Most security buyers in BC have signed exactly one or two security contracts in their career. The companies you are talking to have signed thousands. To level the playing field, here are the ten questions we'd want a prospective client to ask us — and any other provider they're evaluating.
Licensing & insurance
- Are you licensed by the BC Security Programs Division? Ask for the licence number.
- What is your liability insurance limit? Anything less than $5M general liability is a red flag for commercial work.
- Are you in good standing with WorkSafeBC? Easy to verify online.
Officers
- Are all your officers BC-licensed? Every shift, no exceptions.
- What training do you provide beyond the BST minimum? A serious provider invests in ongoing training.
- What is your officer turnover rate? High turnover = unfamiliar guards on your site.
Operations
- Who supervises overnight? A live human, in BC, every night.
- How do you handle missed check-ins? There should be an automatic escalation process.
- What does an incident report look like? Ask to see a real, redacted example.
Accountability
- Can I see GPS-verified patrol reports? If they can't show you proof of patrols, they're not actually patrolling.
Bonus: red flags
- Quotes that arrive in under an hour without a site visit.
- Verbal promises that aren't in the written agreement.
- "Coverage" that turns out to be a sub-contracted call centre.
- No name and badge number on incident reports.
If you'd like to put us through these questions, request a quote or call our 24/7 dispatch line. We answer all ten in writing.