Shopping Centres Case Study

Chris Kingston is a senior SectorGuard Officer at a Retail Park. Here he comments on his role.

"My day starts at 7 with a morning patrol. That’s the most important one of the day. I’m looking for anything that looks out of place. If a stone’s been lifted, I want to know why. Then I chat informally with the managers of the Centre’s retail outlets to check if they’ve got any issues. We’re their day-to-day contact so they trust us.

After that, it’s patrols and dealing with the public. If you’re in uniform then as far as they’re concerned, you’re the person in authority. We get asked for directions, support and advice the whole time. That’s all part of the job. I started one man’s car for him this morning.

We just try and help people. Every person that comes through those doors has to feel safe. A lot of that is about health and safety – being aware of stuff like litter, broken glass, overflowing water from a standpipe.

Part of that is being visible but I also have to step in if anything happens.

I know the names and faces of people who have persistently offended, but 90% of the incidents I deal with are opportunist. After 7 years doing this job, you just get an instinct.

When I joined SectorGuard they improved things almost immediately. For instance the support I get from the Control Centre makes a big difference. Every hour we have to make a check call in – if we miss a call, they’ll put out a reverse check call to make sure we’re all right. There are lots of mobile patrols in the area that they can send down if there’s a problem. It’s reassuring to know that if anything happens, back up is not too far away."

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