We sat down with Daniel McClements and George Aldridge, Founders of King Cobra Group, to find out how joining the SmartTag Elites has benefited them and their business. With pubs, clubs and entertainment venues gradually starting to re-open, the demand for Door Supervisors and Security Guards is higher now more than ever.
By joining the SmartTag Elites, King Cobra have supplied all SIA accredited staff with their own personal use of SmartTag® forensic spray and access to the T.A.G Initiative™. This provides staff with additional security measures when out in the field, helping to produce calm and not aggression.
COMPANY AND SERVICES
Question: Can you tell us a little about your company and the services you offer?
Answer:
We offer services based around security, enforcement and training. We cover all aspects of security from canines to static door supervisors as well as festivals and events. There’s also the enforcement side of the business which covers squatters, traveller evictions, bailiff work and protestors. Then there’s the training academy which offers everything from door supervision and close protection training to first aid courses. We don’t just offer training to new people getting into the industry either, we also offer refresher courses too. So, we started as King Cobra Security but then over the course of the last year we’ve developed into King Cobra Group with three divisions of the business.
DEMAND FOR SECURITY GUARDS
Question: Where are you seeing demand for security guards right now?
Answer:
As the lockdown restrictions have been lifted, we’ve seen more interest in festivals. Just this week we’ve been asked to provide event staff to about seven different festivals that are happening this year. Door supervision is also beginning to pick up again and we’re seeing a lot more places such as restaurants using security to deal with large numbers of people going through the door. For example, in Milton Keynes where we are based, there are a few places that are giving people a two-hour window for dining so they’re using door supervisors, or security, to help monitor that two-hour window and make sure every customer gets the benefit of them being open.
JOINING THE SMARTTAG ELITES
Question: You’ve just joined the SmartTag Elites. Can you tell us why you signed up for it and how you intend to use it?
Answer:
We thought it would be beneficial for us as a business to be able to have that further level of protection for our team and our operatives who are on the ground. We see SmartTag as an additional level of security for our security guards who are using it. Obviously, Mitie have got it, and are using it in Co-op stores, and we decided it would be useful for us too.
BENEFITS TO THE INDUSTRY
Question: Why do you think the industry and your company need a tool like SmartTag?
Answer:
The world has changed over the last few years. I’ve been in the security industry since 2001 and back in the day when you were a door supervisor you just wore a normal shirt and tie. There weren’t as many people carrying knives or weapons that there are now. But if you have a look at today’s market, door supervisors are having to wear stab vests and cameras and, depending on the venues, some are even carrying handcuffs.
It’s more common now for youngsters to be carrying knives and machetes, just being more aggressive than they used to be. My personal belief is that the youth of today have lost respect for authority and their elders. They don’t think twice about coming up to a door supervisor or security guard, making a fuss, going away and either coming back with weapon or a group of lads to do whatever it is they feel they need to do. So it’s useful to have that little bit extra security and be able to spray the troublemaker with a SmartTag liquid which can only be seen under UV light and which can be used to prosecute the offender.
DETER AND DETECT CRIME
Question: How do you think SmartTag will help to deter crime and attacks on security personnel?
Answer:
There are a lot of people who know SmartWater purely because it’s been around for a long time. A lot of businesses have it and obviously it’s used widely by the police and in court as evidence. I think the fact the police have championed it, and the research in Sheffield, shows that sometimes it’s not always about having a big burly door supervisor or security guard. It’s about saying that we’re not going to accept abuse behaviour and, should you decide to act in that way, we’ve now got something that you can be marked with to show it was actually you behaving in that way.
If you or your business could benefit from joining the SmartTag Elites, like King Cobra Group, please feel free to contact us.
