Security officers can be very beneficial to businesses, as they will keep your property secure, deter crime, and address any security issues in real time. However, hiring security officers is a significant investment. If you’re considering hiring security officers for your business, one of your top considerations is probably cost. We’ve compiled a list of factors that will impact the cost of hiring security officers to help you gain an understanding of the overall cost.

Private Security Officers vs. Internal Hires

One decision that will affect that cost of hiring security officers is the choice to hire internally or outsource to a private security officer staffing company. The salary of an internal hire will cost less than paying a private security company. However, you will spend more in hiring resources as well as resources to properly train your officers. For this reason, using a private security officer will save your business money in overall costs.

Factors That Affect the Cost

Armed vs Unarmed Officers

All security officers provide a level of safety by their presence on a property. Armed security officers are required to have more training due to the management of firearms, which is factor to contemplate as these officers will typically cost more than unarmed officers. It's also important to remember these officers do have the ability to use lethal force if necessary. However, if you are business that protects money or houses expensive jewelry and other costly objects, an armed officer is a practical choice to consider. 

Various businesses select unarmed officers for their property as they protect and prevent criminal activity without being the possible cause or source for violence. That being said, armed officers still provide stronger deterrent but unarmed officers will have less liability issues if an incident were to occur. Work with your security company and go through all the options with them to better decide what security officers will be best for your business. 

Number of Officers

The number of security officers needed for your business is major factor that will affect your costs of security. Work with a security company that will go to your business to analyze the location and then sit down with you to see what your are specifically looking for when hiring security officers. Within this in-depth consultation, you should discuss and analyze each and every entry point, visitor access, hallway cameras as well as any area will benefit the property as you’ll know the sections needing improvement.

Not only can you see what areas require an upgrade but also have the opportunity to learn about innovative security technology as well as how many and what type of security officers will be beneficial to advance property safety measurements altogether. Every company's risks and business objectives are different requiring customized approaches, policies, procedures and requirements. 

Most importantly, well trained security officers can handle a versatile range of tasks, which aids businesses in more ways than what may have been originally considered. 

Level of Training

When hiring security officers, the level of training is a major factor that will affect the cost. Ultimately, the choice comes down to whether you want to attempt training an officer from scratch or work with a company who can adapt their standard training programs to meet the specific needs of your business. 

Experienced security companies are well versed in educating professional security officers, implementing a researched curriculum and materials that exceed industry standards. With this in mind, working with a third-party provider for security protects employees and assets while saving money and allowing you to dedicate your attention and resources to your core daily objectives.

The Bottom Line

Hiring security officers is an investment, but it’s a worthwhile one, as you will receive peace of mind knowing your business is well protected. When you work with a private security company to hire security officers, they will work with you and your budget. You can decide which services and features are necessary and which ones you can live without and your private security company will come up with a plan that suits your business’s unique needs.

USI Security | Security Officer Training and Staffing

For the past 27 years, USI has created safe, secure environments for commercial and government employees and customers by investing in our people, innovation and relationships. As engaged owner-operators, our investment begins with recruitment and screening to ensure we have the right people and continues through our policies and practices that enable USI to properly train and retain the best personnel.

USI is engaged in supporting your security and business by developing customized security solutions that support your objectives while cost-effectively minimizing risk. Clients receive continuous support from a highly responsive team of professionals including owners, management, field supervisors and officers. Our commitment to quality includes field inspections and audits, as well as investments in innovative solutions for continuous training and compliance.