BS 10800:2020

What is BS 10800 - Provision of security services about?

BS 10800 on the provision of security services has been introduced to sit at the top of the national security services standards hierarchy. It contains all the generic recommendations required for the provision of any security service.

Who is BS 10800 - Provision of security services for?

BS 10800 is for security services providers and users, which encompasses:

• SIA Approved Contractors
• Organizations providing security services
• Organizations installing alarm systems
• Those responsible for security systems in buildings
• Security service training officers
• Facilities management companies
• Security companies
• The retail, sports, entertainment, and airports sectors
• Prisons, probation, and police services
• Local government

Why should you use BS 10800 - Provision of security services?

Sitting at the top of the national security services standards hierarchy, BS 10800 on the provision of security services gives recommendations for the management, staffing, and operation of an organization providing security industry services.

The service-specific security standards (e.g. for manned security, or security dogs, or cash and valuables in transit services, etc) now sit under the “umbrella” of this standard.

To avoid duplicating the same text, the subordinate standards now reference BS 10800 where necessary. For example, previously every standard included clauses on insurance and documented information.

As they are revised, they will in the future say: “The organization should follow the recommendations of BS 10800:2020, 7.3”.

What’s changed since the last update?

BS 10800:2020 on the provision of security services is a new standard. When BS 7499:2013 was being revised it was realized that it was doing “treble duty” – acting as a code of practice on static site guarding, a code of practice on mobile patrol services, and being used as general standard on the provision of security services.

It meant users were potentially getting a lot of content that wasn’t relevant to them. Also that there was a lot of duplication throughout the security standards portfolio. Therefore the decision was made to split BS 7499 into three standards:

• This standard, BS 10800:2020, which contains the provision of security services content previously found in the old BS 7499, and which forms the new, overarching standard
• BS 7499:2020 which is a revised code of practice, now only covering static guarding security services
• BS 7984-3:2020, which is a new code of practice on the provision of mobile security services