Security guides

How to choose, contract and check a security company.

• How to choose a security companyChoose a security company on three criteria, in this order: legal operation (operating licence, guards with work licences), supervision you can verify (who checks the guard and how you see it) and stable people with written reporting (who guards your site, who replaces them, what report you get).8 min read
• 20 questions to ask before you sign with a guarding companyBefore you sign with a guarding company, get written answers to 20 questions on six topics: legality, guards, supervision, incidents, reporting, and the contract, with price checked only as a reason to reject.7 min read
• What guarding costs in Greece depend on, and when a price is too lowThe cost of guarding is driven above all by hours of cover: every hour of guarding is an hour of a guard’s work.8 min read
• Security company licence: how to check it is validAsk the company for its operating licence and check the date: under Greek Law 2518/1997 it is valid for five years, cannot be transferred, and is renewed only if the conditions still hold.5 min read
• When to reject the cheapest guarding offer, and why it ends up costing moreThe cheapest guarding offer ends up costing more when its price cannot cover what Greek law requires for the hours of cover: at least the statutory minimum wage for a 40-hour week, +25% for nights and +75% for Sundays and public holidays.6 min read
• Guarding contract: the terms that must be in itA guarding contract should describe in measurable terms what you are buying and what happens when it is not delivered: scope and post orders, hours, replacement time, reporting, incident handling, KPIs, liability and insurance, roles for personal data and CCTV, subcontracting, price review, and termination with a handover that leaves no gap.6 min read
• Static guarding or patrols? How to chooseChoose static guarding where a person is needed at one point every minute — an entrance, reception, access control, high-value goods.6 min read
• How many guards do I need? Working out hours and shiftsMultiply the number of posts by the hours of cover per week and divide by 40, the hours of a full-time week: the result is your full-time equivalents.5 min read
• In-house guards or a security company?With in-house guarding your business becomes the employer: it hires, trains, supervises, covers every absence and carries the legal duties on its own.4 min read
• Switching security company with no gap in coverYou switch security company without a gap if you fix the new provider’s start date first and only then give the notice your contract requires, with a written handover plan: post orders, keys and codes, CCTV access, open incidents and at least one day of parallel running.5 min read
• A guard or a security system? When you need bothA system (alarm, CCTV, access control) detects and records without a break, but it does not judge and does not intervene.4 min read
• KPIs to measure your security companyMeasure your security company on six indicators: post coverage, checkpoint completion, replacement time, incident response and reporting time, report completeness and staff turnover on your site.6 min read
• Shift reports: what you should receive every morningEvery morning you should receive a shift report that says who guarded, when, what happened and what is still open: start and end times, patrols by checkpoint, each incident with its time and actions, observations about the site, and what was handed to the next shift.5 min read
• ISO certifications at a security company: what each one meansAn ISO certification means an independent certification body audited one of the company’s management systems and confirmed in writing that it meets a standard’s requirements, for a stated scope and a stated period.6 min read
• Auditing your security provider: how the client does itA client audits its security provider in six steps: unannounced site checks, checking the records against reality, checking licences (the company licence and each guard’s personal category A or B work licence under Law 2518/1997), training records, reviewing incident handling and a written audit report with follow-up.6 min read
• How to check the guard is actually on postNo single signal proves it; you confirm it by combining independent evidence: timestamped checkpoint scans, supervisor visits, unannounced checks, your own walk-arounds and response tests agreed in the contract.5 min read
• How to read a security guarding quote, line by lineRead a guarding quote in the order it is written and check that every line answers one specific question: which company (legal name and operating-licence number), which posts and which hours (a day-by-day table that adds up to hours per week), which people (how many guards, holding a work licence of which category), who checks (supervision, reports, replacement time) and what is included (equipment, insurance, terms).8 min read
• Liability insurance for a security company: what to ask forLaw 2518/1997 does not require security companies in Greece to carry civil liability insurance.7 min read
• How to check that your security company pays its guards lawfullyAs a client you do not see your security company’s payroll, but you can ask for evidence that proves lawful pay and make it a term of the contract: the work-licence numbers of the guards on your site, confirmation that your post’s shifts are declared on the digital work card, the post’s roster set against the hours of cover, and a breakdown of how the price covers nights, Sundays and holidays.7 min read
• Which is the best security company? Criteria, not listsThere is no single “best security company” for everyone.6 min read
• Security company rankings: what they measure and what they don’tA ranking of security companies needs a figure that exists for all of them, so it usually ranks by size: turnover or number of employees.5 min read
• Security company or cyber security company? Which one you needA security company (physical security) protects premises, property and people: guarding, patrols, alarms, CCTV, access control.7 min read
• Security and facility services in one contract: when it worksGuarding can sit in the same contract as cleaning, reception or maintenance, but it does not change legal nature because it is sold in a bundle.8 min read

Retail, hotels, industry, construction sites, offices, VIP.

