Shared security solution proves cost effective for French industrial park

Time-sharing has proven to be a flexible and cost-effective security solution for AIRM, an association of 180 small and medium-sized companies in the 486-hectare Meyzieu industrial park on the outskirts of Lyon, France. There, a centralized security service provided by Securitas Mobile, has been in place for more than a decade.

With security officers from Mobile Patrol assigned to cover the entire industrial park, each company has the equivalent of its own permanent guarding solution. “The key risks for us are theft and vandalism,” explains AIRM’s Vice President, Jean-Marc Besson, who is responsible for safety and security. So it is very important to have the deterrent presence of the mobile patrol officers in the industrial park, particularly on nights and weekends.

“Our previous association president recognized the need for a security function and put in place a timesharing solution. By participating in a common security purchasing agreement through the association, the level of security throughout the park has increased. Securitas Mobile has provided a cost-effective solution, and as more businesses have joined AIRM, we have been able to increase the security presence at the industrial park.”

Indeed, security presence has increased from having one security officer on patrol at any one time to having a dedicated team of six Mobile Patrol Officers who each work a canine patrol. With increased security presence, crime levels have fallen to 2001 levels, according to a recent crime report from the local police.

This brings peace of mind to the member businesses, many of which are high risk. Some are chemical plants that use hazardous materials, some are logistics plants with valuable goods being shipped in and out daily, while others still trade in precious metals such as silver, copper and nickel.

The low turnover rate among the Mobile Patrol Officers has been a significant benefit. “There is a very high officer retention rate,” Besson points out. “The officers are loyal and we work well together; the officers who started with us are still here. This is great because they are very familiar with the industrial park and they very quickly spot if something is wrong.“More than this, the fact that the officers are dedicated to the industrial park means that they respond very quickly to calls and other problems. Even though it is not their primary responsibility, they can signal the alarm quickly if other problems, such as a fire, arise. This minimizes the damage for us,” adds Besson.

Besson says that the overall security partnership works well and that one reason is good communication. “Securitas meets with me every day to go through incident reports and any other issues,” he explains. “I meet with the other members of the association to discuss our security needs and to see if there is anything we should do differently or if there is any feedback for Securitas. So there is a lot of communication!”

 

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