Dogs are a man’s best friend, but when trained correctly, they can quickly become a criminal’s worst nightmare.

Canine security is a highly valuable addition to any security team, but what is it about dogs that make them such fantastic security assets?

The idea of using dogs for protection and security purposes is far from a new one but continues to be as effective as ever in the modern world.

There are few more effective ways to secure a premises and keep crowds of people under control than by using a highly trained security K9 unit.

Why are dogs so fantastic for security?

Reaction Time

Dog breeds used for security purposes have reaction speeds far faster than their security handlers and are often the best possible intruder ‘alarm’ you can have on your site.

Dogs have a fantastic sense of smell and hearing meaning they will often detect an intruder before they come into sight.

Athletic abilities

Dogs can cover a far larger area of land in a much shorter time than humans and often do the work of several security guards in the event of an intruder hunt.

This speed and physical prowess, combined with their enhanced senses means no intruder will go undetected or undisturbed for long once they have entered your property.

The knowledge that a dog could track them down if they decided to is a major deterrent to intruders, something that is just as important to their effectiveness as a security measure as their physical abilities.

Intelligence

There are many animals that have the physical capabilities of dogs, but noe that are as intelligent or as capable of following orders.

Dogs will pick up on the emotion within a situation based on things such as body language and tone of voice, and can be trained to hone this natural talent.

When things are clam and peaceful, security dogs will be the same, only to spring into action should the situation become hostile or they are given a command by their experienced handler.

Criminal Deterrent

It is not an overstatement to go as far as to say that dogs are the single most effective deterrent to criminals and wrongdoers it is possible to have on your property.

Even if the dog has been carefully trained not to harm intruders, which most have, the intruder themselves don’t know this and the fear of their teeth and claws will usually be more than enough to convince potential intruders to steer well clear.

Loyalty

Dogs are incredibly loyal animals, making them both fantastic pets and superb security guards. Guard dog species are not only loyal but also incredibly protective, making them excellent for both personal security and property security. When combined with sniffer dogs that have an uncanny ability to detect drugs, weapons or other illicit goods, a team of canine security is one that is very hard to beat.

Get in touch to learn more about the advantages of canine security.

Since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic there has been a noticeable rise in crime across the UK. CCTV is a powerful tool in your business’ fight against it and has become a must have for company’s looking to protect their future.

If you have decided to install CCTV you have already taken the most important step but there are still many things you need to get sorted out. The biggest choice facing a business looking to install a commercial CCTV system is whether to install a wired or wireless CCTV system.

Lot of people believe that it is as simple as wired CCTV for commercial sites and wireless CCTV for domestic sites but this is not always the case.

If you only intend to be on the site for a short period of time as a business or operate a company in the construction industry where things change pretty much every day, a full wired CCTV system might not be the most sensible thing and may not even be possible.

Read on to learn more about the benefits of both wired and wireless CCTV technology.

Wired CCTV systems

Wired CCTV is the most traditional form of CCTV, with cables powering and connecting CCTV cameras to a central monitoring screen or screens located on site.

That isn’t to say that wired CCTV can’t be integrated with cutting edge technology. It certainly can be and alarm monitoring, movement detection, and shape identification are all common in systems installed by professional companies such as trust hire security.

The pros of wired CCTV over wireless include:

• Reliability – There is a much lower risk or interference or tampering with a wired CCTV system than with a wireless one. It’s not impossible but it is unlikely.
• Consistency – Lost signal, poor transmission quality? All extremely rare with wired CCTV systems.
• Affordability – If you are looking to install a CCTV system that will last you for many years to come, wired CCTV is a great investment. Short term, wireless CCTV probably has an edge but wired systems have the durability factor on their side.

Wireless CCTV

Wireless CCTV systems come in all different shapes and sizes from the ring doorbell on the front door of your home to high-quality CCTV towers protecting major infrastructure projects and commercial premises.

Wireless CCTV is much more flexible and customisable than wired systems. If you go down the CCTV tower route, you will also save much more money in the short term as you will rent the system from a security firm rather than purchasing the system outright. Once you no longer need it, back it goes.

These systems are easy to install, fully scalable and can be altered, moved, or taken down at a moment’s notice. On the potential downside, they can be slightly less reliable than a wired system but this isn’t the case when you do your research and pick the best possible security firm with a great track record of CCTV tower production.

Starting a business of any kind requires a huge amount of effort and commitment and there are many factors to consider before venturing into the world of business ownership.

The door and window fitting business is no different, requiring an expert knowledge of your products, the skills to fit them into any home or business, and a high standard of customer service at all times.

If you are looking to run your own new front door Glasgow fitting business, this guide will hopefully help you along the way, giving you all the key information that you need to get your dreams off the ground.

