TacDesk Blog
Insights & guides for UK security companies
Compliance, operations, and growth, written by people who actually work the shifts.
Showing 24 of 216 articles
Ring Your Clients Before They Ring You
Most security clients only hear from their provider when something has gone wrong. A short, regular review call changes that, and it protects the contract better than a discount does.
The Shift Swap You Only Hear About After It Has Happened
Officers swap shifts between themselves all the time, usually by text and usually without telling you. Why that quietly breaks your rota, and what to do about it without banning it.
Five Things to Ask Every Security Bidder
A security tender is easy to turn into a price comparison. These five asks turn it into a question the bidder has to answer with records: licensing, BS 7858 screening, shift records, incident logs and insurance.
A Rota Published on Thursday for Monday Is a Rota Nobody Can Plan Around
How late the rota goes out matters more than most owners admit. A founder's view on what short notice does to your officers' lives, and your retention.
The Three People You Always Ring When the Rota Has a Hole
Every security company has the same few officers who say yes to last-minute cover. Here is why leaning on them quietly breaks your rota, and what to do instead.
The Contract You Win on Price Is the One You Pay For
Winning a security contract by being cheapest often means funding it from your own margin and your best people. Why I think owners should walk away from some tenders.
The Christmas Rota Is a Fairness Problem Before It Is a Cover Problem
Every security company owner knows the festive rota is hard to fill. The part that does lasting damage is who gets asked, again. A founder's view on sharing the worst shifts of the year fairly.
The Shift Change Nobody Told Them About
Most rota failures are not a missing person. They are a change that was made but never reached the officer. A founder's view on closing the gap between the rota and the phone in someone's pocket.
Security Staff and Handcuffs: What the Law in England and Wales Allows, and What Your Policy Should Say
Can security staff use handcuffs in England and Wales? A plain guide for security company owners and managers on the law of arrest, reasonable force, health and safety training, and what to record every time cuffs go on.
Not Every Contract Is Worth Keeping
A founder's view on the contracts that quietly cost more than they pay, how to spot them, and how to hand one back without burning the relationship.
Before You Sign Security Software, Read the Exit Terms
Everyone checks what a rota system can do. Fewer owners check how to leave it. The questions on data, notice, price rises and support that decide whether you are a customer or a hostage.
When Only One Person Can Run Your Rota
In many security companies the rota lives in one person's head and one person's spreadsheet. A founder's view on why that is a risk to the business, and how to spread it before it bites.
The First Month of a New Contract Is the Whole Contract
Winning a contract is the easy bit to celebrate. A founder's view on why the first four weeks decide whether you keep it, and what to get right before day one.
Double Booked Is a Rota Problem, Not a People Problem
Two people turn up at one site, or nobody turns up at another. A founder's view on why double booking is almost never carelessness, and what it says about where your rota lives.
Switching Security Software Without Losing a Week of Sleep
What moving a security company onto new software actually involves: your data, your staff, running both systems side by side, and what to ask a vendor before you sign.
The Officer Who Covers a Site They Have Never Seen
When someone goes sick at 5pm, the gap gets filled by whoever says yes. Too often that person has never set foot on the site. A founder's view on the part of last-minute cover nobody talks about.
You Can Tell a Cowboy Outfit the Moment Something Actually Happens
Anyone can look professional on a quiet night. What separates a properly run security operation from a cowboy outfit only shows once something actually goes wrong.
UK Security Company Compliance: The Complete Checklist
SIA licensing, ACS, BS 7858 vetting, right to work, working time, Martyn's Law and GDPR: the checklist every UK security company needs to keep on top of, with the current rules and where to go for the detail.
Front Line vs Non-Front Line SIA Licence: Which Do You Need?
Front line or non-front line? Which SIA licence each role needs, the eight sectors, the three-year term and the current fee, checked against gov.uk.
Security Site Risk Assessments: A Practical Guide for Guarding Firms
How to write a site risk assessment that holds up at audit, how it connects to your assignment instructions, and where TacDesk holds the site information behind both.
How to Start a Security Company in the UK: A Practical Guide
What actually has to happen before you can trade as a UK manned guarding company: company formation, SIA licensing for staff and directors, insurance, vetting, your first contracts and the tooling to run it.
BS 7499 Explained: The Static Guarding Standard for UK Security Companies
What BS 7499 actually covers, how it sits alongside BS 7858 vetting, BS 7984 keyholding and the SIA Approved Contractor Scheme, and where to check the current edition.
Nobody Remembers a Description Passed Over the Radio
Passing an accurate description over a town-link radio is harder than it sounds. Here is why it goes wrong, and what good practice looks like.
What a Client Actually Asks For When They Ask You to Prove the Patrol Happened
The evidence question turns up in bids, client reviews and disputes. Here is what a paper patrol sheet can prove, what it can't, and what NFC checkpoint scanning changes.