TacDesk Blog
Insights & guides for UK security companies
Compliance, operations, and growth — written by people who actually work the shifts.
Showing 24 of 219 articles
The SIA Licenses Your Guards. It's Now Looking at Licensing Your Business Too.
A Home Office consultation on licensing security contractor businesses closed in March. No decision's been announced, but the SIA's own delivery planning hasn't stopped. Here's what's actually being proposed, and what to have ready either way.
Martyn's Law Won't Regulate You. It's About to Change What Your Clients Ask For.
Duties under the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 are already live and full commencement lands in spring 2027. The legal duty sits with the venue, not the contractor. But the venue is about to start asking you for proof.
Subcontracting Security Work: How to Protect Your Margins, Compliance and Reputation
Subcontracting can help you win bigger contracts and cover gaps — or it can quietly wreck your margins and your compliance. Here is how to subcontract security work without losing control.
Security Guard Uniform and PPE Standards: What UK Law Requires and What Clients Expect
A practical guide to uniform, PPE, and appearance standards for UK security guards — the legal minimums and the details that win client confidence.
Safeguarding and Whistleblowing: What Security Guards in Schools and Healthcare Need to Know
Guards working schools, hospitals, and care settings carry safeguarding responsibilities beyond standard site security — here's what UK security companies need in place.
Cyber Security Basics for Security Companies: Protecting Guard and Client Data
Security companies handle sensitive guard, client, and site data every day — here's what basic cyber hygiene looks like for a manned guarding business.
Assignment Instructions Guards Actually Follow: A Practical Guide
Most assignment instructions are too long, out of date, and stuck in a folder nobody reads. Here is how to write site instructions your guards will actually use — and how to keep them current.
Martyn's Law: What UK Security Companies Need to Know About the Protect Duty
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act — Martyn's Law — creates a new duty for venues to prepare for terror attacks. Here is what it means for UK security companies and how to turn it into an opportunity.
Coming Soon: TacDesk Circuit — the borough-wide safety layer
Every participating venue's incidents, banned list, live capacity and body-cam footage joined on one real-time picture — with council CCTV controllers and police logging in alongside the venues. Day and night. We're recruiting our first pilot districts now.
Two New Betas: Auto Dispatch and In-Car Alerts
Auto Dispatcher attaches the nearest guards to an incident the moment it's created. In-car alerts put the incident log on the CarPlay or Android Auto screen. Both open to beta testers now.
TacBot: The AI Copilot for Security Paperwork
TacBot is TacDesk's in-app AI assistant — built to chew through the admin nobody wants to do, from SIA and DVLA checks to client reports and incident write-ups.
Introducing TacFree: Free Guard Management for Small Operators
TacDesk now has a free tier. Up to 6 guards, no card, self-serve signup in minutes — GPS clock-in, unlimited incident reports, rota scheduling and SIA licence tracking included.
Client Portal Is Now Available On Every Plan
TacDesk's Client Portal — the live window your customers get into their own site coverage, reports and evidence — is now included on every plan, free tier and up.
100% Uptime: The Reliability Security Operations Depend On
TacDesk recently recorded a period of 100% uptime. Here's why reliability matters for security operations — and how we hold ourselves to it, in public.
SIA Licence Expiry: How to Manage Renewals Across a Security Workforce
A single expired SIA licence on a live deployment is a criminal offence. Here is how to track and manage licence renewals across your entire security workforce — without relying on spreadsheets.
How to Win Security Contracts: A Practical Guide to Security Tender Writing
Most security tenders are lost before the pricing page. Here is what procurement decision-makers actually look for — and how to write a submission that gets noticed.
Event Security Management: Planning, Staffing, and Compliance in the UK
Event security is one of the most operationally demanding specialisms in UK security. This guide covers the planning, staffing, compliance, and operational management requirements for event security work.
Working Time Regulations for Security Guards: What UK Security Employers Need to Know
The Working Time Regulations 1998 set strict limits on hours, rest breaks, and night work for security guards. Here’s what UK security employers must know to stay compliant in 2026.
The True Cost of Employing a Security Guard in the UK (2026 Guide)
Hourly rate is just the start. Discover the real cost of employing a security guard in the UK in 2026, including NI, holiday pay, SIA licences, vetting, and management overhead — and how to reduce it.
Patrol Management Software for UK Security Companies: What to Look For in 2026
Manual patrol logs leave gaps. Discover what patrol management software actually does, what features matter for UK security companies, and how it helps you prove performance to clients.
Why UK Security Companies Are Moving Away From Legacy Workforce Software
Generic workforce management platforms were built for general use and retrofitted to security. The result is a product that charges enterprise prices for features that don’t fit the industry. Here’s why UK security companies are switching to purpose-built alternatives.
SIA Compliance in 2026: A Practical Guide for UK Security Companies
SIA compliance requirements have changed in 2026. From increased licence fees to new refresher training obligations and Martyn’s Law, here’s what UK security companies need to know — and how to stay on top of it operationally.
The Hidden Costs of Manual Guard Scheduling — and How to Eliminate Them
If you’re managing a team of security guards on spreadsheets and WhatsApp, you’re likely paying a steep price for it. Here’s what manual scheduling really costs — and how modern guard management software changes the equation.
How to Reduce Security Guard Turnover: Practical Strategies for UK Security Firms
High staff turnover is one of the biggest operational challenges facing UK security companies. This guide covers the root causes and practical steps to reduce churn and retain your best guards.