Do you own a precious house with all sorts of valuables or are you arranging an outdoor wedding reception involving guests from all over the city? Among all the other requirements, Hiring Security and Cost to hire security guards is an important one.

These uniformed individuals with stern faces, quick reflexes and hazard management training do a lot more than just patrolling and monitoring. From preventing theft at your house to analyzing fishy activities at an assembly area to protecting the boundaries of a high-profile government building, security guards provide safety and support in different forms. But what is the cost of hiring a security guard in Melbourne? Let’s shed some light on this topic.

Average Cost to Hire Security Guards In Melbourne

The average cost lies anywhere between $40 – $110/hour. Of course, there are many factors that influence this rate, e.g. the nature of the event, the type of security you require, the degree of threat involved, the location of your property, whether it is the peak or off-peak season and so many more.

Factors That Affect The Cost to Hire Security Guard In Melbourne

Let’s discuss them one by one.

1. Type of security

The nature of the security will largely define the average cost of a security guard in Melbourne. Because, of course, patrolling around a small mall is quite different from being dedicated to the outdoor security of a celebrity.

For general patrolling, you can expect a rate of $40-$50/hour. For private security services, it would be $80-$100.

In fact, the salary range of celebrity bodyguards is $65000-$145,000 which translates to almost $100/hour. If the celebrity is a government official facing life threats, that is bound to increase even more.

Why? Because only specialized security guards with exceptional talent and qualities will be hired for such a sensitive and high-profile role.

But that’s not it. There are other security services as well such as:

• Event security like an outdoor birthday party, award-winning celebration or a baby shower. Here the job is to handle the lurkers, observe any suspicious eyes, handle the crowd, manage the parking and guide the guests.
• Remote security who are responsible for handling large areas like golf courses, swimming pools, playgrounds, mining areas, etc. These security guards will patrol your area and look after both the ill-intention breachers and the suspicious eyes of the people who mistakenly stumble on the designated area.
• Medical facilities security where the job is to protect the expensive medical equipment and save the medical staff and general public from any potential threats e.g. domestic abuse patients or affectees of a criminal case.
• Industrial/manufacturing area security that involves patrolling and CCTV monitoring.

2. Type of guard

The second factor affecting the security guard hourly rate in Melbourne is the nature of the guard you’re hiring. This generally splits into armed and unarmed security guards.

A basic unarmed guard doesn’t carry any equipment other than a transmitter. They look for any bad behavior and will contact the higher authority in case of vandalism. These include bouncers and gate security. Their rate is $40-$80.

A basic armed guard has start-level training in carrying a weapon. They are hired by businesses having expensive assets like jewelry or premium furniture store. Their rate is $40-$80.

An armed guard with advanced training does not only carry a weapon but has the capabilities of detaining suspects, controlling the crowd and suppressing a potential threat. If the incident occurs, they know how to trace and catch the culprit. They will have the license for handcuffs. Their rate is $40-$80.

Then there are specially trained armed guards that are often hired to escort VIP guests and guard government buildings. Their rate is $50-$120.

3. Location

The third factor affecting the security guard hourly rate is the location. We asked Indeed related to it. It said that Sydney has a rate of $52/hour, Brisbane $38/hour, Melbourne $40/hour and Perth $38/hour.

4. Type of company

Here comes the big ask. There are some security companies that offer multiple services like plumbing and cleaning along with security. They will demand a lower rate. That’s because their security guards will not be specialized in deterring unfortunate incidents. Security is only one of the many services that they provide, hence they’re never in the position (morally or legally) to demand uplifted security guard charges.

Specialized security companies, on the other hand, like Group One charge higher because they not only provide dedicated security services in different departments like loss prevention, event security and alarm response security, but the guards are highly qualified to de-escalate hazardous situations.

How To Save Money on Security Guard Services In Melbourne

Now that you know about the rates of security guards in Melbourne, let’s discuss some of the tips that can enable you to put brakes on this cost.

1. Evaluate your security needs properly. If you require only a part-time event security officer, there’s no need to hire a full-time security guard.
2. Get bids from at least three security companies. Just like you negotiate the prices of furniture by visiting different stores, try to bring down the rates by taking bids from different companies. This way, you’d come across the general rates which will help you in finalizing the average of them so you can quote that price in front of the preferred security company. Hopefully, they’ll lower the hourly rates of their guards for you.
3. Always think about your budget before hiring a security guard in Melbourne. Suppose it’s $5000/month. Rather than opting for an hourly rate, ask for a monthly rate from the company and finalize on that. If you don’t have the budget in mind, you’ll get confused by the jargon-y talk of the respondents and end up hiring expensive security guards.

Bottom line

That’s it. Briefly, we have tried to cover the topic of the cost of hiring a security guard in Melbourne. Make sure you carry out an extensive check before choosing the right security service. May you choose the most fitting security guard.