The Court is located on the west side of Parliament Square and adjacent to Westminster Abbey and is firmly within the Government Secure Zone (GSZ). It presents unique risks because it is the highest court of appeal for criminal and civil cases in the UK. This brings with it high profile national and international VIPs who regularly visit the location, as well as defendants and the general public. It is at the heart of the most iconic tourist destination in the country and is always open to visitors during the day.
Our Involvement
Carlisle Support Services has provided Security Services to The Supreme Court since it’s opening in 20019. Our service provision includes, but is not limited to the following:
Reception services – Focus on providing a meet and greet service that represents the brand values of the Court
Gate manning – access and egress control, in particular to the loading and entry bays. This is critical due to the high security nature of the building
CCTV monitoring – throughout the building
Frequent internal patrols – including around the Court’s valuable art collection and priceless law library, which houses many notable first editions. One of the oldest copies of the Magna Carta was recently displayed there
Alarm monitoring and response – for intruders, fire, computer rooms, lifts, plant room and panic systems
Key holding – for the entire site
Scanning and searching – all visitors using hand- held scanners and X-Ray equipment.
We provide a highly flexible service where our manning levels are routinely increased based on advance notice of high profile court cases or major events and demonstrations. Our close links with the GSZ Metropolitan Police control room provide the intelligence to achieve this. When spontaneous events occur, such as student protests/riots or actions by protest groups, we can call upon immediate operational support from a number of our nearby security contracts.
Additional information
As part of a comprehensive service, we also undertake the
following:
- High calibre customer service for national and international VIPs and the general public
- Scanning and searching all visitors using hand-held scanners and X-Ray scanning equipment.
- In-court presence
- Support for corporate events, a very busy outreach programme and regular school events.
- Liaison with various government agencies, all the emergency services and a number of security related bodies
- A very high level of training for our employees, which includes Counter Terrorism awareness, first aid at work, and defibrillator use
- We run an apprenticeship scheme in conjunction with a government funded apprenticeship programme.
“Since 2009, Carlisle has provided a highly professional security guarding service, involving a high degree of interaction with the general public in terms of visitor management. The court is very pleased with the service provided by Carlisle, which is entirely satisfactory on all counts”
Martin Thompson
Accommodation Manager
Ahmed Harb was our Superstar Runner-Up due to his warm character and friendly demeanor. As the Front of House Supervisor, Ahmed is the person who first
greets people entering the building, and his charismatic personality shines. When faced with challenging visitors, such as protestors, Ahmed always remains calm and professional. His person skills and emotional intelligence are second to none. We have received positive feedback from a number of visitors who had access needs that meant reasonable adjustments were required. He takes a flexible approach and works tirelessly to ensure the building is kept safe whilst retaining a friendly welcome to all.