Sight & Sound Security

This Armistice Day, at the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month – we will remember them.

The Armistice, an agreement to end the fighting of the First World War as a prelude to peace negotiations, began at 11am on 11 November 1918.
Armistice is Latin for to stand (still) arms.

We will be participating in the Two Minute Silence at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month, to remember those who lost their lives ~
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BLACK HISTORY MONTH

As today draws to a close, we are excited to share with you what our Head Office team have been up to this month...

Crafting a selection of food of African origin throughout the month, the team celebrated with delicious meals - all crafted by themselves!

Meals included:

- Jamaican Pepper Shrimp with coconut rice by Steve Tucker
-Goat Curry by Mireille Burge
-Kelewele (Spicy fried plantain) & Peanuts by Yvonne Yvette Darko-Barimah
-Jollof Rice by Kristel Bergstrom-Oyebola
-Palava Sauce (Spinach Stew) with Yam by Maureen A. and
-Jerk Chicken, Rice & Peas by Josie Halliday

Well done and thank you to everyone involved in this fantastic - not to mention delicious, initiative ~
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CELEBRATING SUCCESS

This is Graham Walton, the Control Room and Special Projects Manager over at our fellow City Group member City Security Services presenting a cup to Paul Sayer, our Cambridge Mobile Driver, in recognition of his hard work.

Graham advises; ” Paul makes himself available to answer questions when off duty and on leave. He has helped pick up shifts, audits, fault finding and communicates in a positive way. He goes above and beyond anything I ask and I am proud to have him as a member of our team.”

Keep up the great work Paul ~
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BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Our Head Office Team came up with the idea to create dishes or ‘Taste Days’ throughout the month, to honour the celebration created to focus attention on the contributions of African Americans to the United States.

For the past 52 years, Black History Month has been observed during October in the US and Canada and more recently, the UK and Ireland. The essence is to remember people and events in the history of the African diaspora.

This week, our Group HR Manager Mireille Burge cooked up Goat Curry and it went down a treat!

We look forward to sharing more food and team photos with you throughout the month ~
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We would like to offer our heartfelt condolences to all our customers, employees and contacts at the passing of our Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

During this mourning period, we will not be posting on social media to reflect our deep sorrow at the passing of our greatest monarch.

International Security Officers Day 2022

Yesterday, we celebrated International Security Officers Day, a day dedicated to recognising and thanking security officers at the front line for their continued outstanding and selfless service. The event takes place every year on 24/7, due to the 24/7 nature of security work. Every single day Officers put themselves at risk to protect people and premises, in a unique and important role. They deal with a variety of incidents, whilst remaining calm and professional at all times. As one team member said ‘we are more than just security officers’.

Our Managers visited sites and delivered thank-you treats to our dedicated staff.

Pictured are some of the City Group Security Team members.

Thank you to everyone for their continued hard work and dedication ~

'I had a great day yesterday visiting our Office in Ashford.

What made it even better was presenting Kristel Bergstrom-Oyebola, who works in our Accounts Department, with her 5-year Long Service Award. Kristel is an amazing asset to Sight & Sound and has worked her way up in the Company. She is currently also in the process of completing a further AAT accounting qualification - Well done.'

Paul Purchase
Managing Director

Wishing those celebrating this weekend a wonderful Eid al-Adha, from us all at City Group ~

MEN'S MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH

As a security Company, we work 24 hours per day, 7-days a week. Some officers work alone, during unsociable hours, to maintain the safety of others. Sometimes on difficult, demanding and complex sites. The industry is a predominantly male one with an image of strong people - both physically and mentally, who can cope with any situation.

We however, understand the pressures this can involve and want to remind everyone to not only look after their own mental health, but that of their colleagues - if you notice someone struggling, reach out. You could be the hand they needed to hold on.

Our employee platform LifeWorks gives access to a FREE 24/7 Confidential Support Line, should it ever be needed ~

4-SIGHT SPRING NEWSLETTER

We've had lots to celebrate so far this year - take a look at our latest Newsletter to see what we've been up to ~

JURASSIC COAST CHALLENGE

After losing a close relative to bowel cancer in 2020, one of our Officers and his daughter decided to take part in the challenge, where they aimed to walk 100k along the beautiful Jurassic Coast in Dorset.

Starting at Corfe Castle, the route ventured along the West Coast Path via Lulworth Cove, Weymouth and Chesil Beach, finally arriving at their finish point in Bridport.

