With personal protection you entrust your safety, and often that of your family, to someone else. You let someone into your home, your agenda and your private life. Then you want to be sure you are working with a reliable company. Online you will find many providers, with nice photos and tough-sounding texts. These points help you look beyond the surface.
1. A licence for private security
A security company in the Netherlands may only operate with a licence from the Ministry of Justice and Security. Ask for the licence number. A reliable company gives it without hesitation, and often also shows it on its website. Kiepe Safety Group operates under licence number ND09437.
2. Security officers with the right papers
The security officers themselves must also meet requirements. They need a valid security officer ID card and the right diplomas and certificates. Ask how the company screens its security officers and what training they have completed. We screen our security officers thoroughly and only work with professionals who hold the right papers and certifications.
3. An analysis instead of a standard package
A good company first wants to know what is going on before naming a price. Who are you, what is happening and where do the risks lie? Only then can there be a security plan that really fits your situation. A provider that offers a fixed package straight away without asking questions is not looking at your situation.
4. Meeting the security officers
Personal protection is personal work. Ask whether you will meet the security officers in advance. Trust only grows when you really know each other. In that meeting, also pay attention to manners: is the officer calm, polite and discreet? That says a lot about how he or she will behave in your home, at your work or around your children.
5. Clear agreements
You should know in advance where you stand: which agreements, which rates and which duration. Ask for a written proposal and check who your point of contact is, also outside office hours. Also agree how to adjust if your situation changes.
6. Discretion
A close protection officer hears a lot about your life. A reliable company handles that with care, and does not tell others whom it works for. Ask how the company handles your data, and be wary of providers who like to name well-known clients.
7. Honest advice
A good security company also tells you when something is not wise, or when less is needed than you think. If we think something is too risky, we tell you straight away. That is sometimes not what a client wants to hear, but it is part of good advice.
8. Realistic promises
Private close protection officers in the Netherlands do not carry weapons; that is reserved for the government. A company that promises otherwise is best avoided. Also be critical of promises of one hundred percent safety: good security reduces risks, but no one can rule everything out.
9. Availability and speed
Personal safety benefits from speed. Ask how quickly the company can respond if something changes or if you need protection urgently, and whether there is a fixed way to get in touch outside office hours.
10. Experience with situations like yours
Ask whether the company has experience with situations like yours: a family, an executive, an artist, a trip abroad. A company that asks the right questions about your situation already shows that it knows what it is talking about.
A short checklist
- Asked for and received the licence number?
- Security officers screened and holding the right papers?
- First an analysis, then a proposal?
- Met the security officers?
- Written proposal with agreements, rates and durations?
- One point of contact, also in the evenings and at weekends?
Want to know how we work? Read more about our personal protection and how we work.
