Manned guarding vs mobile patrols for your site

What each service is

Manned guarding, also called static guarding, means a licensed security officer stays at one site for the whole shift. The officer controls who comes in, watches the site, carries out internal and perimeter checks, and deals with incidents as they happen. Cover can be day, night, weekends or 24/7.

Mobile patrols mean an officer visits the site at set or varied times, usually by vehicle, and goes on to other sites between visits. Each visit typically includes a perimeter check, a test of doors, gates and windows, and a look inside if access is agreed. Patrols are often combined with lock-up and unlock, keyholding and alarm response.

Licensing for both

Both services are licensable when supplied under a contract. GOV.UK guidance says a security guard licence is needed to "guard premises or property against damage, theft, unauthorised access or disorderly behaviour". This covers a static guard and a patrol officer alike.

Key holding is a separate licensable activity when carried out under a contract. GOV.UK defines it as security work that involves "keeping, or controlling access to, any key or device for operating a lock". Ask any provider for licence numbers and check them on the SIA register of licence holders on GOV.UK.

When manned guarding is the right choice

A static guard suits sites where someone needs to be present all the time, or where the risk is high enough that a gap between visits matters:

• Sites with regular visitors, deliveries or contractors who need signing in.
• Reception, front of house and access control roles.
• High value stock, plant or equipment that is easy to remove quickly.
• Sites with a recent history of break-ins, trespass or vandalism.
• Shops with repeat theft or abuse of staff during trading hours.
• Construction sites with open boundaries, scaffolding or excavations that need watching.
• Times when the building's alarm or CCTV is out of action.
• Insurance conditions that require a guard on site.

When mobile patrols are the right choice

Patrols suit sites that need regular checks but not constant presence:

• Closed or empty premises, including offices and shops over holidays.
• Vacant buildings awaiting sale, let or redevelopment.
• Car parks, yards and compounds that need checking overnight.
• Smaller construction sites, where the perimeter is sound and plant is locked away.
• Sites with monitored CCTV and alarms, where patrols add a physical check.
• Multi-site estates that need the same checks at each location.

Because one patrol officer covers several sites on a route, patrols can cost less than a static guard covering the same hours. The trade-off is that nobody is on site between visits.

Where alarms and CCTV fit

An alarm or camera can tell you something is wrong, but someone still has to attend. Before choosing, check what each system does on your site:

• Who receives an alarm activation, and who attends.
• Whether CCTV is monitored live or only recorded.
• How long footage is kept, and who can access it.
• Whether cameras cover entrances, yards and the perimeter after dark.

A site with monitored CCTV and alarm response may need fewer patrol visits. A site with no monitoring relies more on people.

Combining the two

Many sites need different cover at different times. Common combinations include:

• A static guard during working hours for access control, with patrols overnight.
• Patrols for most of the year, with a static guard over Christmas, bank holidays or other high risk periods.
• Patrols as standard, with a static guard brought in after a break-in until the site is secured.
• Keyholding and alarm response on top of either, so an officer attends when an alarm activates.

Review the cover after any incident and at least once a year, or when the use of the site changes.

Questions for the site walk and the provider

Work through these with your security provider during a site walk:

1. What is on site, and how easily could it be removed or damaged?
2. Has the site had incidents, and when do they happen?
3. Does anyone need to be let in, signed in or checked at the gate?
4. What alarm and CCTV is in place, and who responds to it?
5. How long would a break-in go unnoticed between patrol visits?
6. Does your insurer set any conditions for guarding or empty premises?
7. Who are the keyholders, and can they attend at night?

Then agree in writing:

• The licence type and number for each officer.
• The hours of a static guard, or the number and timing of patrol visits.
• Whether patrol times are varied, so they cannot be predicted.
• What each patrol checks, inside and outside.
• What records you receive, and how quickly.
• What happens when an officer finds a problem, and who is called.
• How alarm activations are handled, and what attendance to expect.
• Who supervises the officers and how you contact them.

Learn about On Guard Security

The right cover depends on the site, what it holds and when it is most at risk. On Guard Security provides manned guarding, mobile patrols, keyholding and alarm response across Edinburgh, Glasgow and the rest of Scotland, including business parks, retail parks and industrial estates. Officers are SIA licensed and shifts are supervised.

Patrols begin with a site audit, run at varied times based on the threat level and what is stored, and can include an internal walkthrough. Every visit is time-stamped, and hourly walkthrough videos and WhatsApp updates are available depending on the package.

Most Edinburgh and Glasgow deployments can start within 2 to 4 hours, and genuine emergencies are often covered within 60 to 90 minutes, depending on location. There is a 24/7 emergency line.

Get in touch and we will learn about your site and requirements, then provide a tailored quotation and security plan or loss prevention plan. See manned guarding in Edinburgh, mobile patrols and keyholding in Edinburgh, construction site security in Glasgow, vacant property security across Scotland, or our guide to how much a security guard costs in Scotland.