• Shop theft: how to prevent losses in retailRetail losses are prevented when you know where they come from (external theft, internal theft, process errors), make every part of the store visible, put guards and cameras to work under written, lawful instructions, record every incident as evidence, and measure the stock-count gap by category and zone.8 min read
• Construction site theft: how to protect a projectA construction site is protected when security covers the hours the site stands empty — nights, weekends, gaps between phases — with a closed perimeter and lighting, access control for every contractor, the right mix of static guarding, patrols and remote monitoring, and a record of every delivery and every incident.7 min read
• Hotel security: how to protect guests and staffA hotel is protected when security never feels like a barrier to guests but keeps firm control of who goes where: the guest floors, the staff areas and the delivery doors.8 min read
• Warehouse and logistics security: gate, loads and perimeterA warehouse is protected at the gate: every truck and driver is checked against the day’s schedule, and every load in or out matches its documents before the barrier lifts.7 min read
• Close protection and VIP security: when you need it and how it is organisedClose protection is planned protection of one specific person, not a show of force.7 min read
• Solar park security: protecting cables and equipment from theftA solar park is protected when three things work together: the fence delays an intruder, detection alerts a person immediately, and the response arrives before the cable is loaded.6 min read
• Data centre security: physical access, zones and loggingA data centre is protected by layered zones: each layer has its own control, and access to one never opens the next.6 min read
• Office and reception security: visitors, access, incidentsAn office’s security is decided at reception: that is where it is settled who gets in, to see whom, and until when.6 min read
• Supermarket security: preventing theft and protecting the tillsA supermarket is protected at six points: a controlled entrance and exit flow, sight of the high-risk aisles, rules for the tills and cash, control of deliveries and the back of the store, a two-person routine for opening and closing, and written instructions for incidents involving staff.6 min read
• Shopping centre security: common areas, car parks, incidentsIn a shopping centre, centre security covers the common areas, entrances and car park, while each tenant answers for its own shop — and that split must be written down.6 min read
• Event and concert security: planning and crowd flowAn event is safe when it is planned before the doors open: a risk assessment of the venue and audience, an entry flow with checks carried out only as the law and the terms of entry allow, accreditation by zone, crowd management that keeps exits clear, a shared control point with the organiser and the police, and a log of every incident with its time.6 min read
• Hospital and clinic security: patients, staff, accessA hospital or clinic is protected with access zones (public, controlled and restricted areas), a stronger presence in the emergency department, a practice of de-escalation against aggression towards staff, rules for visitors, fewer open entrances at night, and specific protection for sensitive areas.7 min read
• School and tutoring-centre security: access, pick-up, incidentsA school or tutoring centre is safe when every adult who comes in is known, when each child is handed over only to an authorised person, and when the building is protected after hours too.6 min read
• Port and marina security: access, vessels, cargoA marina or port area is protected when access to the pontoons is controlled, when there is a log for every vessel and every visitor, when night patrols cover the pontoons, the boatyard and the stores, and when moored boats and their equipment have specific measures.5 min read
• Energy infrastructure security: substations, tanks, networksEnergy infrastructure — substations, fuel tank farms, lines and networks — is usually remote, spread out and unstaffed.5 min read
• Executive travel security: protecting staff on business tripsAn executive travels safely when the company has done a risk assessment before departure, when the itinerary is known to a few of the right people, when accommodation and transport are chosen for security, and when there is a check-in protocol that says exactly what happens if contact is lost.5 min read
• Gate and truck control at an industrial plantA factory gate works when nothing is decided there for the first time: trucks arrive by appointment from the day’s list, the driver is identified against the documents, vehicle and seal checks are written conditions of entry the carrier accepted beforehand, the weighbridge agrees with the loading document, drivers wait in a set area under known rules, and on the way out the load is checked against the loading documents.7 min read