The pair managed a huge 50k before sadly having to withdraw due to an injury, an brilliant achievement in itself.

They have managed to raise an amazing £3,500 so far, for Cancer Research UK.

If you would like to donate and support Adrian and his daughter Rachel, please follow this link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Rachel-Miller38 where you can contribute as little or as much as you would like.

Well Done to Adrian and Rachel for such a fantastic effort ~

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK

Last week was Mental Health Awareness Week and this year, the often overwhelming impact of loneliness on this. is being raised and focused on as part of the annual event. Something that has affected us all during the pandemic, and beyond. Dealing with loneliness can be difficult but, there are things we can all do to help ourselves - and others, cope with some of the negative feelings that can accompany it.

One of the ways to manage the feeling of loneliness is to find something you enjoy doing, to keep you busy and help promote positive feelings.

Finding things that stimulate your mind such as learning a new skill, listening to a podcast you enjoy or taking up a new hobby will all help you to feel empowered.

Spending time with pets can bring joy, engaging with your colleagues and building new friendships will give you welcome support.

Taking up a physical activity is one of the best ways to boost endorphins and clear your mind, be it running, yoga, swimming or taking a long walk in the fresh air.

Here at Sight & Sound we are proud to offer LifeWorks to our employees. The wellbeing platform offers unlimited resources on support through difficult time or situations that may occur. It also includes access a completely confidential free contact line, offering 24/7 support from experienced counsellors at the end of the phone. Employees can also use LifeWorks to relieve financial pressures, checking the app every time they shop to see what they could save ~

SIA APPROVED CONTRACTOR AUDIT

After 4 days of auditing, I am pleased to announce that we have retained our incredible score of 136 out of a possible 145 in our latest SIA Approved Contractor Scheme Audit.

This year, we had two new auditors who commented on the first day of the audit, “We can see already why you achieve such a high SIA score”, ending comments included “It has been refreshing to see a genuine Company taking the process so seriously” and “This is one of the best companies we have every audited”.

They also raised a Good Practice Testimony, “The company places a lot of emphasis on providing “added value” to the customer and makes this tangible by discussing this at customer meetings and documenting added value activities in the customer report. As well as raising the importance of this with staff, this means, for example, at contract review Sight & Sound can easily demonstrate to the customer all the additional activity the security
officers have undertaken to improve the service.

Based on the ACS scores published on the SIA website, this outstanding result, officially confirms us in the top 5% of security companies audited, meaning we continue to be one of the very best security companies in the UK.

Paul Purchase
Managing Director

ENOUGH CAMPAIGN

Home Secretary says ‘Enough’ to violence against women and girls.

We all have the power to stop violence against women and girls.

The Home Secretary has launched ‘Enough’, a campaign that highlights what we can do to safely challenge the abuse of women and girls.

Created in collaboration with victims, academics, and organisations working on this issue, the campaign aims to challenge perpetrators and the harmful attitudes that exist in the wider society. A campaign website has been developed to give guidance and support.

We at Sight & Sound Security will be promoting this campaign.

Sight & Sound Security encourages you to share the materials available from the campaign website: gov.uk/enough.

INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY 2022

This years theme is an excellent one - not only for women, but the industry itself.

Those coming into the into the industry - or even just looking in, know, it is a male dominated one, and many of the misconceptions and bias's around security and women play into this.

International Women's Day ✨

RECRUITMENT DAY ~

We have multiple vacancies and immediate work available across Kent and as such, are holding a recruitment day next Tuesday 22nd February at our Head Office in Ashford.

If you - or anyone you know, may be interested, please refer them to [email protected] and the information detailed below.

If you have any questions - or know someone who would like to come along, please contact Head Office on 01233 668670 ~

From our last audit, it was commented that Officers did not know the current threat level, or the existence of our Quality Policy.

Current national threat level:

The threat to the UK (England, Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland) from terrorism is SEVERE.

SEVERE means an attack is highly likely.

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH AWARDS

One of my favourite jobs is presenting the Employee of the Month awards.

Our Officer of the Month award goes to Rajvinder Khela for an outstanding act in dealing with an attempted intrusion at one of our Bank contracts. This was a demanding situation that tested his skill and initiative. Rajvinder acted efficiently and appropriately in a dangerous situation. Our success is dependent on amazing professional Officers, thank you Rajvinder.

