Securitas has entered into what the multi-national contractor terms a ground-breaking ten-year partnership to provide security and reception services to the University of Hertfordshire.
The partnership, worth £31m over the ten years, will save the university, based in Hatfield, around £500,000 a year over the decade, the contract firm and uni say. Securitas has pledged around £1m of technical investment, including Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), a visitor management system, computerised radio communications and a Learning Resource Centre access control system.
That technology spend will be by stages to provide what are termed three impact dates for the university, April 2015, September 2015 and January 2016 to mirror key milestones in the academic cycle.
David Pike, National Account manager (Education), said: “These solutions are to assist the University to enhance the student and staff experience and we are delighted to be working with the university. This partnership is a really important step for Securitas as we look to grow our education portfolio. It is the first time a university has committed to a ten-year partnership and we are delighted they’ve chosen Securitas as their long-term partner.
Officers will provide manned and mobile guarding, support to students in residence, ANPR and car park monitoring and visitor management including access control barriers. “We have pledged to ensure the University attains a position in the top five in the list of safest UK Universities (as published by Complete University Guide) within the first five years of the contract,” added David.
Securitas will also provide students with up to 70 positions worldwide, including short-term contracts, placements and work experience. University receptionists will also transfer to a Securitas contract which will include TUPE and pension provision.
Andrew May, Director of Estates and Hospitality at Hertfordshire, said: “As the UK’s leading business facing University with aspirations to be internationally renowned, we are delighted to be working so closely with Securitas. In today’s HE environment student experience and employability are key and the partnership we have with Securitas will respond very positively to these drivers.”
Hatfield was recently named in the list of top 20 safest towns for students in the UK. The ranking, compiled from police data, is based on how exposed a student will be to crime in 64 of England and Wales’ student towns and cities. Hatfield was rated at 18th making it safer than the neighbouring cities of Cambridge, Luton and London, the uni pointed out.
The research was carried out by StuRents.com – a student accommodation search portal – and rankings are based on how many recorded crimes student areas experienced per thousand residents between February 2014 and January 2015.
Securitas Country President, Brian Riis Nielsen, said: “This partnership confirms our new solutions strategy is working. We are moving from pure man-guarding to offering solutions which integrate remote and mobile guarding services with technology to achieve cost-efficiency, added value and long-term customer relationships.”
