Behind the scenes of mobile security

An alarm call at three o'clock in the morning is rarely good news. Yet, over time, routine imperceptibly creeps into the work of a mobile security officer. In practice, a zone that triggers, somewhere in the middle of a building, turns out to be a false alarm nine times out of ten. A draught through an open window, a stray bird, or simply an ageing sensor; as a security guard, you quickly learn to recognise the patterns.

This particular night began in exactly that manner. It felt like a textbook routine check. Until that routine was completely shattered in an instant.

The protocol: Outside first, then inside The established security protocol is clear and makes no exceptions: you always check the exterior of the property first. After all, you never know if someone is actually in the process of causing forced entry damage at that moment. In accordance with the standard procedure, I walked my round past the facades, the windows and the doors. It was quiet, dark and, at first glance, there was absolutely nothing amiss.

Following this extremely quiet exterior check, I continued with the steps: back to the main entrance, closing the door behind me, temporarily disarming the alarm system and walking straight through to the designated zone. The alert came from a single detector deep inside the building. In our line of work, that is a strong indicator of a false alarm. And that turned out to be the case. On the inside, there were no signs of forced entry, there was no movement whatsoever, and every trace of unwanted entry was absent.

I switched the system back on, closed the door behind me and took a calm breath. Until I stepped back outside.

Everything's broken... My service vehicle was parked just a few metres away. In a split second the situation changed completely when my eye fell on the van. Everything made of glass or plastic was completely smashed to pieces. The destruction was total: the rear lights, the rear window, the side windows, the windscreen and the headlights had been smashed to pieces. The car had been so intensively battered as if it had been bludgeoned with a heavy, medieval weapon.

At such a moment, your heart skips a beat. As a security guard, you are trained to take risks into account, such as verbal or physical aggression, suspects fleeing and catching burglars in the act. But being confronted with your own completely wrecked company vehicle in the car park is a very different experience. That takes a heavy mental toll.

The impact of targeted vandalism The feeling that predominates upon such a discovery is the violation of your personal space. For hours, the surveillance vehicle is your mobile workplace and safe haven during the night. The fact that this vandalism took place purposefully within the few minutes – perhaps even seconds – that I was inside for the check makes the impact significant. It shows how quickly a seemingly routine night shift can turn into a situation that leaves a lasting impression.