The rise of trailer guard companies

Many security companies employ trailer security guards and offer ridiculous per hour prices to their clients. Basically the security company will park a trailer on the client’s property for the duration of the contract. A security guard living in the trailer will provide the security services. The trailer is equipped with a camera system and alarm system linked to motion detectors. The security guard will be sleeping at night and in theory he will be woken up by the alarm if somebody unauthorized tries to access the site.

In general most of the trailer guards lack training in report writing skills, general communication skills and unfortunately many of them are unprofessional in their behavior and conduct. Additionally, the problem with the described system is that the person supposed to protect the property is sleeping at night. A perpetrator that most of the time steals from construction sites for a living will is familiar with that system and will be able to easily circumvent it. Also the motion detectors will work in the early phases of construction, but as movement on the construction site increases and more equipment and materials are moved the system becomes more unreliable.

Hiring trailer guards is on average about two dollars per hour cheaper than an actual guard that will awake and constantly patrolling the site. Nevertheless, it is a bad investment, because it only creates a false sense of security. The main reason to hire a security guard is creating visibility through frequent patrols in order to prevent crime. Perpetrators will not attack a site they know is secured by a vigilant security guard that is frequently patrolling the site. Also one of the main responsibilities of security guards is to observe and report. While a trailer guard is sleeping they cannot observe and their lack of communication skills will not allow them to effectively report. In case of an incident the client will most of the time get an inaccurate useless report.

In my many years as a security consultant I have taken over security contracts from trailer guard companies. In many cases perpetrators had painted huge graffiti pictures on the property or even the security trailer or equipment, materials and tools were stolen without the security guard noticing. Hiring a real security company that will hold their guards accountable to frequent patrols and provide the necessary training to their security guards will cost about two dollars more on average, but it will provide actual security. If cost is the most important factor it will be more effective to have actual guards patrol for twenty percent less hours than have a sleeping guard that is paid twenty percent less.