• Contractor access control on a construction siteOn a construction site, only the people on the day’s list get in, and that list is set by the main contractor, not the guard.7 min read
• Construction site security at night and at weekendsA site working 07:00–18:00 Monday to Friday stands empty for 113 of the week’s 168 hours.8 min read
• Guest safety with discretion in hospitalityA hotel protects its guests discreetly when security is seen as much as needed and heard as little as possible: guards who speak the language of hospitality, a uniform or plain clothes depending on the area — always with the badge Greek law requires —, incidents moved away from an audience quickly, and guest information that never leaves the team.7 min read
• Visitor access control in a companyVisitor control works when the company has a written visitor policy set by management and applied by security: every visitor is registered by an employee host, verified at reception, given a badge limited by time and zone, escorted where needed and logged out on departure.7 min read
• Security for weddings and events in hotelsA wedding, gala or conference in a hotel is safe when it has its own plan on top of the hotel’s day-to-day security: a single entrance with a list and one person from the family or organiser who decides about anyone not on it, a separate flow from the hotel’s own guests, a named person and a fixed place for gifts and envelopes, quiet handling of the guest who has had too much, a vendor list using the service entrance, and a plan for the most exposed hour of the night: departure.9 min read
• Route planning for a VIPA VIP movement is planned before it happens: the route is driven or walked in advance, on the same weekday and at the same time; there is a primary and an alternate that do not share the same choke point; along it the team marks safe havens — hospitals, police stations, hotels with a 24-hour front desk — as places where the vehicle can stop.8 min read
• What a security guard may do on spotting a shoplifterA guard acts only on what they saw themselves, without a gap in observation.7 min read
• Copper and cable theft at technical sitesCopper is stolen from technical sites because it resells easily, sits in remote unstaffed places and takes minutes to remove.7 min read
• Vacant property securityA vacant property — an empty building, a closed shop, a bank- or servicer-owned asset between tenants — is exposed to break-ins, stripping of fixtures, unlawful occupation, fire and water damage that nobody sees in time.6 min read
• Apartment building security: concierge or security guard?An apartment building first needs a front door that closes and rules that are actually applied — for visitors, deliveries, the garage and storage rooms — and only then decides who applies them.8 min read
• Car park securityA car park is guarded for two reasons: the vehicles (theft, break-ins, damage) and the people who walk to their car alone, often at night.8 min read
• Security for museums, exhibitions and archaeological sitesIn a museum the guard protects two things at once: the exhibits and the visitors.7 min read
• Sports event securitySecurity at a match, a road race or a tournament rests on six things: entry by gate and sector with a ticket check, checks only within the organiser’s conditions of entry, segregation as the organiser’s plan sets it, a clear ambulance route at all times, coordination with the police and a planned dispersal.6 min read
• Shipping company security: offices, documents, executivesA shipping company’s offices are guarded like any office, with three differences that matter: many distinct visitor flows — seafarers, agents, brokers, suppliers, clients — that must not get mixed up, confidential commercial papers and crew files that need closed zones, and executives and owners with a public profile.6 min read
• Seasonal security on the islands: villas and holiday letsAn island villa has two different security problems.6 min read
• Pharmacy securityIn a pharmacy, security starts with people: in an armed robbery you do not resist — you hand over what is asked, observe, and call the police on 100 once it is safe.7 min read
• Security for jewellery stores and high-value shopsA jewellery store is protected on three levels: who gets in (a locked door that staff release after seeing the visitor), when the jewellery is exposed (displays filled and emptied on a fixed routine, by two people, at opening and closing) and what happens if everything else fails: in a robbery nobody resists — not staff, not the guard — you observe, call the police on 100 and secure the footage.6 min read

