A small Bradford security company has invested in gaining a national quality accreditation to safeguard its future in a tough climate.

Knightwatch Security Services, based in the Carlisle Business Centre, Manningham, has obtained accreditation from the Security Industry Association for key holding and site guarding.

Gaining the accreditation has been a big outlay for a small firm with a turnover of about £100,000 and fewer than 20 staff.

But the move was seen as vital to enable it to compete in a crowded and competitive marketplace and provide a platform for future growth.

Director Tom Gill said: “As a medium-sized security company that’s fighting for business in an already saturated local marketplace, it’s hard enough to stay afloat let alone prosper.

“Therefore, in an attempt to overcome the effects of the economic downturn we decided to seek nationally SIA Approved Contractor Status.

“The process was both a taxing and costly exercise and meant that many areas of our company had to be improved in order to meet the 89 separate indicators set by British Standards and the SIA.”

Mr Gill said achieving the SIA accreditation would enable Knight-watch, which was launched six years ago, to compete with larger organisations in providing a range of security services such as manned site guarding, key holding and alarm response.

Knightwatch staff are fully vetted and checked with the Criminal Records Bureau and the firms carries out regular checks and audits on service levels to its customers.

Mr Gill said: “Holding this accreditation puts us in the top echelon of security firms and provides us with a sound base from which to grow and develop, even though the business climate remains challenging.”