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SGThe High Stakes of Observing and Reporting
Every day, P4G guards work in environments where situations can change in seconds. One shift may involve routine patrols in a retail center, while the next involves managing crowd behaviour at a major event. The risks vary, but the responsibility remains the same.
“For us, security is really just observing and reporting. We can try to deter criminal activity, but it is high stress and often becomes a verbal altercation, which can then actually get physical.”
“It’s about people’s lives and ensuring that they come to work and go home again safely.”
— Tom Clark, Managing Director
For P4G, this responsibility is deeply personal. Incidents across the industry have shown how dangerous frontline security work can be. Protecting guards and clients alike meant P4G needed clearer insight into what was happening across their sites every day.
“Recently, a patrol person over here was killed while on duty. We need to make sure we do everything in our power to ensure the safety of our people. There have been a few incidents here where people haven’t gone home after work, and I certainly don’t want that for our business.”
— Tom Clark, Managing Director
Breaking Free from Excel
As P4G grew, its safety reporting struggled to keep pace. Information sat across multiple spreadsheets, making it hard to see trends or retrieve historical incidents when needed.
“When I first started here, we were using Excel spreadsheets, and I guess safety wasn’t something we had much information on. When we were asked for historical data, the process involved pulling up Excel spreadsheets and trying to go back through it all.”
— Tom Clark, Managing Director
For a company managing hundreds of sites and thousands of shifts, relying on spreadsheets meant risks were often recognised only after problems had already occurred. Leadership knew their teams were facing challenges but lacked the full picture needed to act early. P4G needed a system that could capture information easily and turn it into something useful across the organisation.
Making Safety Simple
Donesafe was introduced at P4G with one clear goal: make reporting easy enough that guards would actually do it, even during busy or stressful shifts.
“I managed to streamline the documentation procedure into a basic online form and then added QR codes. Guards could use their phones to report incidents and take photos. That was the start.”
— Stephanie, Head of Health & Safety
Reporting moved directly into the hands of frontline staff. QR codes and mobile phones allowed guards to submit incidents and hazards instantly, often including photos from the scene. For P4G, this shift meant incidents were no longer buried in paperwork or delayed until the end of a shift. Information started flowing in real time.
“Safety has to be simple. All they should really need to worry about is reporting if something happened to them. If there’s a hazard or anything they feel could cause harm, they should report it, tell someone, and just share it.”
— Stephanie, Head of Health & Safety
Leading by Example
Rolling out new technology across a large workforce requires trust. At P4G, leaders showed staff that reporting was something everyone should take part in.
“I had to learn how to use the system and how to report incidents myself before I could transfer that knowledge to the team. Being able to show them that I can use it helped them use the program too; it wasn’t just something I pushed onto them. I do it myself and have completed multiple incident reports.”
“I didn’t even care what they reported—even if it was a duck crossing the road. I told them to report whatever they felt like because that builds a culture of providing a safe network.”
— Stephanie, Head of Health & Safety
As reporting increased, P4G began building a culture where even small observations were shared. Minor incidents and hazards started to surface, giving management earlier warnings.
Seeing the Patterns Earlier
Within six months, P4G began to see patterns in incidents that had previously gone unnoticed. One site showed repeated knife-related incidents occurring at similar times each week.
“We were able to track more knife-related incidents and the time of day they were happening. By coupling this data with feedback from the guards, we saw that more incidents occur after 2 pm on Thursdays and Fridays.”
“The workers on the ground told us they actually needed a third person for coverage. We changed the roster to ensure there was cover, and we’ve now seen a decrease in the frequency and severity of those incidents. That is the key to data—seeing it and changing things—and we were able to capture that within three months.”
With this insight, P4G adjusted staffing levels and provided additional support during higher-risk periods. This demonstrated how data could directly influence operational decisions and reduce risk for staff on the ground.
Strengthening Client Relationships and the Future
The benefits extended beyond internal operations. P4G works across sites they do not own, so clear communication with property owners and health and safety teams is essential.
“We are on other people’s sites, so we don’t actually have control over them. We work closely with property owners and health and safety managers. Donesafe is our reporting system, and that’s what we give to our clients to let them know about any incidents that happened during the day.”
— Stephanie, Head of Health & Safety
Today, P4G no longer depends on spreadsheets. Real-time reporting and AI-powered insights now guide decisions across the business.
“This is us entering the 21st century. We’re growing, and having systems like this in place allows our people to feel more confident. We’ve found that our reporting stats have gone up, and I’m happy with that because it means people are actually reporting.”
Better data means safer guards, better support for clients, and stronger decision-making. The ability to see issues early and respond quickly ensures more people finish their shifts safely and return home.
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