Do your research

The very first thing that you need to do when starting any business is to identify and research your target market. In the window and door fitting business this might seem pretty simple, its people who want a new door right? Sure, but its not quite that straightforward. Are you going to target commercial premises or domestic homeowners? What type of property is located in your target area and what designs of doors are likely to be popular there? How large a population is in the area you intent to supply?

These are just some of the important questions that you need tot be able to answer when starting a door fitting company as they will determine a big part of how you go about your business going forward. There is no point only supplying aluminium or ultra modern composite doors in a rural area packed with period properties, for example. 

If you choose to work in the commercial industry, providing doors and windows for schools, office blocks, and more, you will need to focus on winning contracts and securing major clients, rather than relying on work of mouth and locally targeted marketing.

Often construction companies and major window installation firms will use the services of sub-contractors in order to fulfil major orders and this is something that you could benefit from whilst looking to get your start-up company off the ground.

Analyse the competition

A big part of doing research for a new company is conducting analysis of your competitors, identifying what it is that they are doing well, and what improvements that they could make that you can capitalise on.

If there is an excess of competition in one certain area if may be worth targeting a different area with your marketing instead. We’re not saying that the services you are going to supply aren’t going to be superior to these other companies but starting a new company in an already crowded market is a high risk strategy that often requires a very large advertising budget in order to stand out.

Decide what services you are going to offer

This may sound pretty simple. You’re going to start a window fitting company right? Window fitting is the service that you’re going to offer. Sure, but many window fitters also install new doors, and provide ongoing maintenance and window repair services. If you wish to venture into this market and expand your potential reach, you need to factor in any additional licenses that you might require to do so and the additional set-up costs that might be incurred.

Pick your product range

Any window and door installer is only as good as the products that they have on offer. It can be tempting to simply offer as many different types, colours, and designs of door and window as possible but sometimes, especially when starting a business for the very first time it can be beneficial to focus on quality over quantity and select a few products to specialise in.

If possible, it is incredibly helpful to build connections with window and door manufacturers as you may then be able to offer exclusive deals such as extended warranties to your customer on their products. If you can offer a longer warranty, it can be a lot easier to convince a prospective client to choose your services as they know that if anything goes wrong, for whatever reason, the issues will be resolved free of charge. This can be very reassuring when picking a new window fitting firm.

If you run a business and are considering hiring a professional security company to oversee the protection of your site, you may be wondering what exactly you can expect from them.

The simple answer is that security companies protect things, normally property and people, in the workplace, at events, and in public.

If you walk around any town centre for a few minutes the chance is that you will see a security guard of some kind, but most of us never stop to consider what exactly it is that they do. Their overall remit may be simply to keep an area safe, but in order to achieve this goal they must perform a number of more specific duties to an extremely high standard.

Here are just a few of the things that you can expect from a security company hired to protect your company.

Act as a deterrent to thieves and vandals

Theft, vandalism and arson are all serious threats to any business with the destruction of assets and important documentation putting the very future of your company at risk.

A security company will help to massively reduce the risk of a criminal choosing your property to target. Security guards, CCTV cameras, and alarm systems are just some of the security measures that can be put in place that are powerful visible deterrents to intruders.

The evidence shows that vandals and thieves are significantly less likely to target a property with visible security measures as the risk of being caught and identified is simply too high.

In fact, the best security systems have very little actual work to do as they will have minimised the risk of incidents taking place in the first place.

Working with the local authorities

Security companies have close working relationships with the emergency services in the local area.

Should a major incident occur, they will focus on protecting staff and customers, contacting the emergency services and keeping the scene clear until they arrive.

In the event of a fire, they will evacuate the building and liaise with the fire service once they arrive, providing critical information such as the location of the fire itself and whether anyone is known to be inside.

Should a medical emergency occur SIA licenced security officers are trained in basic first aid, and will use this knowledge to look after the injured or ill person until help arrives.

Finally, if an intruder is detected they will detain them and wait for the police. If this is not possible, they will work alongside the police retrospectively, giving their version of events and giving the police the best possible chance of finding the person or people responsible.

Security guards are regularly asked to give evidence in court cases or to give statements to the police and are considered highly valuable and respected witnesses.

When it comes to event security Manchester, security guards will work with both the local police and the event venue staff to ensure a safe and smooth occasion.

Maintaining security Equipment

A modern security system should combine the tried and tested expertise of qualified SIA licenced security officers with modern security technologies such as biometric access control AI CCTV towers, and more.

As a result of this it is essential that your security guards are used to working alongside a wide variety of different security equipment.

The best way to do this is to only use the services of security firms who also provide industry leading security technologies themselves. Their staff will be used to training alongside their own equipment and will therefore be at an advantage when they are deployed on your site.

