How Many Guards Do You Need on Site? - Squadron Protective Services

Can a single security person patrol an entire job site? How about two or three? What is the optimal magic number? In other words, how many guards do you need for your place of business, institution, or event?

The Importance of Having the Right Number of Security Personnel

You don’t need a guard at every key location at every moment. However, security officers should be able to patrol the entire premises within a reasonable timeframe. Also, having more staff on hand decreases response time should an incident occur. Furthermore, the multiple guards on duty can act as eyewitnesses. We can’t emphasize how important this is should police be called, resulting in the need to file a criminal report.

That’s not all; often, security guards also perform double-duty as guest service representatives or guides for customers as they enter and exit the facilities. A sufficient number of personnel need to be on hand to multi-task while staying vigilant for suspicious activity.

How Many Guards Do You Need for Optimal Event Security?

It’s hard to pinpoint a precise number or even a number range. A good rule of thumb is about one person for every 75 to 150 people at an event. We realize that’s quite a wide range. This is due to multiple factors, such as:

Whether alcohol is served
Event—such as an auction—involves expensive items
Events where guests are known to get rowdy, such as sporting functions
Events with a high probability for disruption, such as political rallies

The rule of thumb can also apply with regard to places that require a permanent security presence. This includes apartment complexes, hotels, and healthcare facilities.

We Provide a Personalized Security Detail

Give Squadron Protective Services a call before your next event or if you need security for your business. We provide both on-site security and vehicle patrols. How many guards you need depends on multiple factors, all of which we take into consideration.