Secure Socialising's Story
Director, Paula Bedborough, has extensive experience in delivering innovative solutions to improve public safety in the night-time economy, and leading change to improve customer experiences.
Before developing new technologies for public safety, Paula worked on the front line and was one of the first female door supervisors in the UK, and the first woman to set up a security company. During this time, she identified the need for training of security operatives and led in the development of local, and then national, security licensing and training.
Innovating public safety initiatives
She has developed partnerships with local authorities, police forces, entertainment venues and security companies, helping to implement public safety initiatives and has worked with thousands of people employed in the night-time economy to ensure that people can have a great time safely.
Her interest in customer safety led to her looking at how people could be protected from the problem of theft. Theft of personal property is devastating to the to the victim, and is a crime that has increased, as people carry more items of high value when they are out. Research shows that the value of handbag contents can be in excess of £3,000 Information here. And the chance of getting something stolen is high too, with Metropolitan Police figures showing that a laptop is stolen from a bar every 53 seconds.
Reducing vulnerability
She says “My work in entertainment venues showed me what a problem theft from customers is, and how it can have serious implications on their personal safety or employment. Having your handbag stolen, or your laptop or phone, can be an expensive nightmare, and can leave customers in a very vulnerable position.” There has even been a recent case where a woman got points on her driving licence after having her handbag stolen on a night out. Heres the full story.
How we made an idea a reality
After carrying out research with bars and clubs, with the staff and customers, the idea took shape. “People told us they wanted somewhere safe to store their bags. The bars told us they wanted to provide those facilities, but they didn’t want to get involved with keys and didn’t think the customers would remember codes, so the solution involved developing cutting edge biometric technology.”
“I approached Nottingham University’s Computer Science Department who helped make the first prototype and that’s when Lindhurst Engineering came on board.”
“Following a chance meeting at an employer skills conference, Paula came to see me and pitched her idea and the opportunity to come on board as her hardware manufacturing partner. Having visited both of my daughters when they were at college in London, I’d seen first hand the issues around protecting your possessions when you are on a night out in a busy city and so I could see the potential of Paula’s idea straight away.
Like all technologies we have been involved in developing you are presented with challenges you could not see at the outset, but that’s engineering and there will always be a solution.
So we are really pleased to be onboard with Secure Socialising, not only for the business opportunity but also the impact this will have to make nights out for people safer”
Designed and manufactured in the UK
Further development continued with a team of software experts and innovative engineers, resulting in a completely new product, designed and manufactured in the UK, specifically aimed at making sure people can relax and enjoy a great night out.
“We have been working hard to find a solution to this and we are excited at the prospect of using the latest technology to solve issues around personal safety and prevention of theft from customers using entertainment venues. Our soon to be launched products will enhance the safety and security of customers and reduce headaches for responsible businesses, whilst increasing profit.
Making going out out easier
This will revolutionize how people interact with the nighttime economy. There will be no worries about going out after work, you can store your work bag and your laptop securely. If you want to dance the night away, you can put your handbag away and enjoy yourself. And for those that wear high heels and have tired feet, you can store your flat shoes and change at any point. All of this, and you can charge your phone at the same time.”
