Outline of the Role

Emergency motorcycle response and access services for a central London security company. The role involves alarm response for residential and commercial properties, as well as providing access for contractors and carrying out mobile security patrols and property inspections. You will be required to pay close attention to security procedures and you must have an organised and responsible approach to your work. We are therefore seeking a reliable, punctual and hard working person who enjoys a degree of independence as well as being part of a team. For the right person the role will prove to be rewarding.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Emergency alarm response and access services
• Mobile patrols. Property unlocks / lock-ups
• Dealing with job-related administration and attention to security procedures
• Standard shift rota with a varied pattern of shifts. Each is a max of 12 hours

Qualifications, Skills, Experience and Personal Requirements

• Full UK motorbike licence essential
• SIA security license preferred although not essential as full training + licence will be provided
• Previous driving experience / good knowledge of London preferred
• Checkable work history up to 5 years or to last full-time education

The Package

• Salary £7.97 per hour
• Private healthcare provided after 1 yr employment
• Stakeholder pension available. Contributory pension provided after 3 yrs employment

How to Apply

Apply in writing to, recruitment@keyholding.co.uk. For additional information about the company please refer to this website.

Outline of the Role

Emergency motorcycle response and access services for a central London security company. The role involves alarm response for residential and commercial properties, as well as providing access for contractors and carrying out mobile security patrols and property inspections. You will be required to pay close attention to security procedures and you must have an organised and responsible approach to your work. We are therefore seeking a reliable, punctual and hard working person who enjoys a degree of independence as well as being part of a team. For the right person the role will prove to be rewarding.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Emergency alarm response and access services
• Mobile patrols. Property unlocks / lock-ups
• Dealing with job-related administration and attention to security procedures
• Standard shift rota with a varied pattern of shifts. Each is a max of 12 hours
• Shifts will be a mix of weekday, weekend, and night shifts as required by the business (which may involve shift overruns)

Qualifications, Skills, Experience and Personal Requirements

• Full UK motorbike licence essential
• SIA security license preferred although not essential as full training + licence will be provided
• Previous driving experience / good knowledge of London preferred
• Checkable work history up to 5 years or to last full-time education

The Package

• Wage £96.00 per 12 hour shift (equates to £20,000 p.a.)
• 23 days holiday per year
• Private healthcare provided after 1 yr employment
• Stakeholder pension available. Contributory pension provided after 3 yrs employment

How to Apply

Apply in writing to, recruitment@keyholding.co.uk. For additional information about the company please refer to this website.

The two businesses will be merged over the coming months and trade under the name of The Keyholding Company.

United by a common business culture, the acquisition confirms The Keyholding Company a frontrunner in the security marketplace and positions the company as one of Greater London’s largest providers of keyholding, alarm response and patrol solutions.

Charlie Gordon Lennox, CEO, The Keyholding Company commented: “We’re delighted to have made this acquisition. The synergy between the two companies is a perfect fit which will complement our existing offering and enable us to enhance and develop the services we provide to our existing customers.”

Fred Herring, who was at the helm of LKHC for 14 years, will be working closely with The Keyholding Company in a consultancy role.

Says Gordon Lennox: “We’re delighted to have Fred on board and look forward to working closely with him as we further develop our expansion plans. He brings over 40 years invaluable experience to the company and is well respected within the industry. We’re confident he will play an important role in assisting with our continued growth.”

Fred Herring said: “It’s with great pleasure that the London Keyholding Company is merging with The Keyholding Company. Both organisations have long been recognised as leading security companies within the London marketplace and together, as a combined entity, will provide the perfect solution for individuals and companies looking for professional security, tailored to suit their individual needs.”

“I’m looking forward to playing an integral part in ensuring the business continues to go from strength-to-strength” concludes Herring.

For over 30 years Lots Road Auctions has been providing both contemporary and antique items for sale. Since 1979 an eclectic selection of furniture, paintings, carpets and textiles, needleworks and decorative items have been filling the salerooms where around 600 lots are auctioned every Sunday.

Lots Road Auctions comprises approximately 16,000 sq. ft over two floors and incorporates two main salerooms and smaller display areas, in addition to a number of administrative offices.

The Keyholding Company is contracted to provide Alarm Response services to the auction house, providing a rapid 24/7 response if an alarm is activated.

