The next two articles on our blog are going to be on the topic of the price you are willing to pay for your security services. This is a topic that we feel strongly about as for some reason, over the Years’ the security industry has tended towards being a low skilled industry.
Today we have a situation where industry wide the quality of training is low, the quality of professional is poor. And either the cause or effect of this is that business and home owners have low expectations thus shop for service providers, with price being one of the foremost buying considerations.
The main reason why we passionately feel this is a bad situation is because at Rent a Cop, we look at what our responsibilities are and take them seriously. If for example you hire us to secure your house, what are we protecting?
In most cases we are protecting your most valuable financial asset. We are also protecting your home though, your family, your memories, your security and refuge. That’s a whole lot of responsibility.
What about if you use our security services for your business? In many cases our responsibility is to secure millions and millions of dollars of assets and income. It’s not something you’d really want to trust to a low skilled, poorly trained professional.
The purpose of this article is to let you know that the government agrees with Rent a Cop on this. When you are looking for a Security Company to protect your home or business, there are some things you need to know. The reason you need to know these things is that many of the cheaper security firms do not abide by The Security Providers Act, Fair Work Australia, Liquor Licensing, Fair Trading (to name a few) and as such, your home or business may have engaged protection by an illegal or unethical operator.
Here are some things to consider:
1. In the security industry, a security business (who employs staff) cannot be a sole trader.
2. Sole Traders (ABN Holders – Individual) working for Security Companies is illegal. A security business CANNOT use Sole Traders (Sub-Contractors)
3. About 90% of security professionals are NOT paid in accordance with the Modern Award (Fair Work Australia) or approved EBA.
4. Large percentage of foreign nationals are working in the security industry whilst studying in Australia. Many are working in excess of the allowable hours (under student visa) allocated by DeptOf Immigration in sham contract arrangements for as little as $8 per hour. These students won’t complain to authorities as work is scarce & they don’t want to affect their ability to earn income or be deported for breach of visa conditions. These officers are usually poorly trained & have little understanding or capability to perform their function effectively.
So considering this, when you are selecting a security company to protect your assets, family, business and income, consider how your security may be impacted if an organisation does not comply with the regulations and/or does not pay its professionals correctly. Because this is how the cheaper operators work.
Do you really think you are getting SECURITY from these businesses?
