Case Study

Charnwood Borough Council provides a multitude of crucial services to over 155,000 residents of the Charnwood area, one of the largest borough councils in the UK. Charnwood sits in the triangle formed by Nottingham, Leicester and Derby, with the majority of residents living in Loughborough.

Services provided by Charnwood Borough Council for residents include bin collections, open spaces management, the operation of Loughborough’s historic markets, the management of ancient woodland, and the running of a theatre, museum, and three leisure centres.

Charnwood Borough Council required security guarding and keyholding response, which Samsic won the contract for following a very competitive tender process.

The Challenge

Charnwood Borough Council were using processes and services that were outdated for their needs and had not been reviewed for some years. They reported that they were experiencing poor employee engagement, limited visibility of managers, and that cost-values were now out of sync. Overall security operations were unsatisfactory for the service required.

The security team needed support and updated training, and team spirit needed uplifting as relations had become poor. Development of the team and management support was essential.

Another area that required ongoing support at Charnwood Borough Council is the Department for Workplace and Pensions. This department includes the Job Centre, welfare, pensions and child maintenance services and can occasionally see antisocial or even violent behaviour. Structure, support and training are of the utmost priority for the security team in this setting.

The need for a formal keyholding process was another added strain on the existing security team. The security team was often required to return to a site outside of their working hours to lock or open a building, or to respond to an out-of-hours security or fire alarm. This was often a cause of frustration within the team.

The Solution

Based on the strength of the Samsic portfolio, and existing relationships with similar institutions such as Leicester County Council, Charnwood Borough Council began its partnership with Samsic in 2020.

Workplace audits were undertaken to assess standard operating procedures, and feedback and process improvement ideas were collated to establish new processes and KPIs (key performance indicators).

To enable better organisation of the team and enforce higher quality standards, Samsic provided management and process training to the security management on site. Structured support and direction on how to successfully do the job was given with the following training taking place: conflict management, management process, innovation, and reporting.

Monthly KPI and audit reviews were introduced between Samsic and Charnwood Borough Council management and to further support security operatives, a flat structure was put forward by Samsic. With two service delivery managers supporting the line manager, these measures made communication and problem resolution much more fluid and accessible.

Innovations such as the SamTech app were introduced to assist with service standards and support the security operatives. SamTech is a cloud-based platform that aggregates the management of mobile patrolling and guarding. SamTech assists with the patrol work of the Charnwood Borough Council guards, whilst also providing real-time, paperless reports which are sent to Charnwood Borough Council management to inform of service standards and possible issues.

To combat the lack of a formal process around keyholding and alarm response, a mobile keyholding service was provided. This service ensures there are dedicated night security officers who open and close sites as required and provide mobile patrols. The separate team provides out-of-hours first response to any emergency alerts such as fire and intruder alarms and means the day guarding service only work their contracted hours.