It is mind-blowing how quickly artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving and adapting to our needs. As it takes center stage across industries, many have asked whether live security guards will remain necessary for high-level security. The answer is yes.
Even in a world where artificial intelligence is doing many things, including self-driving taxis, a well-trained security officer has the background, experience, and intuition to thwart many crimes and attempted attacks nationwide. Although AI may capture crimes on video, only a live security officer can act as a guard against criminals and respond immediately in real time. A comprehensive security strategy may or may not include AI surveillance, but it certainly requires expertise in the field, with the background and knowledge to handle threats and emergencies.
How Security Guards Fit in the Digital Realm of Security
Artificial intelligence is still evolving, serving in more capacities to capture data, monitor alerts, and record activity. However, no AI will ever replace the value of an officer who is ready to respond in real time. Once a crime occurs, the recall of information, the submission of evidence, and the prosecution of the criminal can consume time, money, and energy that could have been avoided with live officers on the scene. In crisis scenarios, professional security guards support people and help create a safe space, and AI security will never replace them. Even the most human-sounding, empathetic words from a machine won't serve the same purpose as those of an authority with the confidence and skill to truly protect people during uncertainty. Only live security guards can provide peace and ensure a secure environment.
Criminals Dismiss Artificial Intelligence
As mainstream as AI is today. Hackers and criminals quickly master ways to circumvent safeguards using AI alone. Security breaches occur continually in banks and financial institutions, schools, and other industries, and can cause devastation when these criminals succeed. Imagine a camera at the front of a building that captures someone breaking in and stealing something. Even if the alarm triggers a police response, it is minutes, and sometimes longer, before a response. Most of the time, criminals are long gone and rarely caught on video surveillance alone. Maybe face recognition or other identifying attributes can help accurately determine the criminal, but the process still takes time and money to complete. Skilled security officers act in real time with the training necessary to protect.
Do you know what criminals don’t ignore? The presence of uniformed security guards on location, whether armed or unarmed, is a crime deterrent and is the only proactive approach to a solid security strategy.
Live Security Patrols Secure Perimeter
Security guards monitoring and tracking activity at any location enable accurate record-keeping of visitors and access. Skilled security officers know what to look for in suspicious behaviors, how to identify risks, and mitigate those risks with expertise. A visitor who checks in but appears flustered, or whose identification doesn't match, can be detained and turned away by a professional security guard. AI alone can’t prevent unwanted visitors due to technology vulnerabilities.
Security Officers Calm the Storms
Whether an emergency, a heightened situation, or a confrontation, skilled security officers bring calm to any storm. They have training and experience in pre-emptively catching criminals and know what to look for. They also have the background and training to recognize threats and respond appropriately. Uniformed security officers help prevent theft, vandalism, and loitering, ensuring safety for employees, visitors, customers, and residents.
Medical emergencies can be scary, and this is another area where AI will be less effective than a trained person. If AI reads a medical emergency, it may have the function to contact emergency services. However, a live guard can perform life-saving techniques until medical emergency services arrive. They also have the training to communicate clearly, without hysteria, and to get vehicles to the location sooner than someone distressed trying to explain where they are in a crisis.
Human Intelligence and Heart Make the Difference
As much as companies would like to think that AI is sufficient to protect their assets, people, and reputation, this can’t be done well without the human heart and intelligence. Security officers bridge the gap that technology leaves gaping open in private security. The combination of surveillance and security guards is the best because they complement each other. Still, if you have to pick one, the best investment is live security officers trained to protect what you care about.
The best security officers are skilled because of their backgrounds, training, and on-the-job experience, which equip them to respond to criminal attempts, medical emergencies, and other emergencies. They also provide an extension of any existing artificial intelligence security system. If you want to find out more about private security in your area, contact our friendly security coordinator at Off Duty Officers, Inc. We offer free consultations and quotes, making security affordable for those who want to elevate their safety and protection.
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