5 Benefits of Providing Uniforms for Your Officers

While providing security officers with uniforms may seem unnecessary, it has numerous benefits and shouldn’t be overlooked when establishing a private security company.

Uniformed security officers ensure that clients feel safe, while also promoting brand recognition. It creates a sense of pride for officers and shows current and prospective clients that the security company operates in a professional.

Using our industry experience & findings, we’ve compiled 5 benefits of providing officer uniforms in your private security company.

1. Brand Recognition

Brand awareness through direct exposure and engagement is an effective way to gain recognition in your target service location and generate new referrals or leads. Having clear company branding on uniforms will increase brand recognition, as well as, help build organizational relationships.

In order to maximize brand recognition, organizations should look at creating a recognizable logo and uniform patch that keeps their values & mission in mind. If the budget allows, creating company merchandise can be a great team morale booster; t-shirts, hats, polos, and cold weather jackets can all be made in bulk and used as rewards for top performers. However, setting guidelines for when and where officers should be wearing their patch, considering who they will be interacting with at these times, is an important SOP for any security management company.

Uniforms and their associated branding can be a beneficial way to convey your company culture and mission without traditional advertising limitations. However, wearing the uniform or company patch in the wrong place at the wrong time is likely to cause issues for the officer and for the security company they work for.

There are countless stories of guards going rogue while in company regalia and being charged with impersonating a police officer. To avoid these types of situations, be very clear in all guard training programs and hiring about your uniform policies.

2. Professionalism

Civilians interpret someone in a uniform as more productive and credible than someone not in uniform. Part of building a successful security company is ensuring that the brand image is associated with expertise and professionalism. Uniforms accomplish this in a cost-effective, simple way.

Also, with a company providing upkeep & maintenance of all uniforms, they can maintain the highest level of standards for the uniforms themselves. Make uniform inspections a regular occurrence, especially for public-facing employees as they are a direct reflection of your organization.

Guards who bounce from company to company using the same jackets, pants, and shirts are bound to let them fall into a state of disrepair. Plus, hiring a guard who doesn't take pride in their personal appearance or maintaining their own clothing or equipment will likely result in an early termination for reasons that align with that personality type.

3. Sense of Pride

Being apart of a well-respected & recognized security company is something to be proud of. Uniforms foster a team mentality: boosting morale, productivity, and organizational-pride. Uniforms help officers feel like an appreciated and integral representative of their security company.

For individuals in supervisor roles, treating their team of uniformed officers as “officers” rather than “guards” will reinforce a higher level of professionalism and inspire officers to live up the organization’s mission and standards.

Officers who feel like they hold an important, valued role in the company are going to hold more pride in their position and in executing their post-orders at a high-performing level.

4. Minimize Criminal Activities

Providing uniforms also lowers the risk of criminal activities. Having uniformed security officers on the premises serves as a significant crime deterrent, as the officers act as a warning-signal to potential criminals and thieves.

Criminals will typically pick the place with the least obstacles to commit a crime. Uniforms are an easy and cost-effective crime prevention tactic that will cause opportunistic criminals to think twice.

5. Peace of Mind

Clients contract with private security companies to ensure that the individuals on their properties are safe and secure. With uniformed security officers on-site, civilians will immediately know who to speak to about safety issues or concerns, reinforcing their peace of mind.

For example, Homeowners Associations (HOA) contract with security companies to secure the premises and maintain parking management. Uniformed security officers provide an increased sense of security for residents and help build a stronger partnership with the property manager.

Providing uniforms for security officers is beneficial for any security organization looking to be considered reputable. It helps maintain client relationships and drives new business. It sets a level of professionalism that your clients and their customers will come to expect for years to come. Obviously a well uniformed officer can not replace a highly-trained guard, but matching the two together is a recipe for success.