Basics of Patrolling

Patrolling plays a huge vital role in the security profession whether it be done by foot, in a vehicle, or virtual. Think of patrolling as your meat & potatoes to providing effective security services

We will discuss the 3 main types of patrol that a lot of security companies utilize. We will also go over the pros and cons of patrolling, and discuss a little bit about the Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment

 

Foot Patrol: Patrol is done on foot where it requires a security officer to walk around an established perimeter whether it be exterior or interior 

    Pros: 

·        The security professional can check to make sure doors are properly secured meaning no doors should be left open or propped open 

·        Dangerous hazards can be identified such as spills, broken equipment, broken glass, etc. 

·        Cost effective as in it does not cost as much money to have a security professional patrol on foot compared to a security professional patrolling inside a vehicle

·        Visual presence to the client and the surrounding community

1.     Showing a presence by walking the property shows that there is an active security presence.  Employees have a feeling of being safe of they see security make their rounds 

2.     They feel that security will always be around and can be a benefit in building trust between the security professional and their client. Security can build an ominous presence

    Cons: 

·        Can be exhausting for the security professional if they must do it multiple times a day

·        Take longer to cover the perimeter compared to vehicle patrols

·        Generally, cover a certain section of the property or focus on an area

·        Response time to a call or a disturbance can be a lot slower than a vehicle patrol

Vehicle Patrol: A type of patrol that is done using a vehicle such as a patrol car or a golf cart 

    Pros: 

·        Patrols can cover more area compared to foot patrols

·        Generally, have a faster response rate compared to on foot

·        Preferred to be used when patrolling to multiple properties, alarm response, parking garages/structures, and to give curtesy rides to the clients if permitted by the company

Cons: 

·        Vehicles can coat a lot of money to maintain

·        Security professionals can become complicated as in they can miss out on important details like unsecured doors, hazards, and anything that appears out of the ordinary

·        Minimum interaction with people

 

Virtual Patrol: Patrols that are done with the use of a CCTV or surveillance system. These Patrols are done solely by using a camera to check all the areas that the camera is monitoring. This type of patrol is popular to use in critical infrastructures and government builders where there are areas that are high Security and sensitive

Pros: 

·        A lot of detail can be picked up and monitored

·        Cost effective

·        The security professional can check the cameras to make sure the cameras are working properly and if cameras are not working properly, they would immediately report the issue

·        The security professional does not have to physical enter in a sensitive area

Cons: 

·        The security professional is not physical present at the area that they are monitoring

·        The camera system can have bugs, glitches, or even lag which sometimes cannot produce live feed

·        CCTV and other surveillance systems have blind spots in which the security professional will not be able to see

·        The surveillance system can be very expensive to maintain

·        Requires some level of training and trust for the security professional to properly operate the system

 

Overview: 

We just learned about the 3 most common patrol methods that security uses. We discussed in detail the pros and cons of each patrol method that a security professional may utilize at their site

Each of these patrol methods have both their advantages and disadvantages and are used to tailor the needs of the client or organization. Depending on what kind of security work that a security professional may do, all 3 could be utilized all together or one may solely be used to accomplish the needs of the client when it comes to patrolling





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