Paul Purchase
Managing Director

OSPA's FINALIST NEWS

Great news - the Company has just been informed that the judging process for the 2022 UK Outstanding Security Performance Awards is now complete and, we are delighted to announce that Sight & Sound Security has been nominated as a finalist for Outstanding Contract Security Company (Guarding).

Well done to everyone and thank you for your continued hard work and commitment ~

Paul Purchase
Managing Director

UK TERRORISM THREAT LEVEL RAISED TO SEVERE

The UK National Threat Level has been raised from substantial to SEVERE – meaning an attack is highly likely.

Following Monday’s incident in Liverpool, the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) has taken the decision to raise the UK National Threat Level from SUBSTANTIAL, meaning an attack is likely, to SEVERE, meaning an attack is highly likely.

The decision has been driven by two terrorist incidents in the past month, reflecting the diverse, complex and volatile nature of the terrorist threat in the UK.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: Following Monday's shocking incident in Liverpool, the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre has raised the UK Threat Level to SEVERE. It is important that the public remains alert to the threat from terrorism but not alarmed. I urge anyone with information or who suspects any suspicious activity to report it to the police.

Threat levels are determined independently of Ministers and are a tool for security practitioners, including the police, to use in determining what protective security response may be required.

The UK was last at SEVERE in November 2020 before being lowered to SUBSTANTIAL in February 2021.

You can find out more about how the threat levels are set, what they mean and when they have changed, by visiting the Security Service webpage.

REMEMBRANCE DAY

Today we remember and honour those who served, and the sacrifice of the Armed Forces community, to secure and protect our freedom ~

Next week is celebrating a movement that has given hundreds of thousands of workers a pay rise with a Real Living Wage.

20 years ago, the idea of a Living Wage was first born at a Citizens UK meeting in a church hall in East London. 20 years on, there are over 8,000 Living Wage employers and over £1.5 billion pounds has gone back into the pockets of low paid workers.

Living Wage UK's real is the only wage rate independently calculated to cover the cost of living.

The real changes lives and we are proud to be a Living Wage accredited employer ✨

Today is Diwali , the ‘Festival of Light’. Whilst Diwali traditionally signifies the victory of good over evil, it also reminds us to spark a light of reflection to dispel darkness inside and around us. On this auspicious day, we wish everyone celebrating a very Shubh Deepavali!

AUTUMN NEWSLETTER 🍂

Our latest Newsletter has just been released!

We are proud to have so many team members' fantastic achievements to celebrate this quarter.

We also remain focused on , how we can all work to be more environmentally conscious and reduce our carbon footprint, this Unblocktober ~

EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION AWARDS

Yesterday I had the enormous pleasure meeting and presenting one of our Employee of the Month awards to Geoff Whitington. Geoff was recommended for this award following praise from our client when his quick thinking and alertness enabled him to stop a lorry that had knocked over our client's control unit for the main entrance barrier system. Without a second thought, he raced outside the building preventing the lorry from leaving the scene.

Our client commented “If he had not have done this we would have not been able to claim from the lorry companies insurance saving the company thousands of pounds. All of this was with his typical all in a day’s work attitude and a smile on his face”

Well done to Geoff and thank you for your continued commitment and hard work.

Paul Purchase
Managing Director

NEW JOB OPPORTUNITIES

We have several exciting new vacancies available, across London and the South East.

We have Full and Part Time roles available in the Kent area, as well as Support Officer roles in both Kent and Central London.

For further information on some of our roles or, if you are interested - or know someone that might be, please contact a member of the team at Head Office on 01233 668670 or send your CV to our HR Department at [email protected] ~

Accredited Skills For Security Provider

Our 4ST On-Line Training portal has been re-approved by Skills for Security and we are now an Accredited Provider.

We created 4ST after seeing a clear gap in the Security Industry. A Security Officer can obtain a Licence after only five days of training. The licence is renewable every three years, with no additional training requirement unless, there are amendments to the legislation. Therefore, Officers may receive no further training in security, or related skills for many years.

Security Officers’ duties are many and varied and the security aspect of their jobs may form only a small part of their everyday duties. Other duties often include customer service, facility and tenant management, administration, health & safety, manual handling and mental health wellbeing, to name only a few. Our 4ST online portal provides nearly 50 training modules with tests and KPIs which ensure our Security Officers remain well trained to perform to a high standard, providing vastly improved customer service ~

Sight & Sound Security updated their business hours.