Why there is no single price
Security is bought by the hour, the shift or the visit, and the price depends on what you are asking for. A single officer on a quiet site on a weekday afternoon is a different product from two door supervisors on a Saturday night or a patrol that visits three times overnight. Anyone quoting a flat rate without asking about your site is guessing.
Labour is the largest part of the cost, because the officer’s pay, employer costs, training, licensing, supervision and cover for sickness all sit behind each hour you buy. Pay has to meet at least the legal minimum wage, and good providers pay well enough to keep reliable staff, which matters more than a low headline rate.
The main things that change the price
- Type of service: static guarding, mobile patrols, door supervision, event security and key holding each have different cost structures.
- Licence and role: door supervision and some specialist roles need different licences and training from general guarding.
- Hours and shift length: the number of hours, whether cover is continuous, and any minimum shift length the provider applies.
- Time of day and calendar: nights, weekends and bank holidays often cost more than weekday daytime hours.
- Number of officers and supervision: more officers, or a supervisor visiting your site, adds cost and adds resilience.
- Notice period: planned contracts are easier to staff than urgent requests, so short-notice and emergency cover can cost more.
- Location and travel: remote sites or sites far from the provider’s base take more travel and planning.
- Contract length: a longer commitment can allow more stable pricing, while one-off cover has set-up effort to recover.
- Equipment and reporting: uniforms, radios, patrol-tracking, electronic reports and any site-specific equipment.
- Compliance: vetting to BS 7858, insurance and quality management all have a cost, and it is not one to cut.
How different services are priced
A static guard is a continuous presence, so you are buying the officer’s time for every hour. A mobile patrol is a visit or several visits, so you are buying a check at intervals, which usually costs less overall but gives less continuous presence. Door supervisors are normally priced per supervisor per shift, with your capacity and opening hours deciding how many you need. Event security is usually quoted for the whole event including briefing time.
Neither approach is automatically better value. A patrol is fine where a periodic check deters the risk, and poor value where you need someone watching the gate. We would rather talk through which fits your site than sell you the biggest package.
How to compare quotes like for like
A cheaper quote is only cheaper if it covers the same thing. Before comparing totals, ask each provider the same questions.
- Will every officer hold a current SIA licence of the right type, and can I check them on the register?
- Are officers screened to BS 7858, and what does that include?
- Is there a minimum shift length, and are nights, weekends and bank holidays charged differently?
- Does the price include supervision, uniform, equipment and reports?
- Who covers a shift if an officer is sick, and how quickly will I be told?
- Is VAT included in the quote?
- What notice is needed to increase, reduce or end the cover?
Ways to reduce cost without reducing protection
The best savings usually come from shaping the cover rather than cutting quality. If most losses happen between 10pm and 4am, concentrate cover there instead of guarding every hour. If a patrol deters your risk, it may replace a full-time guard. Good access control and a tidy site reduce the work an officer has to do. And a short trial period lets you see what officers observe before you commit to a longer arrangement.
Be wary of quotes that are far below the rest. Low prices have to come from somewhere, and the usual places are pay, training, vetting and supervision, which are the things you most want to keep.
Costs that are easy to overlook
Some costs only show up after the first invoice, so ask about them at the quote stage. Bank holiday and overnight premiums can change a monthly total noticeably. Minimum shift lengths mean you pay for a full shift even if you only need part of one. Training or induction time for a new officer on your site may be chargeable, and so may extra briefings if your requirements change.
There are also costs of not buying enough. A single officer cannot be in two places, cannot take a break without leaving the site uncovered, and cannot cover their own sickness. If your risk needs continuous presence, build in how that will work. A provider who talks about this openly is usually one who has thought it through.
What we need to give you a quote
Tell us the type of site, the address, the hours you want covered, what you need protected and any incidents so far. We will recommend the type and number of officers and explain the price clearly before any contract starts. You can request a quote online or call us.
Related services
Sources
Facts and figures were checked against these sources on 1 October 2026. Rules and fees can change, so check the source before relying on them.