App addresses security lapses

The app also alerts a supervisor if a guard faces a security threat or is injured. It has a ‘guard tour’ program with pre-set activity logs that users must complete as they visit designated locations and undertake tasks.

Staff visit fixed points on their rounds where they use a smartphone and the Lodg:IC app to scan a QR bar code printed on a plaque - which can also be attached to equipment such as safety apparatus or fire extinguishers for checking.

At the control centre, a duty manager remotely monitors all apps in use 24-7 and is alerted if a tour or task is not completed within set times. An automatic alert prompts the centre to phone the guard immediately - or if the app’s ‘man down’ warning is activated, when location details are transmitted, using the smartphone’s GPS system.