Security officers are essential to keeping shopping malls safe and secure. They will protect your mall in emergency situations and deter theft. Hiring security officers is an important part of running a successful and safe shopping mall. When hiring security officers, you’ll have to decide whether to use a professional security officer staffing agency or to hire your candidates internally. Both options come with certain advantages and disadvantages. Read below for a detailed comparison of hiring mall security officers internally and through a private security agency.

Selection Process

Internal

When you hire internally, you have much more autonomy in the selection process than you would using a private security company. Every candidate will be completely chosen by you, from reviewing applications to the final decision. However, it will be significantly more effort. You will be solely responsible for creating and distributing advertisements, reviewing applications, interviewing, conducting background checks, and every other aspect of the hiring process. You will have much more autonomy, but much more work.

Outsourcing

When you use a private security officer staffing company, you will not have any control over the hiring process. Security officers will be assigned to your shopping mall already screened and hired. Although you will not have control over the hiring process, you will not have to go through the effort of a lengthy hiring process. You can focus your efforts and resources elsewhere and feel confident that your security officers have been thoroughly screened and are ready to perform their duties.

Cost

Internal

The cost of hiring security officers internally will be higher than using a private security company. You will expend a significant amount of resources during the recruiting and hiring processes. Additionally, training each security officer to perform their duties well and up to state standards will be very costly. Although the cost of paying the security company might be more than the cost of salaries you would pay the security officers, the overall cost will be much lower.

Outsourcing

The cost of using a security company might be higher than paying the salaries of security officers. However, using a private security company will eliminate the cost of resources needed to promote an open job position and hire security officers. You will not have to pay for background checks or expend resources to train new hires.

Control

Internal

When you hire candidates internally, you have complete control over the hiring process and choose who gets hired. If there are any issues with your security officers, you can let them go without an extensive process. When you hire internally, your security officers work for you directly and you have more control over decisions concerning them.

Outsourcing

When you use a private security agency to staff your security officers, you have less control over their actions. They don’t work directly for you and their protocols and policies are established by an outside company. The staffing decisions are made without your input as well. However, if you have issues with security officers, it will not be difficult to tell your security company about your issues and have them handle them appropriately.

Training

Internal

When you hire security officers internally, you are in charge of training them so that they can effectively protect your shopping mall and keep it secure. You will have to extensively train each security officer for theft deterrence, emergency response, surveillance monitoring, and accurate report drafting, and any other duties you want them to perform. It will be a significant responsibility to ensure that your security officers are properly trained to handle the task of protecting your shopping mall.

Outsourcing

When you use a private security agency to staff your security officers, you can be sure that they are properly trained. These agencies will extensively train security officers in emergency response, theft deterrence, surveillance equipment operation and more. In addition to their extensive initial training, they are required to participate in yearly refresher courses. If you want security officers that are properly trained, there is no better option than a company that specializes in security procedures.

United Security Incorporated | Security Officer Staffing

Although it’s tempting to hire security officers as quickly as possible to protect your property, ultimately it will cost you more than it’s worth in the long term. Hiring unqualified security officers can damage your company’s reputation and financial livelihood, compromising security. It’s best to take your time and develop a hiring process that will help you get the high quality security officers that you need. In the end it is the only way to ensure your company’s long-term success.

Take a look at our “Security Officer Checklist” to ensure that you find the right officers to meet your building’s complex needs.