Shifts, reports, patrols and incident handling.

• The security supervisor: role and responsibilitiesA security supervisor makes sure every post is covered properly: they visit sites, brief guards, check posts and patrols, escalate incidents, talk to the client, fill gaps in the roster and coach the team.5 min read
• Post orders: how to write themPost orders are the written manual for one specific security post: what the guard does, when, how and whom to call.5 min read
• Checkpoint patrols with NFC/QR tags: how they workIn a checkpoint patrol, NFC or QR tags are fixed at set points around the site and the guard scans each one with a phone or handheld device on the way past.6 min read
• Incident reports: how to write one that holds upAn incident report holds up when it describes only what the guard saw, heard and did, with exact times, in a who, what, when, where, how structure, with witnesses and evidence logged, and when it is written straight after the event.6 min read
• Training a new security guard: the first weeksA new guard is not ready for a post on the day their licence arrives.5 min read
• The digital work card in guarding: what you need to knowGreece’s digital work card records in real time in the ERGANI II system when each shift starts and ends, breaks, work beyond the schedule and leave (art.6 min read
• How to build a guarding shift rosterA sound guarding roster starts from the coverage hours of each post, splits them into shifts and counts how many people that takes.5 min read
• Shift briefing and handover with no gapsA shift is handed over properly when the incoming guard knows everything the outgoing guard knows.4 min read
• Crisis management: the first 10 minutesIn the first 10 minutes of a crisis a guard follows six steps in order: assess what is happening without exposing themselves, raise the alarm by calling emergency services on 112, protect people, contain the problem as far as it is safe, communicate in the order of the escalation tree, and record.5 min read
• Lone security guards: how to protect themA guard who works alone is protected when someone always knows they are all right.5 min read
• Evaluating security guards: fair, evidence-based criteriaA guard is evaluated fairly when they are judged against the same written criteria as every colleague and on evidence from the records of their own work: patrol completion, report quality, punctuality, incident handling and client feedback.5 min read
• The weekly client report: what it should containThe weekly report tells the client what they got this week and what changes next week, in six parts: a coverage summary, patrols, incidents and actions, trends, open issues and next week’s changes.4 min read
• Incident log: digital or paper?Digital, with paper only as a fallback.6 min read
• Key management in a guarding companyEvery key and access card a guarding company holds for a client needs one code, one holder at a time, and a signature every time it changes hands.7 min read

Licence, certification, pay, shifts and progression for security staff.

• How to become a security guard in Greece: licence and requirementsTo work as a security guard in Greece you need a personal work licence, category A or B, under Law 2518/1997.5 min read
• Security guard pay in 2026: what appliesSince 1 April 2026, no full-time security guard in Greece may be paid less than the statutory minimum of €920.00 gross a month (or €41.09 a day).5 min read
• Security guard shifts and working hours: what appliesFull-time for a security guard in Greece is 40 hours a week.7 min read
• Security job interview: the common questionsIn a security job interview you will mostly be asked about scenarios (“what would you do if…”), your availability for shifts, how you write reports and how you deal with customers and visitors.5 min read
• A career in security: from guard to supervisor and beyondA security career usually starts as a site guard and can move through mobile patrol, the control room, supervision and site or account management, or specialise in hotels, retail, events or close protection.4 min read
• Night shifts: how to protect your healthNight shifts take a plan, not just stamina.5 min read
• Your first day in a security job: what to expectOn your first day in a security job you arrive early with your work licence and anything else the employer asked for.5 min read
• The skills of a good security guardA good security guard notices what changes on site, speaks calmly and de-escalates rather than confronts, writes clear reports, is reliable on time and at handover, knows when to call it in and to whom, serves people well and is at ease with digital tools.5 min read
• A CV for a security job: what to includeA security CV must show at a glance your work licence (category A or B and its expiry) or how far along you are, your training title, which shifts and areas you can cover, your experience described through duties, and the languages you speak.4 min read
• Women in security: roles and opportunitiesA woman can work in every role in security: reception and access control, retail, hotels, events, the control room and supervision.4 min read
• Airport security jobs: what they require and how the work runsAirport security comes with extra rules on top of ordinary guarding.5 min read
• Working as security in a hotelHotel security protects guests, staff and premises without looking like a guard post.5 min read
• Becoming a bodyguard: what the job really involvesA bodyguard plans and protects one person’s movements; it is not muscle and it is not policing.4 min read
• Part-time security work: what applies and what to checkYou can work in security part-time or on a rotating schedule, as long as it is agreed in a written contract; otherwise Greek law presumes full-time work (Presidential Decree 62/2025, art.5 min read
• First aid and fire safety training for security guardsA security guard is often the first person on scene when someone is hurt or a fire starts, because the guard is there when nobody else is. In the first minutes the job is to raise the alarm, call 112 or 199, keep people away from danger and guide the emergency services in. Greece’s Labour Code requires every employer to take first-aid, fire-safety and evacuation measures, to designate trained people responsible for them, and to provide CPR and Heimlich manoeuvre training.7 min read
• Occupational safety and health for security guards: what appliesA security guard’s employer must ensure their health and safety in every aspect of the work and hold a written assessment of the risks, drawn up by a safety technician, an occupational doctor or a protection and prevention service (Greek Labour Code, arts 533 and 534).7 min read
• Nights, Sundays, holidays: a security guard’s premiumsEvery hour you work between 22:00 and 06:00 carries a 25% premium (Labour Code art.7 min read
• What a security guard can and cannot doA security guard in Greece has the rights of any citizen and no police powers.7 min read
• Self-defence and use of force: the legal limits for security guardsA security guard in Greece may use force only in self-defence: to repel a present and unlawful attack on themselves or another person, and only to the necessary measure (Penal Code art.6 min read
• Private security certification in Greece: the examsEOPPEP certification is one route to the training title you need for a category A security work licence in Greece.7 min read
• Finding a security job in Greece: ads and what to watch forSecurity jobs in Greece are found mainly in three places: security companies’ own careers pages, job-ad websites and referrals from people already in the trade.6 min read
• Hotel security training: what’s worth learningA good hotel security course teaches what the job actually asks of you: guest service, discretion, de-escalation, fire safety and evacuation in a building where people are asleep, first aid, the rules on cameras in hotels, and languages.5 min read
• Concierge security in offices and apartment buildings: the jobA concierge security guard sits at the front desk of an office building or apartment block and does two jobs at once: serving the people who come in and checking who comes in, under the building’s written rules.7 min read
• Supermarket security: the job from the insideA supermarket security guard spends the shift on their feet, among people: at the entrance, in the aisles, near the tills or at the back door of the stockroom.7 min read

