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openminded
Joined: 07 Sep 2012 Posts: 56 Location: Altrincham, Cheshire
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 6:26 am Post subject: ROYAL ACADEMY NIGHT SECURITY 1975 |
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Working inside the Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington Gardens, Piccadilly, London was quite and experience. I loved it as I,m a bit of an amateur artist myself and to actually get paid to see such magnificent works of art was quite a tonic to me. The first evening I was replacing the usual guard who was on holiday so I had gone around the lower gallery to ensure all visitors and staff had vacated the building, that all doors and windows were secured/locked and begun to climb the stairs to the upper gallery where the guard was based at night when I froze at something I saw at the head of the stairs: I could make out the shadow of a man stood with a large knife in his hand waiting for me. As there was an alternate way to get into the upper gallery without using that staircase I took that and when I* investigated my "man with nasty intentions" discovered it was a statue of an ancient Roman soldier holding a sword ready for use. I set the alarm system , laughed and made a cup of tea and prepared for the rest of the shift and the later arrival of morning cleaners at 05:30 am. I found the joke was on me-the alarm system had been unset by persons unknown and the main gallery door I had so meticulously locked on my rounds at 9 pm the previous evening was standing wide open! If there had been anyone in the building the alarm system would have tripped and it made a lot of noise when it went-plus the door was "double locked!" |
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flossy Moderator
Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Posts: 4921 Location: UK tyne/wear (geordie land)
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 6:46 am Post subject: |
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just as well there was no burglers about that night |
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openminded
Joined: 07 Sep 2012 Posts: 56 Location: Altrincham, Cheshire
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 7:28 am Post subject: |
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That,s the odd thing-no one could have got in any way-all the other means of access were locked tight as a drum. And the alarm system was switched off-Not by me at 04:45! It worked from 21:00 to 04:45 which was confirmed by the alarm company central station, but they cocked up-they weren,t supposed to accept the alarm being switched off Without a call from me and the correct pass word! If there had been a break-in after the alarms were turned off it would Not have been down to me! |
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openminded
Joined: 07 Sep 2012 Posts: 56 Location: Altrincham, Cheshire
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 7:31 am Post subject: |
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Over the years I did have break-ins occur at premises I was guarding, but the alarms on the buildings that had them and that Worked always sounded. But No one Ever caught me off-guard in all that time! |
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carlos2010
Joined: 23 Oct 2010 Posts: 288
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Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 4:09 am Post subject: |
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When you think that no one can get it, they usually can. |
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openminded
Joined: 07 Sep 2012 Posts: 56 Location: Altrincham, Cheshire
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Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 4:59 am Post subject: |
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That,s why most places employ security guards! |
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carlos2010
Joined: 23 Oct 2010 Posts: 288
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Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 6:49 am Post subject: |
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Sorry, should of wrote "get in"
Ive snook around many security guards. |
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thecactus
Joined: 07 Mar 2011 Posts: 3196 Location: Northern Ireland
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Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 6:57 am Post subject: Re: ROYAL ACADEMY NIGHT SECURITY 1975 |
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openminded wrote: | Working inside the Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington Gardens, Piccadilly, London was quite and experience. I loved it as I,m a bit of an amateur artist myself and to actually get paid to see such magnificent works of art was quite a tonic to me. The first evening I was replacing the usual guard who was on holiday so I had gone around the lower gallery to ensure all visitors and staff had vacated the building, that all doors and windows were secured/locked and begun to climb the stairs to the upper gallery where the guard was based at night when I froze at something I saw at the head of the stairs: I could make out the shadow of a man stood with a large knife in his hand waiting for me. As there was an alternate way to get into the upper gallery without using that staircase I took that and when I* investigated my "man with nasty intentions" discovered it was a statue of an ancient Roman soldier holding a sword ready for use. I set the alarm system , laughed and made a cup of tea and prepared for the rest of the shift and the later arrival of morning cleaners at 05:30 am. I found the joke was on me-the alarm system had been unset by persons unknown and the main gallery door I had so meticulously locked on my rounds at 9 pm the previous evening was standing wide open! If there had been anyone in the building the alarm system would have tripped and it made a lot of noise when it went-plus the door was "double locked!" |
