Three Easy Steps to Assess the Value of Your Security Patrol Service
If you’re like many of our clients, you may wonder whether your contracted security patrol service is truly delivering value. Do you receive little to no reporting? Are you unsure if patrols occur as scheduled?
Before deciding whether to continue or make a change, follow these three steps to evaluate if your security patrol service is meeting its contractual obligations.
Step 1: Request an attendance report
Start by reaching out to your security provider and requesting an attendance report for the past year. Ask for it in Excel format for easy analysis.
The report should, at a minimum, include two key columns: arrival date & time and departure date & time for each visit. The column names may vary depending on the provider, but these timestamps are essential for verifying attendance.
In some cases, the report may only contain arrival times at designated tag locations. If you have multiple tag locations, this data can still be useful. However, if only a single tag location is used, it may not provide a full picture of patrol consistency.
Most security patrol companies automatically track this data, and the records should be reliable, as they serve as proof of service. If your provider delays the request or makes excuses—such as claiming the file is too large (a common deflection we encountered just last week)—consider it a red flag.
Step 2: Analyse the data
Once you receive the attendance report, take these two key steps:
- Compare actual attendance to the contract – Count the total number of visits recorded and compare it to the contracted requirement. Are they meeting expectations?
- Assess time spent on-site – Calculate the difference between arrival and departure times (or the time between the first and last checkpoint). This will give you an idea of how long the patrols are staying on-site and whether that duration is sufficient for the required tasks.
For example, in a recent analysis we conducted for a client, the findings were clear:
- Contract requirement: 3 visits per night, full perimeter fence patrol (approximately 500m)
- Attendance report findings: 899 recorded visits vs. 1,095 required (365 days × 3 visits). This means 18% of patrols were missed
- Average on-site time: 2 minutes, 55 seconds
With a full year of data, additional insights will emerge, making it clear whether your security provider is meeting expectations—or falling short.
Step 3: Have a fact-based discussion with your security provider
When reviewing the results, consider the reality your security provider may be facing. In one recent case, the company had significantly underquoted the contract, making it impossible for them to deliver the promised service at the agreed price. However, what they ultimately provided was insufficient, unjustifiable, and a waste of time and money for our client.
At the end of the day, the data speaks for itself—it’s their own record of service. If the numbers don’t align with contractual obligations, there’s no room for debate. Present the findings and hold them accountable.
