G4S introduces Connected Officer to drive security transformation

For many years, too many people have associated security with disengaged officers, offering a limited set of skills and reluctantly performing and recording a minimum set of daily tasks.

While customers may have been aware of these flaws, many have not prioritised security and, as a result, their security has continued in the same shape and design over lengthy periods, becoming outdated and ineffective.

Common complaints

Common complaints have included security being too reactive to incidents or providing limited and inadequate service delivery reporting.

The officers themselves often cite a sense of loneliness, with an under-investment in training and development and a lack of connection to their head office and colleagues leading to their disengagement. However, with the post-pandemic environment acting as a catalyst, organisations are demonstrating a much greater appetite to modernise security.

Role of security

Security providers must supply their customers with clear and transparent performance data in real-time

Noah Price, G4S Academy International Director, outlines how the role of security is changing and how its Connected Officer Programme delivers service improvement, workforce engagement, and safer environments by leveraging technology advancements while maintaining personal interaction.

Current security consumers demand a proactive, data-driven, intelligent, and informed approach to operational delivery. Security providers must supply their customers with clear and transparent performance data in real-time, to drive better decision-making.

So how is security responding?

G4S’ Connected Security Officer programme is emerging as the key enabler. Significantly, this technology-enabled programme still operates with people at the core but uses technology to drive the service improvement and staff engagement that the modern environment demands.

The programme is already well embedded within some significant security operations, such as the UK’s largest public services department, where the programme has been rolled out to officers operating across 800 UK sites. Importantly, the programme is just as relevant for small and medium-sized businesses, who require improvements to security but on a much smaller scale.

What does a Connected Officer look like?

A Connected Officer’s appearance will vary depending on their work environment. In some cases, wearable technology will be obvious to the public, and for good reason. A first responder may appear bionic, given the multiple devices that they could be wearing, such as body-worn cameras with a visible screen, smart weapons, and heads-up displays.

But in a corporate reception, where officers are expected to balance their security function with customer service, the officer may wear technology that is less apparent to the public, such as smartwatches, tablets, and augmented reality glasses that look like everyday eyeglasses.

Benefits of the Connected Officer Programme

Officer engagement and development

Human traits are what allow officers to greet visitors in one moment and deter criminals the next

Security officers are selected for their specific personality traits, that range from leadership and courage to compassion and patience. These human traits are what allow officers to greet visitors in one moment and deter criminals the next.

Technology can’t have a conversation with another human to determine if they are a potential risk or provide a warm front-of-house greeting.

Simple and easy access

So, while the security officer remains key, the programme uses technology to support the officer by providing simple and easy access to a network of colleagues and learning and development materials - all driving more engagement and motivation.

Through a tablet or appropriate smart device, the officer can access formal training, bulletins, and even company updates and news supporting their development, and engagement and preventing disassociation and frustration.

Providing data-driven performance insight

The benefits of the Connected Officer programme are far from limited to the officers themselves. By using their handheld device to record all activities, data is captured centrally.

Information captured from officers operating across multiple locations can be consolidated into simple and easy-to-consume reporting all accessed from a central location.

Performance notifications and monitoring

Monitoring areas include validating that key tasks have been completed by the contract service level agreement

Any customer that oversees security across multiple locations can view key information, such as performance notifications, at the click of a button. They have real-time insight to drive better decision-making.

Common monitoring areas include validating that key tasks have been completed by the contract service level agreement, comply with regulatory requirements and that shifts have been fulfilled. Customers can also review an archive of reported incidents to assess trends.

Performance improvement

This data insight leads to resource optimisation and a real focus on service performance improvement, and the Connected Officer Programme has real operational benefits too. A real-time connection to a command-and-control function makes use of developments in artificial intelligence to identify potential incidents before they occur.

Unusual motion and activity are flagged in real-time, allowing officers to proactively investigate incidents, armed with key information, rather than waiting for incidents to be reported, when it is often too late.

Instant officer location visibility

When an incident does occur, the Connected Officer programme provides instant officer location visibility to command and control.

This means that the most appropriate officer is tasked with attending the scene and can be briefed on any potential threats in advance, so they are fully prepared to provide an appropriate response. Speed of response is critical in an emergency and this saves precious time.

Creating a safer environment

Connected Officer Programme has safety benefits in sectors where violence and aggression are prevalent

G4S has seen the Connected Officer Programme have huge safety benefits in sectors where violence and aggression are prevalent, such as hospitals, retail, and other public-facing roles.

The presence of body-worn cameras, as part of the connected offering, has been proven to lead to a noticeable change in the way that the public interacts with security often quickly appeasing hostile and aggravated incidents, once people become aware that they are being recorded.

A sustainable approach

The environment itself benefits too. With paper reported to account for around 26% of total waste at the landfill, the elimination of paper-based reporting provides significant sustainability benefits.

In addition, as less paper is consumed, precious storage space is freed up, meaning less energy is consumed.

What’s next?

As artificial intelligence and natural language processing progress, we will see increased adoption of virtual officers, which will operate similarly to mobile assistants such as Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, IBM’s Watson Assistant, and Microsoft’s Cortana.

As an example, a connected security officer will engage their radio or mobile device and ask the assistant to run a license plate. The system will query the incident and case management software, or any of our other enterprise systems. It will be an officer’s virtual partner.

Future focus

During one of the most transformational times in human history, technology is vital, and G4S will always use it to support its security officers. The future focus of the Connected Officer Programme will be to maintain the right balance between leveraging technology advancement and maintaining personal security interaction.

Noah Price is the International Director of the G4S Academy which is responsible for sharing specialist threat and security knowledge. It provides regular, free security bulletins on potential threats, which can be a useful part of security planning.