Aycliffe Today Business Aycliffe Today Issue 44 | Page 17

FORCE FOR Sparta chairman Francis Jones (second right) with Education Village facilities manager David Lewis and Sparta’s Bill Farrell (second left) and Keith Greer. WORDS: COLIN YOUNG PICTURE: CHRIS BOOTH P GOOD roud to have once served their country, just as proud to wear the Sparta Security uniform, the ex- military officers in the Task Force patrolling the streets of Aycliffe Business Park are becoming a familiar sight and deterrent. Businesses who have signed up to the security and crime prevention experts, who are newcomers after moving into new premises on the business park, are already seeing the benefits. Sparta’s 24/7 presence is working. The majority of the 100-strong Task Force are SIA-certified former service personnel who bring their recent experience in Iraq and Afghanistan to the streets of the North East using the latest surveillance equipment, CCTV and prominent white vans. You simply can’t miss Sparta if you hire them, yet it is simple methods which have brought the company, set up by chairman Francis Jones in Darlington over ten years ago, which have brought them success. As the Task Force demonstrated recently when they were sent in to provide a nightly security detail for an out-of-hours education centre in Darlington. Sparta were approached by Education Village facilities coordinator David Lewis, who asked Sparta for reassurance and peace of mind to help give his staff and customers a more welcoming experience due to occasional anti- social behaviour incidents. They asked Sparta to provide a professional team to welcome visitors into the centre and who are vigilant and proactive in deterring any unwanted behaviour from outside schools and colleges who can sometimes venture on site during evening hours. Sparta recruitment manager Bill Farrell said: “Haughton Education Village has an excellent name and they wanted to continue providing a great service, so they asked for our assistance as they have recently had teething problems with outsiders visiting the campus. “They decided to be proactive and contacted us because they wanted to provide a safe and secure working environment for their staff and the pupils and alleviate issues they had with people coming on to the premises and causing problems. “We’ve already built a rapport with staff and visitors, letting them know we’re always there. “We looked at the building, identified the vulnerable areas and set up patrols in the area and we have a very visible presence which challenges anybody on site and keeps anyone who shouldn’t be there well away from the place. “And that’s what we do on the streets at night across the area. We don’t challenge every single person in the hours of darkness, but if we see someone we don’t like the look of, we go and Ex-military officers are becoming a familiar sight on Aycliffe Business Park speak to them and find out what they’re doing. People have to have a reason for walking on an industrial park late at night. “Most of our guys have been in the uniformed services, so they are used to being in uniform, dressing smartly, taking pride in their appearance and their job, and more importantly following instructions, doing the job and providing a report afterwards.” Sparta’s presence at the Education Village is clearly reaping rewards. David Lewis said: “Sparta have been excellent since we started using them – they have a professional team offering support and guidance to visitors, staff and students who use our centre. “We always try to give a first class experience, and having Sparta on board certainly provides a good customer relationship between visitors and students who use our centre.” Sparta offers a variety of security solutions to businesses from professional security officers to state-of-the-art security systems which are monitored and patrolled by Sparta’s Task Force team. The growing firm is hoping to convince more businesses in Aycliffe to embrace their crime prevention expertise, rather than turn to them when they have been victims. Find out more about Sparta and their services at spartasecurityuk.co.uk. Alternatively, [email protected] or call 01325 582122. The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 17