As a major player in the pharmaceutical industry, a G4S customer specialises in manufacturing medical-grade supplies. Being a leader in the industry, the customer had begun to develop some concerns over its security programme, which primarily focused on guarding services. This became an issue as the customer was facing a shortage of manpower, which left its facility with a clear lack of security.

In addition to the manpower shortage, maintaining compliance at the site had become a challenge. Noncompliance left the company open to potential fines and penalties, and this issue became a major driving force behind the customer’s desire to improve its security programme. Among the potential security providers, G4S was found to be the one with the most experience and reputable in the areas where the customer had been suffering its greatest pain points. Therefore, the two companies entered into a partnership to upgrade the security system and address compliance issues.

THE GOALS

The customer’s primary objective was to find a security partner who not only had the technical expertise to install high-tech security systems, but also a partner who had a reputation for its knowledge of regulations and compliance across industries and localities. With G4S’s global reach and many years of experience, the customer felt confident that compliance would no longer be an issue.

The next objective was to transition from pure guarding services to an integrated security solution that relied much more heavily on technology. This was critical, as manpower shortages would leave the site unsecured without additional aid from electronic systems. With these goals in mind, G4S performed a threat vulnerability and risk assessment (TVRA) to determine the specific needs at the customer’s location, and to mitigate risks with the ideal balance of manpower and electronic security systems. This Risk-Based Approach was ideal for determining what technologies to use and where they should be implemented within the customer’s facility.

THE SOLUTION

The security plan G4S devised used technology to a great extent, and it also heavily stressed business compliance. The move to this new integrated security system solved both the physical issues with the customer’s previous security programme and resolved the struggles the customer had previously had with remaining in compliance.

There were two primary technologies put into place that greatly enhanced the customer’s security system. First, bio-metric screening was implemented for recording time and attendance. This keeps tabs on who is entering the facility and when, and it ensures those who enter are authorised to do so. G4S also used S360 for patrolling and incident reporting. This makes use of a combination of limited manpower, along with technology, to ensure that all incidents were identified and reported in real time.

THE RESULTS

The contract with G4S resulted in an immediate positive change in the customer’s security processes and auditing. No longer was limited manpower an issue, as the system that was implemented is inherently designed to operate with limited manpower. This led to improved security, and also means the customer can more reliably manage its security budget.

Due to G4S’s business compliance approach in implementing its integrated security system, the customer can now remain compliant at all times. This is a major improvement and one that could potentially save the customer a lot of money in fines. The customer’s two goals were to improve compliance and to implement integrated security to replace the need for a large workforce of guards. Both were undoubtedly accomplished.