

To find out more, email [email protected] or call us on 01264 391 538.