High-quality video monitoring ISS review their investment in the latest in bodycam technology – the Zepcam T2+.

Head of Security at ISS, Elizabeth Dalton, talks to us about investing in the Zepcam T2+.

“Before making the investment into the new T2s, our staff had been using older cameras provided by another company. The older tech did the job well enough, but the cameras were quite unreliable and often broke.

“Four months ago, we decided to take the leap and invest in the new Zepcam T2+ with Guard Tour and it has been a really good move!

“The new handsets are simple in design and are so much easier to operate than the older sets we used to use, and they come with all of these additional features which allow us more control over our operations, as well as providing greater ability for us to monitor our guards and any incidents that might occur.

“The T2+ gives us eyes in the field and records not only video footage, but also the GPS location of our staff. If an incident does occur, we now have the ability to archive it with any notes that need to be made. It’s reassuring to know that the file is secure as each recording is stored with limited access and is only made available to those with authorisation to view it.

“We’re really happy with the new T2 system that we have in place, and so are our staff. It’s been a pleasure to work alongside Mark and the rest of the team at Guard Tour.”

Click here to find out more about the Zepcam T2+, or call the office today for a no obligation quote.

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Secure, reliable, flexible The award-winning Active Track system is now available for short-term rentals.

Offering GPS tracking, two-way communication, guard tour and lone worker protection in real time, the Active Track patrol system is a popular security solution used by companies in both commercial and private sectors.

At Guard Tour, we take pride in our reliable service and our flexible approach – that’s why the Active Track system is now available with short-term rental options.

With contracts spanning as little as one month, you can now receive comprehensive security and protection for the lone/patrol workers in your staff with no obligation and no upfront fee.

What is Active Track?

Active Track is a modern security device with a variety of control and safety options, which has been designed to provide protection for lone-working employees.

Combining six key features into one handy device, Active Track thoroughly services the security needs of staff who regularly make patrols alone.

GPS

Ensure patrols are carried out efficiently and monitor the movements of your staff in real time with GPS tracking. Locations can be allocated within seconds, even in bad weather or areas with a poor network connection, improving security levels for your staff and notifying you of their exact location should an incident occur.

Live Alerts

The panic button and man-down alert functions allow you to take instant action in cases of emergency.

Communication

Stay informed and notify your staff on any developments, wherever they are, with the two-way radio/phone feature. This feature enables employees to receive calls from the control room and can be used to inform them of missed patrol points, or to provide reassurance that assistant is on the way.

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A simple solution for monitoring staff safety

Our new lone contact service has now launched, and it’s completely FREE to use!

Winners of the EBS UK Sales Award 2019, Guard Tour are pleased to announce the launch of a new lone contact system.

Completely free to use, the system is simple in its design and has been developed to provide peace of mind for employers and their staff, offering a platform which allows employees to regularly check in when working alone outside of office hours in any workplace.

With a straightforward 2-step sign-in process, lonecontact.co.uk offers basic workplace security for employees within minutes:

  1. Sign On

We just need a few details from you, including your location, phone number and email address, to get you registered onto the system.

  • Check In

After you’ve signed on, you’ll be prompted to check in at regular intervals throughout your shift.

If you miss a check in, your employer will be notified and will then be able to take the appropriate action to ensure your safety.

  • Sign Out

When you’re ready to go home, simply sign out!

Do you have lone workers who make regular patrols of an indoor or outdoor space? Are you looking for a more comprehensive security and safety solution for your staff? Guard Tour supply complete lone worker systems UK-wide, including GPS systems which track workers’ movements in real time, panic buttons and systems with man-down alerts. Get in touch today to find out more about our product range.

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Christmas is around the corner – be sure to write your Christmas list early! Like Santa’s elves, we always appreciate as much notice as possible to complete your order in time for Christmas!

Time to make a list and check it twice! Like Santa’s elves, we always appreciate as much notice as possible to complete your order in time for Christmas!

The Christmas period is one of our busiest times of the year, and it’s fast approaching! With this in mind, it’s always a good idea to place your order as early as you can so that we can make sure your equipment arrives in time for when you need it.

“Christmas can be a tricky time of year because we can never properly anticipate what the weather is going to be like, and poor weather conditions can unfortunately have an adverse effect on delivery services,” says Guard Tour MD, Mark Parry. “Additionally, we do tend to see a large influx of orders and such a busy period can impact the speed at which we manage to get orders out to customers.

“It’s always a good idea to be as well-prepared as you can be, especially at this time of year. However, we know that, despite best intentions, pre-preparation isn’t always possible!

