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Virgin Atlantic
G4S Security Services (UK) has worked with Virgin Atlantic since 2003, providing security for the Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester airport. Building on this existing relationship, G4S won the contract to provide security for five further Virgin Atlantic sites based around Crawley, West Sussex. The contract started on 9 January 2006.
Challenge
Virgin Atlantic’s key objectives were as follows:
- To provide flexibility and response to mirror the potentially volatile nature of the international airline industry
- To substantially reduce like for like costs
- To improve quality of service provided both from the outsource provider and the retained organisation
- To introduce innovation and process improvements to the services in scope
- To free up Virgin Atlantic staff to focus on core business activities
- To procure a partner company with the right cultural fit.
G4S solution
G4S provides manned guarding services to five key sites:
- The Office (Virgin Atlantic’s prestigious Head Office)
- The Base (Training Facility)
- Technical Centre
- The Galleria
- The Hangar (Heathrow).
Security duties
- Providing effective manned guarding services at all nominated locations, including checking ID and preventing unauthorised access
- Regular security patrolling of all locations both on foot and by mobile unit
- During emergency situations, controlling access to the CMC room and to the sites in general following laid down procedures
- Monitoring of cameras in 10 locations
- Providing Stop and Search facility where requested by Virgin Atlantic. This could be random or with cause. The level of the search can range from possessions to personal search (all searches only carried out where consent is given).
- Dealing with security queries/requests in person, via the telephone and the email system
- Issuing ID access cards to employees and contractors and managing the door access systems
- Liasing with Security Equipment companies regarding maintenance and repairs of system
- Providing an immediate response to unmanned buildings in case of emergencies
- Locking and unlocking of internal offices and rooms
- Providing an on demand locking/unlocking facility to smaller locations and site barriers
- Acting as the Key Holder response service to unmanned sites
- Managing protection of premises from occupation by Itinerant Travellers
- Acting as first response to activated intruder alarms
- Monthly checking of all security doors/access equipment/camera and recording equipment
- Checking property lighting both internal and external and reporting defects to maintenance
- Ensuring lighting in fire escape routes and stairwells is switched on when required
- Provision of additional guards to meet emergency requirements at short notice
- Liasing with the Virgin Atlantic threat assessment team to identify potential risks and then act as required i.e. bomb threats
- Evacuation of buildings - liasing with emergency services to get staff out and, when clear, back into premises as quickly as possible
- Monitoring of the five-minute warning system for The Office fire alarm - this prevents unnecessary evacuations
- Fire alarm testing once a week at 12 locations
- Sprinkler system testing once a week
- Checking Health & Safety documentation of contractors and issuing work permits on behalf of the Facilities department out of hours
- Escorting contractors, providing access to secure areas, and ensuring they work to their method statements/risk assessments
- Ensuring that Security Supervisors at The Office, The Base, The Hangar and the Mobile Patrols are all First Aid trained. Providing First Aid cover for the majority of locations and in particular the Fitness Suite
- Providing a response service to lift alarms and initiating lift evacuation procedures
- Lone worker monitoring
- Provide site protection during the fire brigade strikes
- Gritting of car park/pavements during icy conditions - manually and with use of mobile spreader attached to vehicles
- Escorting staff to cars. Female staff particularly feel vulnerable when leaving in the dark - this is arranged for any building as required
- Weekly testing of emergency phones/panic alarms/intercoms/fire escape routes
- Manning reception out of normal hours
- Acting as main building reception at The Galleria
- Escorting visitors and staff, new and old, for medicals
- Making all attempts to keep the disabled bays free so that disabled staff and disabled visitors can use the facility
- Site escorting for insurance inspectors, landlords and the fire brigade
- Responding to staff requirements at the car park, e.g. unable to access/egress barrier, unable to start car
- Assisting receptionists during the busy times and when they need a break
- Accepting out of hours deliveries
- Facilitating deliveries for catering which arrive before catering staff commence work
- Operating out of hours helpdesk for all locations
- Night security staff carry out a secure shredding facility
- Pool car administration - managing the booking system, ensuring cars are booked into garages, providing records for the Facilities department
- Monitoring of contractors on site out of normal hours
- Building patrols - checking premises and plant-rooms out of normal working hours, calling facility staff, contractors or emergency services
- Assist in setting up/dismantling rooms for training, meetings and events
- Managing parking and dealing with abandoned vehicles
- Nightly check of meeting room equipment
- Assisting Marketing Department with internal communications - putting up posters, carrying out desk drops
- Unlocking the Fitness Suite and checking all equipment before members use at the beginning of each day, checking and locking at end of day
- Using 'Go Jacks' to move vehicles causing an obstruction
- Delivering milk to assist catering staff when required
The benefits to the customer of using G4S are significant. Because of our resource pool of around 1,200 personnel at Heathrow and 300 at Gatwick we are able to ensure complete staffing for this contract. Our customer has confidence that we will always provide the required personnel at the required times. Moreover, they can be additionally assured that in the event of an extraordinary event G4S will have sufficient resource to be able to provide additional staff deployment at short notice.
Virgin Atlantic achieves added value by achieving real cost benefits by placing their Buildings security with the supplier of their Aviation security. G4S passes these on to Virgin Atlantic by utilising existing management teams and so are able to reduce this overhead cost for them.
Results already for Virgin Atlantic include an immediate £100,000 reduction in their annual Buildings security spend.
