As the jewel in the GAA's crown, Croke Park needs 24-hour guarding and that's where Federal Security Services Ltd, Ireland's largest independent security company, lends its expertise. The redeveloped Croke Park is valuable property. So valuable, in fact, that it requires round-the-clock guarding. It is entirely fitting then, that the task of keeping watch on the country's finest sporting stadia should fall to Federal Security Services Ltd, a wholly Irish-owned and Ireland's largest independent security company. As well as providing a 24-hour guarding service at Croker, Federal Security is responsible for match-day security at the famous stadium on Jones' Road. And, according to Hugh O'Neill, Chief Executive of Federal Security, the safety of spectators is paramount. "We are proud and delighted to be associated with the GAA. Croke Park is a prestigious contract for any security company to have. We enjoy an excellent working relationship with the GAA and long may it continue to be the case," says Hugh, who is involved with the Ballymore Eustace club in Kildare. "We are responsible for the 24-hour guarding of Croke Park and also for security on match-days when we provide extra security personnel. On match-days, the safety of spectators is our key concern. Our ethos is to safeguard the general public to the best of our ability." A subsidiary of the Newcourt Group, Federal Security consists of seven different security divisions and provides employment for 1,600 staff throughout the island of Ireland. The company's headquarters are located at Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2 and it also has offices in Northern Ireland (two), Limerick, Cork and Baldoyle. From these offices, Federal Security provides a wide range of services, including security, fire, consultancy, training (fire, first aid, manual handling) to the financial, insurance, corporate, retail and industrial sectors. Recently, Federal Security has expanded into providing security services in property management. The main services provided to the financial/industrial sectors are static security officers, front of house receptionists, mobile patrol, keyholding and post room which involves the receipts, sorting and delivery of internal and external mail. Federal Security provides store guards and store detectives to the retail sector. The primary function of the store guard is to protect goods within the store, and to back up store management, client staff and store detectives in the event of difficulties, to carry out bomb checks, fire sweeps and evacuations, cash lifts, assist in opening/closing of the store and be of general assistance to customers. The store detective is trained to deter shoplifting and to arrest the determined shoplifter. Operating in plainclothes throughout the retail sector, the store detective knows the professional shoplifter/pickpocket and is trained to observe for staff dishonesty. Fire services provided by Federal Securtiy include fire evacuation drills and premises and equipment inspections which involve the setting up and maintenance of Fire Register (statutory requirement). Training is another important arm of Federal Security. This service provides a three-day occupational first aid course, basic first aid, CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) and half-day courses in fire warden/fire marshal and manual handling. "We have specialist companies that deal with training, re-training, health and safety and fire detection," Ray O'Shea, Chief Operation Officer for the Federal Security Group, points out. As already mentioned, Federal Security consists of seven divisions. These include HEA Ltd, Central Monitoring Services, Federal Training Services and Federal Investigations. HEA Ltd, which is based in Castledawson, Co. Derry, specialises in the installation and maintenance of automatic gates, barriers, turnstiles, car parking systems and automation equipment. This company also designs bespoke integrated security solutions for the Government as well as for pharmaceutical and transportation companies. Central Monitoring Services provides remote CCTV and alarm monitoring systems. It recently relocated to the most modern and technologically advanced monitoring station anywhere in Ireland and the UK. The investigations division deals with personal vetting, credit checks and insurance fraud. The calibre of Federal Security's client list and the duration of many of these relationships are evidence of its ongoing commitment to a Quality Management System of the first order. Among the company's clients in the retail sector are Tesco, Penneys, Arnotts, Clearys, Mahon Point and Dundrum Town Centre. Federal Security has a significant presence in the health sector, providing security services for the Southern and Midland Health Boards and Tallaght Hospital. It also lists among its clients the Kerry Group, Bus Eireann, University of Limerick and Diageo, the world's leading premium drinks business. Indeed, Federal Security has won the last five major man-guarding contracts in the Republic of Ireland. So what has been the secret of its success? Hugh O'Neill explains: "I would put our success down to a strong and dedicated management team across the group and our ability to provide our client base with a cost effective, quality and integrated security solutions. "We also place a strong emphasis on the continuous development of all our 1,600 employees. We insist on a policy of constant training and re-training of security officers and staff. We have an excellent relationship with SIPTU through Kevin McMahon, who is their Head of Security." The company has implemented and maintains a Quality System to the Standard of I.S EN ISO 9002, having achieved accreditation in 1994. It has also achieved NSAI ISO 9001:2000 accreditation. Annual re-certification is on the basis of biannual inspections by the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI). The company is also a member of the Irish Security Industry Association (ISIA), which monitors the standards of member companies with Quality System audits by the SGS Group, the world's largest management systems auditing group. For more information about Federal Security, contact Federal Security Services Ltd, 4th Floor Knockmaun House, 42-47 Lower Mount St, Dublin 2, Ireland. Ph 00 353 (0)1 6625701 24 Hour Phone Number 00 353 (0)1 4546811 Fax 00 353 (0)1 6625704 Email [email protected] Tweet

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