The best security companies in the West Midlands have the same things in common, and you can check every one of them before you sign. They hold SIA Approved Contractor status, vet officers to BS 7858, run a 24 hour control room, send supervisors to site, put written instructions in place, report in writing, and price above the legal minimum wage. This guide shows you how to check each point, gives you a scorecard to compare quotes, and lists the warning signs we see most often across Birmingham, the Black Country and the wider region.
What makes a security company one of the best?
Every company calls itself the best. The useful question is what you can prove. A security company is only as good as the officer who turns up at 3am, and that officer is only as good as the training, vetting, supervision and support behind them.
We have run security across the West Midlands since 2007, and the companies that keep their contracts year after year share these traits:
- SIA Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) status, checked by an independent assessor every year.
- Every officer holds the right SIA licence for the job and is vetted to BS 7858 before deployment.
- A 24 hour control room that checks officers through the night and answers the phone when you ring.
- Supervisors and managers who visit sites, not just a sales contact you never hear from again.
- Written assignment instructions for every site, so a relief officer knows exactly what to do.
- Incident and patrol reports you receive in writing, with times and evidence.
- Prices that pay officers properly, including holiday pay, pension and unsocial hours.
- Officers employed directly, rather than work passed to a subcontractor you have never met.
- Relevant accreditations such as ISO 9001, Constructionline, CHAS or SafeContractor, depending on your sector.
- A local base and local officers, so cover is reliable when someone calls in sick.
How to check a West Midlands security company in fifteen minutes
You do not need to take anyone’s word for it. Before you shortlist a provider, run these checks yourself:
If a company is slow or vague when you ask for any of this, treat that as your answer.
- SIA Approved Contractor register. The SIA publishes the list of approved contractors on GOV.UK. Search the company name and check which services the approval covers, for example security guarding and door supervision.
- SIA licence checker. Ask for the licence numbers of the officers proposed for your site and check them on the SIA register of licence holders.
- Companies House. Check how long the company has traded, who the directors are, and whether accounts are filed on time.
- Insurance. Ask for current certificates for public liability, employer’s liability and professional indemnity, and check the cover suits your site.
- Accreditations. Ask for certificates for ISO 9001, Constructionline, CHAS, SafeContractor or Cyber Essentials, and check them with the scheme.
- Data protection. Any company handling CCTV or personal data should be registered with the ICO. The ICO publishes its register online.
- References. Ask for a client in your sector and of a similar size, and call them.
A scorecard for comparing security companies
Use this table when you have two or three quotes in front of you. Ask each company the same questions and write down the answers. The best provider for you is the one that gives clear, checkable answers to every row.
| What to check | Question to ask | What a good answer looks like |
|---|---|---|
| SIA approval | Are you an SIA Approved Contractor, and for which services? | A named ACS reference you can find on the SIA register. |
| Vetting | Are officers vetted to BS 7858 before they start? | Yes, with screening completed before deployment. |
| Control room | Who checks my officer at 3am? | A staffed 24 hour control room with check calls through the shift. |
| Supervision | How often does a supervisor visit? | A stated visit pattern and a named manager for your account. |
| Instructions | What will my officer be told to do? | Written assignment instructions agreed with you before day one. |
| Reporting | What do I receive after each shift or patrol? | Written incident and patrol reports with times. |
| Pay | What is the officer actually paid per hour? | An open answer that sits above the National Living Wage. |
| Staffing | Are officers employed directly? | Yes, or a clear explanation of any subcontracting. |
| Cover | What happens if an officer calls in sick? | A relief officer from a local pool, briefed from the site instructions. |
| Survey | Will you see the site before pricing? | A free site survey and a written proposal. |
The best security company depends on what you need
A company that is excellent on the door of a Broad Street bar may not be the right choice for a forty acre distribution yard. Look for proof of experience in your sector, then check the scorecard above.
- Construction sites. Gatehouse control, compound guards, patrols and CCTV towers that change as the build moves on. Constructionline and CHAS often matter to main contractors.
- Pubs, bars and clubs. SIA door supervisors who keep refusal and incident logs and understand your licence conditions.
- Events and stadiums. Planned staffing, search, stewarding and crowd flow, with officers who work well alongside police and venue staff.
- Warehouses and industrial sites. Gatehouse and yard security, vehicle checks, perimeter patrols and alarm response.
- Retail. Visible store officers who deter theft, protect staff and gather evidence that stands up.
- Offices and reception. Front of house officers who look after visitors and still handle trouble calmly.
- Empty buildings. Vacant property security, patrols and monitored cameras that meet your insurer’s conditions.
Why a local West Midlands security company matters
Distance changes everything in security. When an officer is ill at 5am, a company with a local relief pool can fill the shift. When an alarm goes off at 2am, a local keyholder can attend. When something goes wrong, a supervisor who is half an hour away can be on site the same night.
National firms can do good work, but check where your account will actually be managed from. Ask who your supervisor is, where they are based, and how many of the officers live within reach of your site. The best security companies in the West Midlands recruit locally, so the people on your site know the area, the roads and the local police teams.
Red flags when choosing a security company
These are the warning signs we hear about most from clients who come to us after a bad experience elsewhere:
- A price far below every other quote. The money usually comes out of officer pay, supervision or vetting.
- No ACS approval, or approval that does not cover the service you are buying.
- No site survey. A company that prices without seeing the site is guessing.
- No written assignment instructions, or a promise to sort them out after the start date.
- Officers who change every week, with nobody briefing them on your site.
- Reports that arrive late, are copied from the night before, or never arrive at all.
- A phone number that goes to voicemail out of hours.
- Pressure to sign a long contract before you have seen how the service runs.
How KBG Security measures up
We would rather you check us than take our word for it, so here are the facts. KBG Security Solutions Limited was founded in 2007 and runs its head office and 24 hour control room from 85 High Street, West Bromwich. We are an SIA Approved Contractor for security guarding and door supervision, reference KBGSECSC01, and every officer is SIA licensed and vetted to BS 7858.
Our accreditations include Constructionline Gold, CHAS Elite, SafeContractor, Cyber Essentials Plus, ISO 9001:2015 and SSAIB, and we are a BSIA member and ICO registered (Z3409111). Clients we have worked with include Stonegate Group, Burton Albion FC, Solihull Moors FC, Malabar Gold & Diamonds, Sandwell College, John Sisk & Son, Trojan Group and Medlock.
Every contract starts with a free site survey, then written assignment instructions, control room check calls through each shift, supervisor visits and written incident and patrol reports. That is the standard we think every buyer in the region should expect, from us or anyone else.
Security companies across the West Midlands: where we work
We cover the whole region from West Bromwich, which sits between the M5 and M6. That includes Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Coventry and Sutton Coldfield, and the surrounding counties of Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire.
If you are comparing providers in a particular area, read our guides to choosing a security company in Birmingham and security companies in the Black Country, or see our West Midlands security page.
Get a quote you can compare properly
Book a free site survey and we will send you a written proposal that answers every row of the scorecard above. Then compare it with anyone else’s. Call 0845 388 0348, any time of day, or use the form on this page.
