Looking ahead to 2025 – SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis: residential and community security
In preparation for 2025, we asked a group of experts from the security sector to carry out a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis of the Security Sector. We begin with Alfonso di Muro, CEO of Imperium Security who analyses the residential and community security sector.
Strengths
The residential and community security sector as a whole:
The London security market is filled with capable, dynamic companies who are able to customise solutions to clients needs. This factor is very important for the end user when facing modern day challenges. There is an abundance of new tech companies offering great value to residential security allowing the client a solution for most issues in many different price brackets.
The people working in security:
There are many ‘go-getters’ who are willing to upskill to enlarge their personal service offerings to become more employable and add more value. We have seen new behavioural analysis courses being offered which are great for residential security operatives.
Regulation of the security sector:
The regulation in the security sector is well enforced for the overall industry, with relevant general topics covered. Companies such as Secure by Design are great for refining proven products for unknowledgeable end users.
The use of physical security and technology:
The market has many ARCs (Alarm Receiving Centres) and SOCS (Security Operation Centres), remote and in-house. Combining the traditional Receiving Centres with mobile or stationed operatives allows for the perfect combination that the residential market needs in the current climate.
Weaknesses
The residential and community security sector as a whole:
Residential market is unknowledgeable of value for money so may settle for lowest price and therefore not have the protection they are expecting.
The people working in security:
The under trained mass market is not paid enough to upskill, even if they wanted to. This leads to untrained and inexperienced personnel accepting job roles with potential threats that they are not prepared for. This is a risk to them and their client.
Focus is on overall rather than necessary skill. Therefore, companies will choose to focus budget on the necessary rather than the value in knowledge and skill that can transfer to client experience.
Regulation of the security sector:
Many companies are disjointed and do not integrate. Therefore, a client may have a home security system that does not speak to their ARC which does not link to their keyholder. If each connection requires a human to manually transfer data and proceed on protocol, then precious potentially lifesaving minutes are lost.
Opportunities
The residential and community security sector as a whole:
Turnkey solutions provide an opportunity for adaptable companies, allowing the combination of technology with physical security and layering private triage. This helps address the supply deficit in rapid response for the residential market.
The people working in security:
There is a need for a behavioural analysis, surveillance and civilian arrest course specific to the public area. Alternatively, in house training is needed by security companies for their personnel. The market is in need of an advanced, elite qualification within the security industry in general.
Regulation of the security sector:
With the development of new threats and risks, there is a significant opportunity for industry specific training and certification specifically for public areas and residents.
The use of physical security and technology:
The prime opportunity at the moment, which Imperium is exploiting, Is to offer the first person on scene triage. This leads to clients being updated quicker and police resources saved if they are not needed on site.
Threats
The residential and community security sector as a whole:
The less deterrents that are present by both state and the private security sector, the more criminals are being unmonitored while performing reconnaissance, leading to increased well-planned crimes/attempts at crimes. The result is either successful crime or security having to engage rather than the crime being prevented.
The people working in security:
Unskilled workers are at risk if the industry allows them to be qualified for a specific role when they only have a basic license.
This is a threat to the client too, being under the impression that all security service offerings and personnel are the same, they will not receive value and put their security officers and themselves at risk.
Equally so these threats exist for clients around technology: a client may assume all technology performs the same functions, based on advertising, such as “monitoring” or “response”. Industry clarity is needed as marketing is often misleading about product offerings.
Regulation of the security sector:
There is the potential for legal action when security operatives do not have the ability or skills to perform their job but have the approval to do so.
The use of physical security and technology
There is an ongoing threat from weapons from criminals in some residential areas. They operate in gangs, with two to three people performing the crime and one or two performing surveillance. If a security operative is to attempt to deter any situation, their life will almost always be at risk.
Alfonso di Muro,