Licences, CCTV and GDPR, contracts, obligations — with the official sources.

• CCTV in a business and GDPR: what is allowedA business in Greece may install cameras to protect people and property without a permit and without notifying the Hellenic Data Protection Authority, as long as it can prove the system runs lawfully.6 min read
• How long can CCTV footage be kept in Greece?If nothing happens, CCTV footage in Greece must be deleted within 15 working days at most.6 min read
• CCTV warning sign in Greece: what it must sayA CCTV sign in Greece must state the purpose (for example, protecting people and property), who the controller is, a reference to people’s rights and where the full notice can be found (a link or QR code), plus the Data Protection Officer’s contact details where one has been appointed.6 min read
• Body cameras for security guards: what GDPR allows in GreeceThe Hellenic Data Protection Authority has not issued specific guidance on body cameras for private security guards that we could find.7 min read
• Public tenders for guarding services in Greece: how they work and what to watchPublic tenders for guarding in Greece are governed by Law 4412/2016 and, specifically for guarding and cleaning, by article 68 of Law 3863/2010.7 min read
• Labour law in security: continuous operation and shiftsA 24/7 guard post is 168 working hours a week, and it has no general exemption from Greek labour law.7 min read
• Guarding and ERGANI: what the employer must declareA security company records the whole life of each guard’s employment in ERGANI II, the Greek labour ministry’s system: the hiring announcement before the first shift (Labour Code art.7 min read
• Liability for theft: the client or the security company?There is no rule that a security company is always or never liable for a theft.7 min read
• Bag checks: what is allowedNo provision gives a security guard a power to search a bag or a person.7 min read
• Alarm and police: the procedure, step by stepWhen an alarm goes off at a business, the right order is: verify (camera, a second zone, a call to the keyholder), decide (real event or not), call the police on 100 or 112 as soon as there are signs of a real break-in or danger to people, and respond on site with a guard and the keyholder.6 min read
• Business fire safety in Greece: the obligationsFire protection at a business is the responsibility of the owner-operator: installing, maintaining and keeping in working order every fire-protection measure and device (Fire Service Ordinance 13/2021, art.7 min read
• The legal framework of private security in GreecePrivate security in Greece is governed by Law 2518/1997: the company needs an operating licence from the Hellenic Police, every guard needs a personal work licence in category A or B, and both company and staff are under the supervision of the local police authorities.9 min read

CCTV, access control, alarms and remote monitoring.