Improving staff productivity

This is not a direct duty of a security firm but rather a welcome side benefit. Commercial sites that have put a security system in place using a professional security firm regularly report a noticeable upturn in staff productivity immediately after deployment.

There are several possible reasons for this. Firstly, if staff know that they are under observation, whether via CCTV or security guards themselves, they are more likely to follow protocol. This not only results in an increase in productivity but by ensuring that health and safety regulation are enforced through best practice can lead to a significant drop in the risk of workplace accidents.

Secondly, a site that is properly protected is a safe site and a much more enjoyable place to work. If staff know that they are being protected whilst at work by highly trained professionals, they will be able to focus on their work without worrying about being disturbed or threatened.

The presence of a security officer in retail settings dramatically reduces the risk of staff being the victim of abuse or assault by customers or other staff members. Should an incident occur the security guard will quickly resolve the situation and detain the attacker whilst waiting for the police to arrive on the scene.

If you are looking for a lip enhancement treatment that adds volume and plumpness to your lips, you have two main options, lip flips, and lip fillers.

Lip enhancement has surged in popularity in recent times with many celebrities using cosmetic treatments to accentuate the features of their face and are now some of our most popular treatments at Luxe Skin Glasgow.

We have made this guide to help you decide between fillers and lip flips, two of the most popular non-surgical ways to achieve the lips you have always dreamed of.

What is the difference between lip flips and lip fillers?

Lip flips are conducted using Botox, an extremely popular toxin used for a variety of cosmetic purposes.

This procedure, unlike fillers, does not add volume as such, but they do result in a fuller looking appearance. By injecting Botox into your top lip, the lip will flip upwards as a result of the orbicularis oris muscle being paralysed.

This produces a subtle yet impressive result, ideal for those who tend to have a gummy smile, and will result in less gum showing at any time. The effect of a lip flip last for around 3 months.

In comparison, lip fillers do add volume to your lip, through the injection of hyaluronic acid or similar. A numbing cream will be applied by your doctor before the filler is injected, but no general anaesthetic is required.

Dermal fillers such as those used as part of lip filler treatments are widely used for a variety of different cosmetic treatments, including filling out hollow cheeks, tackling dark circles under the eyes, lifting jowls, and much more.

When applied by a professional cosmetic surgeon the effects of lip fillers will look completely natural, highlighting the natural contours of your face whilst still adding volume to key areas.

There are very few downsides to either lip flips or lip fillers and the best option will normally come down to personal preference, your own appearance, and what you are looking to get out of the treatment.

Pros and cons of a Botox lip flip

Pros

Lip flips are incredibly quick and easy to get. There is very little recovery required and the whole process will be over and down within your lunch-hour. If you are looking for easy enhancement with minimal disruption to your everyday life, this is a great option.

They are also pretty cheap as most people only require around 5 units of Botox in order to achieve the aesthetic that they are looking for. Despite this, they still last for around 3 months, not bad for such a non-invasive treatment.

Saving potentially the best till last, the reason that lip fillers are so popular is that they produce a subtle natural looking improvement that accentuates the natural shape of the lips rather than reforming them. You will still look like you after a lip flip, albeit a version with a fuller and more vibrant smile than ever before.

Cons

The biggest issue with lip flips, and other Botox based treatments is that they don’t last that long. A lip flip can take around 14 days to produce is best results and after around 3 months the procedure will need to be repeated as it will have worn off.

If you have extremely thin lips, a lip flip may not be viable, either and some people report disliking the feeling of stiffness in their lips and mouths after treatment.

Pros and cons of lip fillers

Pros

Lip fillers provide much longer lasting results than lip flips with the hyaluronic acid based dermal fillers used for the majority of high end filler treatments lasting for around 9-12 months.

You will also see much more noticeable results and if you are looking for instant plump and full looking lips there is nothing that will match the effectiveness of a lip filler treatment.

Reassuringly for first time lip enhancement clients, lip fillers made from hyaluronic acid can also easily be dissolved using an enzyme called Hyalase meaning that if they hate the way that they turn out or they experience side effects, they won’t have to deal with an appearance they dislike for a year or so.

Cons

Lip fillers are more expensive than a lip flip. There is no getting around this, although it could be argued that they are better value for money as they last up to four times longer.

Despite being a minimally invasive procedure with no anaesthetic or associated downtime to speak of, lip fillers are more invasive than lip flips as there may be some associated discomfort, bruising or selling in the area for a couple of weeks.

Get in touch

If you are still unsure about whether a lip flip or hyaluronic acid based lip filler is the best option for your lip enhancement needs, get in touch with our lip filler Glasgow clinic today at Luxe Skin Glasgow.