Security guards usually perform their duties in professional uniforms and gadgets. With this attire, the guards not only get a professional look, but it is also practical as it allows them to carry their security gear easily. Sometimes the guards also need to go undercover for some jobs. When such jobs arise, the guard can use the plain clothes security approach to protect their identity and the company from unfortunate attacks.
What Is A Plain Clothed Security Officer?
Plain-clothed security officers are the officers who wear their normal clothes to the job instead of their professional security guard uniform. They have the same training as uniformed security guards and fulfill all other security requirements. The only different thing about them is that they don’t look the part of a security guard.
The need for this undercover approach usually arises when the company or an independent business is under some serious threat. In addition, the guards also opt for this approach when there is a need to do round-the-clock surveillance of the company premises without attracting much attention. Whenever the guards need to go undercover to perform dangerous jobs that involve mixing in with the crowd and spying illegal activities, they start wearing normal clothes instead of their uniforms.
Plain clothes security guards can be as effective, if not more, as uniformed security guards in preventing any crime or illegal activity. Their undercover approach can sometimes detect any illegal activity or contraband instantaneously without giving any hint to any perpetrators or trespassers.
Benefits of Hiring Plain Clothed Security Officer
In certain cases, plain-clothes security guards are more beneficial than regular uniformed guards. For example, in large crowded areas like circuses and public gatherings, these undercover guards keep a complete check on all public activity without troubling the people about any security issues. The importance of these guards can’t be denied. Since they blend into the public and do not reveal their identities, people don’t get terrified about security monitoring of the area.
The uniformed security guards, on the other hand, can easily scare even normal people sometimes through their presence since the people fear the worst and think that anything bad is going to happen.
Blending Into Their Surrounding
Since the guards don’t wear a proper uniform, they can easily blend into their surrounding environment and keep a look at the things going on there without allowing anyone to notice their activities.
A uniformed security officer is more easy to notice, and any thieves or perpetrators can make a plan to distract or divert his attention. While the guard is distracted, these perpetrators can easily carry out their ill-intentioned plan without his noticing them.
On the other hand, burglars cannot detect a plain-clothes security guard. They don’t attempt to commit any crime because they fear that anyone can be a security guard and they can get caught.
If someone shows up with the intention of violence, they first try to neutralize the guard sitting at the entrance of the premises. If the trespassers see no uniformed guard, they might consider him absent from the job and may not be alert, while a plain clothes guard might easily be present within a short distance. This can allow the guard to catch them red-handed without making a big scene.
Less Intimidating
A uniformed security guard does provide a sense of security but can also be intimidating as people see those premises as an area of high risk. Especially when you are a small business like a retail store, it may not be welcoming to meet someone at the door carrying a gun.
On the contrary, a person dressed just like other staff does not create an alarm for customers while also securing the parameter at the same time.
Monitoring Employees
The best way to counter employee theft at your site is to employ someone who looks just like them and performs the same tasks as the while also monitors them at the same time. For this purpose, you can hire a plain-clothes security guard as he can pretend to go in as a customer or can also work in the company pretending to be an employee.
Through this, the guard can easily keep a check on the employee activities and can easily look for any lapses. This process can become obsolete after a while and you may need to replace these officers from time to time. This is because the employees can become aware of undercover officers in the work area.
Loss Prevention
In retail stores and warehouses, plain clothes security guards can easily keep a check on the company materials and prevent anyone from stealing them. They can also prevent shoplifting and monitor expensive merchandise.
Plain clothes security guards can help large companies as well as small businesses in loss prevention and keep their valuable assets secure. Thus the undercover guards can be very beneficial as they prevent any loss of valuable materials or merchandise of a company.
Difficult For Someone To Track The Security Routine
Usually, robbers track the routine of security guards to see how often they visit a certain area of the site and how much time they spend on a particular point. This way, they can easily know the routines of the guards and can try to make their tasks easy while robbing the place.
A security officer in plain clothes is not easier to detect, so robbers can not easily track his routine and make their way around him.
More Professional Look On The Business
In some businesses, having plain clothes security officers is more suitable as they easily blend in with other employees. This can benefit the business as it does not divert customers’ attention toward any security guards on site. This diversion can easily occur in the case of a uniformed security guard, as his gear and uniform can be very intimidating.
Catching People in the Act
Organized crimes have become more common recently, accompanied by violence. According to a recent survey by the National Retail Federation, there was an increase in aggression by 65% and violence by 37% among retail crime gangs.
Whenever robbers are carrying out a robbery, plain clothes security guards can easily catch the robbers off guard as the robbers are not aware of their presence. This is advantageous for the company as all guards can stop all the crimes before they happen.
Gaining Trust
Since the plain clothes guard easily blends in with the other employees, they feel comfortable around the undercover guard and consider him and one of their own. The guards also blend in with the customers and they can also give their suggestions without holding back as the interaction between the two parties isn’t very formal.
What Can Business Benefit From Hiring Plain Clothed Security Officers?
Businesses that can benefit the most from using plain clothes armed security usually deal with large amounts of cash flow or material traffic on a daily basis. Such businesses are usually banks, financial aid centers, and wholesale and retail businesses. The undercover guards can easily check the material flows without attracting much attention.
Other businesses which need such services are the ones that see large amounts of people daily, such as learning institutions, schools, colleges, and medical facilities like hospitals. The undercover guards mix in with the people and keep a check on any troublesome situation that arises in these areas.
Other situations in which the plain clothes security guards can be more useful than uniformed ones include :
- Loss prevention.
- Internal investigations.
- Observation and monitoring.
- Crowd control.
- Undercover operations.
- Access control.
- Patrolling.
- Bag searches.
- Metal detection.
In short, such services are an absolute must for all businesses that can face at least some threats from criminal organizations or individual attackers.
Is Plain Clothes Security Effective?
Considering the benefits and the uses, and all that has been said about plain clothes security, we can conclude that it is certainly one of the best practices for small and large businesses. These guards can provide some of the best security services without giving the criminals any hint of their presence. This can be advantageous for guards as they have the advantage of being hidden from any threat, and for the company since the guards will protect it from all threats and criminal activities.
Hire professional Plain clothes security Guards in san diego
Plain clothes security officers are crucial for every business in every part of the world and equally important for you if you are located in san diego. We at professional security guard inc make sure that our plain clothes guards are well trained and suited for every security guard job they perform in san diego. We have over 10 years of experience in providing the best security guard services in san diego and have provided services to individuals and esteemed organizations across california. You can rely on our security guard services and have peace of mind knowing that your security is in good hands and your privacy is intact. Contact us to get a free quote for all your security needs.