Nick Carter, Auctioneer at Lots Road Auctions tells us: “The showrooms are always full of furniture and there are lots of mirrors and pictures hanging on the walls. The alarm has occasionally been activated as a result of furniture dislodging when it may have been placed in a slightly precarious position or if a picture has fallen from a wall during the night.”

“There was also an occasion where a strong breeze may have moved a hanging lot tag from a chandelier which activated the alarm. We can’t expect staff to attend activations in the middle of the night for something of this nature, when they’ve already spent a long day at work.”

“It gives us great peace of mind to have a professional keyholder on board to manage this important role on our behalf.”

“It means that staff don’t need to respond at vulnerable and anti-social times, which is not only inconvenient, but could potentially put them in a dangerous situation.

“Speedy response to an alarm activation is crucial and we can be assured that The Keyholding Company will dispatch a Key Warden to attend premises, usually within 20 minutes of an activation.”

“On arrival at the site, the Key Warden will verify the cause of the activation and then carry out a thorough security check of our premises. The Wardens have all carried out a full recce of the premises and know the building inside out, so they can check it quickly and efficiently and take appropriate action without delay.”

“The Key Warden will then contact our alarm company and if a break-in has occurred, they will liaise with Police. If necessary, they will organise for contractors to attend on our behalf, make good any damage and re-secure the premises as quickly as possible. A detailed report of the incident is then provided the following day.”

“Outsourcing our alarm response to The Keyholding Company has proven invaluable to us. They’ve demonstrated that the security of our premises is their priority and they’re committed to providing a professional, reliable and efficient service that is second to none” concludes Carter.

Established over 30 years ago, Thomas’s London Day Schools are a group of family-run, co-educational schools for children from the ages of two and a half to thirteen.

They educate over 1,950 children and their ethos is based on providing for their education by giving each child dignity and self-esteem through a sense of achievement, be it academic, artistic or sporting.

The Keyholding Company acts as a registered keyholder to Thomas’s London Day Schools and is contracted to attend alarm activations, providing an efficient call out response, 24/7.

Brian Butler, Facilities Manager at Thomas’s London Day Schools tells us: “The school has grown considerably over recent years and each location has a number of buildings spread out across the campus. Many staff members have access to these buildings, so it’s inevitable that as a result of unintentional human error, they’re susceptible to some alarm activations.”

“As the Schools are situated in residential locations, it was of paramount importance to us to reduce any undue disturbance to our neighbours with noisy alarms going off at weekends and during the night time and make sure activations are attended to as speedily as possible.”

“Our other key area of concern was that we wanted to eliminate the inconvenience of staff attending false alarm activations and the potential physical risk they may face as a result of attending a genuine activation.”

“We didn’t want to ask staff who had already worked a full day to attend activations in the middle of the night or during weekends and holiday periods and wanted to exercise a duty of care to our employees. As a result, we decided to outsource this important role and put the responsibility in the hands of a professional security organisation.”

“After researching the industry, it became clear that The Keyholding Company has established a reputation for providing professional, efficient and cost-effective security solutions, so I was confident in choosing them as our contractor.”

In the event of an alarm activation, a trained and licensed KeyWarden will attend the site, check the premises, reset the alarm or wait for an engineer if required, until the premises are re-secured. In the event of an incident, if necessary they will organise for emergency contractors to attend, make good the damage and ensure the property is left secure as soon as possible.

Says Brian Butler: “The Keyholding Company has demonstrated a real understanding of our security requirements.

We no longer have to ask staff to be on standby or put themselves in any potential dangerous or difficult position and it gives us great peace of mind to know that during vulnerable times the security of our premises is their priority.”

There is also an underlying need to employ professional keyholders due to Lone Worker Health and Safety requirements, where it clearly states “it is the employer’s duty to assess risks to lone workers and take steps to avoid or control risk where necessary”. The government has produced a leaflet on good practice for employers to consider for their lone worker, titled “WORKING ALONE IN SAFETY”. This can be viewed at www.hse.gov.uk and search for document INDG73. The questions you have to ask are “is it safe to ask a member of staff to respond to an alarm activation in the middle of the night, or ask a lone member of staff to lock up at the end of the day?”

The Jeweller – Sunday 15th, July 2007