Service
Out-of-Hours & Holiday Cover
Dog-and-handler cover for the hours your site is empty: nights, weekends, bank holidays and shutdowns.
Overview
What the service is
Sites are most at risk when everyone has gone home. Long weekends, bank holidays and the Christmas shutdown leave yards and buildings empty for days at a time, and people who steal from sites know it.
We plan dog-and-handler cover around your calendar, so the site is covered from the moment it shuts until the first person is back. You choose patrols, a handler based on site, or a mix of both.
Tell us your dates early, especially for Christmas and bank holidays, and we'll plan the cover with you well ahead.
What's included
What the service covers
Everything below is agreed with you and written into the plan before the first shift.
Evenings and nights
Cover from lock-up through the night on working days.
Weekends
Cover from Friday lock-up to Monday opening, planned as one block.
Bank holidays
Long weekends covered so the site isn't left empty for three or four days.
Christmas shutdown
Cover for the full Christmas and New Year closure, planned well in advance.
Planned closures
Factory shutdowns, refits and pauses in work.
Shift reports
A report after every shift, so you know what happened while the site was closed.
Shift by shift
A typical shift, start to finish
How a shift runs from the moment the handler and dog arrive.
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Weeks before
Share your dates
Send us the days and hours the site will be empty, including holidays and shutdowns.
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Before cover
Site visit and plan
We visit, agree the type of cover and write the dates and hours into a simple plan.
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Closure starts
Cover begins at lock-up
The handler and dog arrive at lock-up, check the site and start the agreed cover.
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During the closure
Patrols or on-site watch
Cover runs to the plan, with reports after every shift.
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Reopening
Handover
A final check and handover when your team returns.
Why it works
Why holidays need planning
When a site closes for several days, problems can go unnoticed until the first person comes back. By then the damage is done and the trail is cold.
A dog team through the closure means someone is checking the site every night, and any problem is found and acted on straight away.
What we'll need from you
- Your closure dates and opening times
- Access arrangements for the closure period
- A contact or keyholder who can be reached
- Any work or deliveries planned during the closure
- Site rules, hazards or no-go areas
Suits these sites
Where this service fits
Industrial Estates & Commercial PremisesBusiness units, factories, workshops and business parks after hours.
Warehouses & Logistics YardsTrailer parks, loading docks and stock yards around large buildings.
Construction SitesPlant, materials, tool stores and compounds when the site is shut.
Vacant & Empty PropertyClosed, empty and awaiting-redevelopment buildings and land.
Pricing
What affects the price
Every site is different, so we price after a site visit. You only pay for the cover your site needs.
Hours and nights
How many hours a night, and how many nights a week.
Type of cover
Patrols, a handler based on site, or a mix.
Size of site
The length of the boundary and the number of check points.
Length of cover
A single night, a holiday period or ongoing cover.
Questions
Questions, answered
Anything else? Call or WhatsApp us on +44 7533 640422 and talk to the people planning your cover.
01Can we book just the Christmas shutdown?
Yes. Cover can be booked for a single period such as Christmas, a bank holiday weekend or a planned closure. Get in touch early so we can plan it.
02Do you cover every night of the week?
We plan cover around the nights you need. Tell us your dates and we'll confirm what we can cover.
03Can we mix patrols and on-site cover?
Yes. Some clients have a handler on site over a long weekend and patrols on other nights. We'll plan what suits the site.
04Will the same team cover our site?
Where we can, we keep the same handler on the same site so they know the layout and the people.
05How far ahead should we book?
As early as you can, especially for Christmas and bank holidays. Call or WhatsApp us and we'll tell you what we can arrange.
Other services
You may also need
Request K9 cover
Request out-of-hours & holiday cover
Tell us a little about the site. We'll call you back, arrange a free site visit and send a clear written plan and price.
- Free site visit before any work starts
- A written plan and price, no surprises
- Talk directly to the people planning your cover
- Call+44 7533 640422
- WhatsApp+44 7533 640422
- Emailadmin@merlinsecurityltd.co.uk
- Office9 Hawthorn Drive, Manchester, M19 1HQ