SIA-licensed & vetted
Directly-employed officers, SIA-licensed and BS 7858 vetted, in marked patrol vehicles.
Ashridge Security · Mobile patrols
Mobile Patrols & Key Holding
SIA-licensed mobile patrols, lock-up and unlock, key holding and alarm response — scheduled and random visits that protect sites out of hours, across the UK.
What you get
How Ashridge mobile patrols work.
Scheduled & random visits
Timed or randomised patrols, lock-up and unlock, perimeter and internal checks.
Key holding & alarm response
We hold your keys and attend alarms to the BS 7984 standard, so your staff never respond alone at night.
Proof-of-presence logging
GPS and time-stamped reports of every visit, for you and your insurer.
In detail
What is a mobile patrol?
A mobile patrol is a service where SIA-licensed officers visit a site, or several sites, at scheduled or random times to deter crime and check it is secure, rather than staying in one place like a static guard. A typical patrol covers perimeter and internal checks, locking up and unlocking, setting alarms, inspecting for damage, fire or water, and logging proof of presence for you and your insurer. Patrols are governed by the British Standard for guarding and patrol services, BS 7499.
When does a business need mobile patrols?
Mobile patrols suit sites that do not need a guard present every hour but still need a security presence, especially out of hours. They work well for businesses with several sites under one contract, premises that are busy by day but empty at night, vacant or void property, car parks and retail parks, and construction compounds. Because the cost of a patrol round is shared across the sites on the route, mobile patrols are usually more cost-effective than a dedicated static guard at each location.
Officers patrolling premises against theft or unauthorised access under a contract must hold a valid SIA licence under the Private Security Industry Act 2001. Every Ashridge officer is SIA-licensed and BS 7858 vetted.
Key holding and alarm response
Key holding means we hold secure keys to your premises and attend when an alarm activates, so your staff never have to drive out and enter a building alone at night. When an alarm triggers, a trained officer attends, checks the site, deals with the cause, liaises with the police or emergency services if needed, and sends you a report. Key holding is a separate SIA licensable activity, and we run it to the keyholding and response standard, BS 7984.
Mobile patrols, static guarding or CCTV?
The right choice depends on risk and budget. Mobile patrols give a visible presence and response across multiple sites at lower cost, and suit lower-risk or dispersed premises and out-of-hours cover. Static guarding gives a constant on-site presence for higher-risk or public-facing sites. CCTV captures evidence over large areas but still relies on a patrol or the police to attend. Many sites combine them: patrols and key holding out of hours, with CCTV in between.
How much do mobile patrols cost?
Mobile patrols are priced per contract after a short assessment, not from a fixed rate. Cost depends on the number of visits per night, the number of sites on the route, travel and vehicle time, whether key holding and alarm response are included, and the site’s risk. Sharing a patrol round across nearby sites keeps the per-site cost down. Labour is the main factor, charged above the National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour, which applied from April 2026, for licensed and vetted officers. We give a clear per-site quote.
How Ashridge delivers mobile patrols
Our officers are directly employed, SIA-licensed and BS 7858 vetted, working from marked patrol vehicles with GPS and time-stamped proof-of-presence logging, supported by a 24/7 control room and lone-worker controls in line with HSE guidance. We provide 24-hour key holding and mobile and alarm response for NHS Trust pharmacies and surgeries, and key holding, patrols and detection-dog operations for Milton Keynes College. We are an SIA Approved Contractor certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001.
We cover sites nationwide from our Buckinghamshire base. See the areas we cover, our manned guarding or construction site security services.
Frequently asked questions
A mobile patrol is a service where SIA-licensed officers visit your site, or several sites, at scheduled or random times to check it is secure, deter crime and respond to incidents, rather than staying on site like a static guard. Visits typically include perimeter and internal checks, lock-up and unlock, and proof-of-presence logging.
Usually, yes. Because a patrol round is shared across the sites on its route, mobile patrols cost less than a dedicated static guard at each location. They suit lower-risk or dispersed sites and out-of-hours cover; higher-risk or public-facing sites may still need a static guard.
Yes. Patrolling premises against theft or unauthorised access under a contract is a licensable activity under the Private Security Industry Act 2001, so officers must hold a valid SIA licence. Key holding is a separate SIA licence. Every Ashridge officer is SIA-licensed and BS 7858 vetted.
Key holding means a security company holds secure keys to your premises and attends when an alarm activates, so your staff do not respond alone at night. The officer checks the site, deals with the cause, liaises with the police if needed and reports back. We run key holding to the BS 7984 standard.
A patrol checks the perimeter, gates, doors, windows and vulnerable areas, locks up or unlocks, sets or unsets alarms, and looks for signs of intrusion, damage, fire or water. Every visit is logged with GPS and a time stamp so you and your insurer have proof of presence.
We typically mobilise within 24 hours of instruction, and often the same day for urgent cover, through our 24/7 control room on 0800 085 5022.
Out-of-hours cover
Patrols, key holding and alarm response.
Tell us about your sites and we’ll propose a patrol schedule, usually within one working day, with cover across mainland UK.