Security guards across all of London.

What does a security guard do in London?

It depends on the premises. Most of the work falls into a few kinds of job, and each has its own page:

• Running a gate on a construction site or at a warehouse: checking people, vehicles and deliveries in and out, and keeping the log.
• Front of house in an office or a residential block: greeting people, signing in visitors and contractors, and controlling who gets past reception.
• On the shop floor: uniformed officers who deter theft and back up staff.
• At events: door, bag checks, queues and crowds.
• Out of hours: guarding a closed site overnight, or mobile patrols and alarm response where a full-time officer isn't needed.

How do security needs change across London?

London's boroughs ask different things of their security. In broad terms:

• The centre: the City of London, Westminster and Camden. Offices, front desks, shops and events, with around 678,000 people working in the Square Mile alone, and building sites that work within the City's permitted hours.
• The east and the Thames: Tower Hamlets, Newham, Barking and Dagenham, Greenwich and Bexley. Canary Wharf's offices, the Royal Docks and the Olympic Park, and new neighbourhoods rising beside working wharves and industrial land.
• The west: Ealing, Brent, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hillingdon and Hounslow. Park Royal's warehouses and yards, the logistics around Heathrow, and regeneration at Old Oak, White City and Earls Court.
• The north: Barnet, Enfield, Haringey and Waltham Forest. The Lea Valley's industrial estates, new towns at Brent Cross and Meridian Water, and the streets around the stadiums on event days.
• The south: Croydon, Bromley, Sutton, Kingston, Merton and Wandsworth. Busy town centres, the estates along the Purley Way and the Wandle, and riverside building at Nine Elms.

Every borough's guide, listed above, goes into the detail: its districts, its premises and the services that suit them.

Which licence does a security guard need?

Anyone guarding premises under a contract needs a front line licence from the Security Industry Authority (SIA). The SIA licenses individuals, not companies. In England and Wales, the front line licences are security guarding, door supervision, public space surveillance (CCTV), key holding, close protection, and cash and valuables in transit (SIA).

Most guarding needs a security guarding licence. Door work at licensed premises, such as a venue selling alcohol, needs a door supervisor licence, which also covers security guarding. Staff employed directly by the business they guard usually don't need a licence, but door supervisors at licensed premises always do.

How many officers does round-the-clock cover take?

More than most buyers expect. A week has 168 hours. Officers can't work more than 48 hours a week on average unless they choose to opt out (GOV.UK), so one post covered day and night needs at least three and a half officers' worth of hours before anyone takes holiday. Add the 5.6 weeks of paid holiday each officer is entitled to, plus sickness and training, and a single 24/7 post usually needs a team of four or five officers.

That's why cover that doesn't need someone on site all night, such as patrols or alarm response, can cost far less, and why most of a guarding quote is officer hours.

What does the London Living Wage mean for security costs?

The London Living Wage is a voluntary rate set by the Living Wage Foundation. The rate for 2026 to 2027 is £15.45 an hour, announced on 15 October 2026, and accredited employers have until 1 May 2027 to pay it (Living Wage Foundation).

If your organisation is an accredited Living Wage employer, accreditation also covers contractors' staff who work regularly on your premises, for two or more hours a week over eight or more consecutive weeks, and contracts are usually brought into line as they come up for renewal (FAQs). Tell any security company quoting for you, so every quote is on the same basis.

How do you choose a security company in London?

Price matters, but a very low rate is a warning sign. The legal minimum for an officer aged 21 or over is £12.71 an hour from April 2026, rising to £13.21 in April 2027 (GOV.UK). A security company also pays holiday pay, employer's National Insurance and pension contributions, and covers licences, uniforms, insurance, supervision and cover for absence. A rate that leaves little room above the minimum wage can only work by cutting one of them. Before you sign, ask:

• Licences: which licence each officer holds, with numbers you can check on the register.
• Screening: how officers are vetted before they start, including employment history, references and criminal record checks.
• Insurance: proof of public and employers' liability cover.
• Site instructions: the written instructions officers will work to on your site, agreed before the first shift.
• Supervision and reporting: who checks on the officers, how often, and what you'll hear when something happens.
• Cover: what happens when your regular officer is ill or on holiday, so the post is never left empty.
• Changeover: if you're replacing another company, whether officers will transfer under TUPE and how the handover will work.

Our standards and credentials answer some of these. Ask us the rest.