Today I stumbled on a pretty interesting concept that could have far reaching consequences in the private security contracting world. Hawque is a share economy style business that plans on connecting the security contractor directly with the customer via an app. I have to imagine there are others that are getting into this game, but Hawque is the one that came up on my radar.
I should note that even Uber is getting more involved with security. In South Africa, they have just partnered with Aura, a security technology service that would allow drivers to connect with the closest private security response vehicle via a nationwide network of security and medical partners. Uber drivers just hit an SOS button on a mobile app, and the call goes out to the closest responder. This security partnership is also necessary because of the violence between the meter taxi industry and drivers of ride-hailing services. Yeah, it is that bad in South Africa..
What is neat about the Uber/Aura partnership is that drivers can also connect with South African Police Services and emergency services if they want. I think that it is smart to have as many resources as possible, and in South Africa, there is police and private security all over the place.
Now as far as the legal aspects of this and how it could work in other countries, who knows. I know that Uber has a legal army in order to deal with all the pitfalls of this kind of business. They are constantly being sued for something. I am sure Hawque is aware of this aspect of share economy businesses and I will be very interested to see where it goes.
What is neat for our industry is that share economy style security businesses need competent folks. In Hawque’s video commercials, they advertise that Hawque security specialists will make more money because they do not have a middle man or a security company in charge of them. Typically companies have a lot of overhead to manage security operations and HR, and the strength of share economy style businesses is that it basically takes that away. The security specialist is truly an independent contractor.
Below is a short video of what they are trying to do and how they are reaching out to contractors. The service is so new that there is no data available as to how it is doing. It will be something to watch, and it will be really interesting if it goes global, much like Uber did. You never know. –Matt
Website for Hawque here.
Facebook for Hawque here.
LinkedIn for Hawque here.
Launching This Month, On-Demand Private Security Platform Aims to Make Safety Easier and Cheaper
June 6, 2018
By Holly BeilinA climate where individuals feel increasingly uncertain about their own safety has led to private security guards outnumbering U.S. police officers. The billion-dollar private security industry is estimated to grow by 33 percent in just the next two years, as the demographic shift towards urban environments stretches police departments’ resources — 2016 saw cities with populations over 25,000 averaging less than two public safety officers for every 1,000 residents.
That’s where Chris Rich, CEO and founder of Hawque, wants to step in. Following a home break-in that made him and his family feel vulnerable, Rich began to look into getting private security for peace of mind. However, he found it exorbitantly expensive and tedious.
That’s because the market is largely monopolized by third-party service providers. These companies employ the guards, contract with businesses and individuals and take the lion’s share of the profits, leaving most of these trained professionals with an average expected income of $9-$11 per hour.
Inspired by the on-demand economy, as well as the recent spate of startups that use technology to cut out middleman companies, Rich set out to develop a model that would do the same for private security. After talking to many in the industry, he began to conceive of Hawque, a platform that matches security professionals with clients on an on-demand basis.
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