Armed vs. Unarmed Security: Choosing the Right Option

• April 22, 2021
• By ahmad hamidi

If you are a business owner and you value the protection of your property and employees, then you are probably looking for private security services. Although the decision may not be something that requires plenty of thought, have you considered whether you need unarmed guards or armed guards? Many business owners will often be indecisive over the two options. However, choosing one may involve one or two factors.

Assess Your Business and Security Requirements

The first step before you decide whether you want armed or unarmed security is to do a complete evaluation of your business, facility, and assets and their security risks. To conduct a thorough assessment of the security risks, you can also hire a professional security services company.

A complete assessment can provide you with information regarding your security requirements. They can inform you about the types of services you need to ensure the complete safety of your business.

Moreover, they will also tell you about the vulnerabilities of a particular facility, including what it would take to possess harm to your business inside a facility. This will provide you a clearer idea of what type of security you need.

Unarmed Guards

Unarmed guards involve security personnel that do not have possession of firearms. Nevertheless, they may carry with them non-fatal weapons for protection purposes. These weapons include:

• Pepper Spray
• Baton
• Taser

Why Choose Unarmed Guards

Businesses that opt for unarmed guards often have to deal with low to medium risks. This includes commercial vicinities such as retail stores, residential areas, malls, housing societies, parks, and others. Hence, you will find unarmed guards in public locations, particularly in communal areas.

Despite not carrying a firearm, an unarmed guard can still prevent criminal activities, such as theft, vandalism, and violence. They are like the eyes and ears of the corporation that hires them, responding promptly to suspicious behavior.

Because they do not carry a firearm, they do not require liability insurance. This is an advantage to some potential companies because it makes them less intimidating to people while still providing maximum security for the public.

When to Choose Armed Guards

Armed guards have the authority to carry a firearm. Like all firearm owners, they also need to go through proper licensing and registration to possess a firearm. Hiring armed guards will raise the level of security; however, they are generally more expensive to hire. This is because of all the additional certification, licensing, and training that they acquire.

Businesses that hire armed guards usually have to adhere to higher security threats and risks. Corporations such as banks or retail stores that sell jewelry often hire armed guards for the protection of their business. Thus, if you have a business that involves valuable assets, then you have a higher security requirement to protect those assets.

In this case, you should preferably look to hire armed guards security services. Other times people invest in armed guards are when a company is located in an area that has a high crime rate.

Conclusion

The sight of guards who are carrying a weapon may give a wrong perception to your customers or employees. They may perceive your business as unsafe, and it can even make them apprehensive about doing business with you. That said, some customers may feel more satisfied working with you by looking at your security measures.

Thus, before you invest in security services, consider all the factors, including other people’s behavior. If you need any help making the decision, contact Secure Guard Services or call them at 1-888-908-7818 for expert guidance and security.