Whether you manage to place your order with us early or late in the season, we will endeavour to fulfil your order as quickly and efficiently as possible.”

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Guard Tour welcomes new apprentice, James, to the team

Passionate about business and skills development in the local area, Guard Tour have been proud to invest in apprenticeship programmes through Burnley College for several years.

As part of this development initiative, we have recently welcomed a new starter to the team.

James has just begun his apprenticeship in Business Administration with Burnley College, and looks forward to providing administrative support here at Guard Tour.

James’s role will be a customer-facing one, in which he will help to manage customer accounts, complete repair and purchase requests and oversee each order through to fulfilment.

“I’m really enjoying my new role here at Guard Tour, and I’ve appreciated the level of responsibility the team have entrusted me with. I enjoy contributing to team discussions and I’m revelling the fact that my contributions are heard and acknowledged.”

James will be with us in the office four days per week, dedicating one day per week to his studies at college.

Good luck in your new role, James – we’re happy to have you!

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EBS Annual Conference

This year marked the 30th anniversary of EBS, one of the largest manufacturers and developers of security systems and business automation solutions globally.

As one of the only UK suppliers of EBS’s sophisticated lone worker monitoring systems, Active Track and Active View, Guard Tour were welcomed as guests to the anniversary celebrations, held in Serock, near Warsaw, Poland on 26th & 27th September.

Reflecting on the event, managing director Mark Parry enjoyed his stay in the Hotel 4* Warszawianka:

“I was really happy to celebrate this milestone alongside EBS and others in the industry. It’s an incredible achievement when a business in any industry reaches its 30th year of operation, and the conference provided a fantastic opportunity for networking and meeting other suppliers and industry experts.”

Mark was delighted to accept the UK Sales Award on behalf of Guard Tour and Connect Security at the Polish conference:

“We all work really hard here and we really believe in the EBS security products that we supply, so it was nice to know that our efforts in the UK had been recognised.”

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Company Charged over Lone-Worker Death

Arthur Ebirim, 45, from Peckham, was overcome by carbon monoxide on 28 October 2011 as he kept a night-time watch over a disused nursing home in Taunton Vale, Gravesend, that was awaiting demolition.

His employer Anchor Services (GB) Limited was prosecuted  on the 13 February 2014 by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an investigation identified serious flaws with how the generator was used.

On the evening of 27 October Mr Ebirim was asked to guard the home alone because the usual night-time guard was unavailable. His wife raised the alarm when he failed to contact her at the end of his shift the next morning.
Company representatives went to the site but were unable to gain access to the office. The door was eventually broken down by the emergency services and Mr Ebirim was discovered slumped in a chair.

He was pronounced dead at the scene before a post mortem later confirmed carbon monoxide poisoning as the cause of death.

The HSE investigation established that the only source of carbon monoxide in the room was the petrol generator. Tests revealed it was capable of producing fatal levels.Generators of this kind are designed for outdoor use and should never be used indoors.

HSE inspectors also found that it was prone to running out of fuel in the early hours of the morning, according to a log book at the site. Refilling in the dark posed an additional safety risk because there was a greater chance of spilling petrol and causing a fire.

The court was told that Anchor Services (GB) Limited failed to assess the risks posed by the generator and also failed to implement its agreed lone working procedures on the night of Mr Ebirim’s death.

 The company, which is now in liquidation, was found guilty of breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and fined £20,000, the maximum penalty available to magistrates, plus a further £35,656 in costs.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Melvyn Stancliffe commented:
“This was a tragic and completely avoidable death that has devastated Mr Ebirim’s wife, family and friends. Their loss is made worse by the fact he was only covering the night shift as a one off, but sadly never returned home.

“The bottom line here is that the generator should not have been used inside the building, even with the door open. Petrol generators must only be used in a well-ventilated area because they are known to emit carbon monoxide.

“The onus was on Anchor Services to keep Mr EIbirim safe, but they failed to do so.”

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IFSEC Convention Centre, The Excel Centere chooses Guard Tour

At the end of last year, we were contacted by the ExCeL centre London in relation to their patrol managment needs. The system they were using wasn’t up to scratch so they decided to contact the experts. We recommended the PES patrol solution, which offered them greater flexibility in the route-management than their current system, and logs who is using the system at any given time – saving man hours which would ordinarily be spent filling in paperwork. Our PES patrol solution has now been in place since the beginning of March, and will continue to ensure patrols are monitored during the convention.

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