PSINovember2018

together raising standards
“We pride ourselves
in our flexibility and
our willingness to
supply the client with
a quality system to
meet their needs”
According to Jack, the team at
Eagle has a few events to look
forward to in celebration of 35
years of trading
(continued from previous page)
Are there any common requests from
customers that give you problems?
Every customer is an individual with their own
requirements and expectations. We pride
ourselves in our flexibility and our willingness to
supply the client with a quality system to meet
their needs. Over the years that we have been
trading there are few problems that we have not
encountered. With the technology we have
available today and a little research we can
usually find a suitable solution. The limiting factor
is usual the financial budget.
Is there is a security skills shortage?
I came into the industry with no official training,
there was little available in the early 1980s. We
have always taken advantage of manufacturers
training courses. We first employed an apprentice
in the Mid 1980s and I got involved with Burton on
Trent college who were then pioneering an
apprenticeship for security engineers. I later
became involved with SITO (Security Industry
Training Organisation) which later became Skills
for Security. After taking the relevant teacher,
trainer and assessor qualifications, I assisted
many apprentices, from around the country
through their training. Eagle Security became
established as a satellite training centre, so we
had no trouble providing training for our
engineers. However, the minimum spends put in
place by the awarding bodies have now made this
approach unaffordable. We have a low staff
turnover and we still believe in training
apprentices, but as there are no suitable security
engineer courses available the last two recruits
are completing electrical apprenticeships. With in
house training and manufacturers training they
are on their way to become competent multiskilled
engineers.
What will be the impact of smart/home
automation on the security sector?
I do not think the impact will be that profound. It
has been a great advantage to provide our clients
with the ability to switch household devices from
the same app as the alarm system. Many of the
home automation systems available have the
ability to connect detection devices, but these are
ungraded and there have always been ungraded
and non-compliant detectors available.
What is the industry’s biggest myth?
There are many misconceptions both in and about
the security industry, perhaps the biggest is that
one single product will solve all the problems. A
common belief is that a CCTV camera will prevent
intrusion even if it is not monitored. A common
belief at the moment is that a self-monitored
system, an app on a mobile phone is a suitable
alternative to a monitored system with a URN.
Will England ever win the football World
Cup again?
Of course, they will. Roll on 2022.
What would you do if you won £25,000?
On the 25th year anniversary of the company we
arranged a series of days out and evenings out
with all kinds of activities for staff and guests, It is
35 years this year so we should do something
similar.
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