• How to choose a CCTV system for your businessYou choose a CCTV system from its purpose and the risk, not from the camera.5 min read
• Access control: cards, codes or biometrics?A card is the most practical choice for most doors: easy to issue and cancel, and it shows who entered.6 min read
• Alarms and alarm receiving centres: how they workA sensor detects, the alarm panel sends a signal to the alarm receiving centre, an operator verifies what is happening and triggers the response you agreed.5 min read
• Remote guarding: when it is enough and when it isn’tIn remote guarding, an operator views the site’s cameras from a distance when an alert fires, verifies what is happening and sends a response.4 min read
• Perimeter protection: fences, detection and responseA perimeter is not a fence; it is four layers working together: deter, detect, delay and respond.5 min read
• Drones in security: what is allowed and when they make senseDrones in Greece fly under Regulation (EU) 2019/947, which sorts every flight into one of three categories: open, specific and certified.6 min read
• Guard management software: what to ask your provider forGood guard management software shows you the same picture your provider sees: time-stamped patrols, incidents with evidence, reports, the shift roster and the history.5 min read
• Integrating security systems: CCTV, access, alarms and peopleIntegration means an event reaches one person together with all of its context: the alarm arrives with the camera view, the door’s history and the instruction for what happens next.5 min read
• IoT sensors in facility security: what they offerIoT sensors are connected devices that detect a change (a door opening, movement, vibration, water, temperature) and send an event over a network.6 min read
• Video analytics: what security cameras can actually detectVideo analytics is software that watches the camera image and raises an alert when something you defined happens: someone crosses a line, enters a zone, lingers in one spot, an object is left behind, a vehicle passes (and its plate is read), or people are counted.8 min read
• Mobile CCTV towers (solar/4G) for construction sitesA mobile CCTV tower is a mast with cameras, a solar panel, a battery and a 4G link, set up on a site with no mains power or cabling and moved as the project changes.7 min read
• Business alarm: what to ask the installerBefore you buy an alarm, ask the installer for: a security company operating licence and a category B work licence for everyone who will design, install and maintain the system (Law 2518/1997); a written site survey; a zone schedule with the detector at each point; the signalling path and who responds; personal user codes and user training; a maintenance contract with testing; and a handover file.7 min read

How security is proven with evidence, not promises.

• What “visible” security meansVisible security means the owner of a site can see, without having to ask, what happened on their guarding while they were away: who was on post, which patrols ran, which incidents were logged and what was done about each one — with a time and a name.6 min read
• Why security should be measured — and what to measureSecurity should be measured because “nothing happened” cannot tell guarding that prevented something from guarding that simply got lucky.6 min read
• Security with evidence, not promisesA promise says what will happen; evidence shows what did.6 min read
• Local teams, a live picture, a shared recordPhysical security should not stay invisible to the people who own it. OVIT’s approach rests on three things: local teams who know the site and the area, a live picture in which the client and the operations team see the same thing at the same time, and a shared record where every patrol, incident and handover is written once, for everyone.6 min read
• How Guardly works during a shiftGuardly is the operating system OVIT built for physical security.5 min read
• From incident to decision: what the client does with the evidenceAn incident record is worth only the decisions that come out of it. The process is simple: group incidents by place, time and type, find what repeats, and for each pattern choose the fix that matches its cause: a change of patrol route, adding or removing a post, lighting, an access change, or training.6 min read
• Security risk assessment: how it’s doneA security risk assessment answers five questions in order: what we protect (assets), from what (threats), where we are exposed (vulnerabilities), how serious each scenario is (likelihood × impact on a qualitative matrix) and what we do about it (controls across people, procedures and technology).6 min read
• How a security company earns your trustA security company earns your trust with things you can check, not promises: a valid licence, stable people on your site, reports you get without asking, openness when something happens, owning its own mistakes and references you can call.5 min read
• Security risk in the language of leadershipLeadership does not need to know how many patrols ran; it needs to know which risks the business is exposed to, how likely they are, what they would affect and what evidence shows it. That takes a security risk register, an owner for every risk, a steady reporting cadence and specific questions for the security provider.6 min read