Nuneaton & Bedworth Council in Warwickshire decided in 2014 on a trial of a town centre taxi marshals scheme.
A study of crime figures showed anti-social behaviour (ASB) at Christmas (December 2014) was reduced by two-thirds against same period 2013. And at New Year (January 2015) ‘violence against the person’ went down by almost three-quarters (73pc) compared to the same period in 2014. Some 89.3pc of taxi drivers agreed that the taxi marshal scheme helped provide a safer environment.
Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Julie Jackson said: “Clearly all stakeholders have benefited and we are very pleased with these results. We have agreed to extend the initiative with Leisure Sec plc, whose marshals must take much credit for the success of the Council’s innovative pilot, reducing illegal ‘pick ups’, controlling taxi queues, improving the safety of vulnerable persons, and dealing with confrontational situations.”
Groups of people in town centres late at night, after leaving clubs and keen to get home, can easily spark unsociable behaviour that needs to be defused to prevent violence and public disorder. The local authority made its appointment after checks, and insisting on appointing a Security Industry Authority (SIA) company deploying accredited marshals who were also trained in conflict management.
Leisure Sec plc’s taxi marshals have radios and jacket mounted CCTV cameras, and are able to communicate any problems that they witness to the CCTV control room. The contractor adds that its staff work with the Licensing Authority, Police and other agencies and can play a vital role in the reduction of crime in public areas.
Leisure Sec plc’s managing director Cusack Gordon, who has more than 25 years’ experience in the security industry and is a past Chair of UKASP (United Kingdom Association of Security Professionals). He says: “Body worn surveillance technology acts as a valuable tool to deter crime and can be essential for evidence gathering whilst also demonstrating the professional and thorough job the Marshals are undertaking.”
Cusack Gordon added that the company’s Security App has been developed to incorporate the duties of a taxi marshal, “and allows our security operatives to instantly record incidents on their ‘phones. The App also enables our clients to view activities in real time. The main benefit noticed by customers is one of time saving; rather than compiling a number of faxed incident reports, our software allows the designated members of Council staff to see all incidents for each site immediately and this information can be incorporated into monthly reports to assist management meetings and training schedules.”
About Leisure Sec plc
Leisure Sec has almost 20 years’ experience providing services including Risk Assessment, Facilities Security Management & Support, BS7858 Screening, Criminal Record Checking, Training, Police Liaison. Event Security, Static Guarding, Close Protection and Taxi Marshal services to government, local authorities, hospitals, car parks, casinos, industrial units, retail parks and sports arenas for multiple-location businesses such as Rank Leisure, NEC Group, Accor Hotels, Taylor Wimpy and JD Wetherspoons.
Leisure Sec plc points to its Live Management Suite Mobile App – developed by the firm to check and record everything from an hourly SIA validity check of every guard’s licence, every shift in real time, to his or her deployment, movements, incident reports, refused entry and warning logs. The App records vital data in real time and generates reports for planning and risk assessment and for external evidence and audit. Visit www.leisuresec.plc.uk.