But there is nothing to suggest that anything paranormal turned off the alarm and unlocked the door; it was more likely another employee returning to get something/do something. |
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openminded
Joined: 07 Sep 2012 Posts: 56 Location: Altrincham, Cheshire
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Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 6:58 am Post subject: |
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I,ll bet you wouldn,t have got past me Carlos! |
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openminded
Joined: 07 Sep 2012 Posts: 56 Location: Altrincham, Cheshire
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Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 7:04 am Post subject: Re: ROYAL ACADEMY NIGHT SECURITY 1975 |
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thecactus wrote: | openminded wrote: | Working inside the Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington Gardens, Piccadilly, London was quite and experience. I loved it as I,m a bit of an amateur artist myself and to actually get paid to see such magnificent works of art was quite a tonic to me. The first evening I was replacing the usual guard who was on holiday so I had gone around the lower gallery to ensure all visitors and staff had vacated the building, that all doors and windows were secured/locked and begun to climb the stairs to the upper gallery where the guard was based at night when I froze at something I saw at the head of the stairs: I could make out the shadow of a man stood with a large knife in his hand waiting for me. As there was an alternate way to get into the upper gallery without using that staircase I took that and when I* investigated my "man with nasty intentions" discovered it was a statue of an ancient Roman soldier holding a sword ready for use. I set the alarm system , laughed and made a cup of tea and prepared for the rest of the shift and the later arrival of morning cleaners at 05:30 am. I found the joke was on me-the alarm system had been unset by persons unknown and the main gallery door I had so meticulously locked on my rounds at 9 pm the previous evening was standing wide open! If there had been anyone in the building the alarm system would have tripped and it made a lot of noise when it went-plus the door was "double locked!" |
But there is nothing to suggest that anything paranormal turned off the alarm and unlocked the door; it was more likely another employee returning to get something/do something. | But I was the ONLY live person in a Locked building. If anyone wanted to get in they had to ring me and get me to turn the system off-and to do that the alarm central station needed a correct password from me. If the system was switched off like it was they cocked up by Not ringing me and asking me why the alarms were turned off. Needless to say the client was not well pleased with the alarm company! He did not have a go at me as I had done nothing wrong. Incidentally I had the police search the premises just to make sure-no sign of break-ins and no one had even attempted to. |
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openminded
Joined: 07 Sep 2012 Posts: 56 Location: Altrincham, Cheshire
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Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 7:09 am Post subject: |
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I can safely say that in over 40 years industrial security I never once had a break-in at a building I was guarding that I was not aware of. Even if a guard is watching tv or listening to a radio one can usually hear breaking glass and if a guard doesn,t notice the sound of an alarm then he,s fast asleep, dead drunk or just DEAD! Most of the intruders I had I encountered while Patrolling which guards are meant to do regularly |
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thecactus
Joined: 07 Mar 2011 Posts: 3196 Location: Northern Ireland
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Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 7:09 am Post subject: |
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openminded, did you check cctv of the area where you set the alarm to see if anyone was near it and the door to see it opening? |
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openminded
Joined: 07 Sep 2012 Posts: 56 Location: Altrincham, Cheshire
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Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 7:13 am Post subject: |
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This was Long before use of cctv(1975) but I have seen cctv footage of a shop the company I worked for before retiring with figures of people inside a Locked store room-yet the alarms sounded and there was definitely no Living person found in there according to the local police and yes "ghosts" or whatever they are Do show up on cctv film! |
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openminded
Joined: 07 Sep 2012 Posts: 56 Location: Altrincham, Cheshire
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Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 7:15 am Post subject: |
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Are there any other forum members who have worked night security? |
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thecactus
Joined: 07 Mar 2011 Posts: 3196 Location: Northern Ireland
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Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 7:29 am Post subject: |
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openminded wrote: | Are there any other forum members who have worked night security? |
I have actually lol
It was only for 1 month though, as I couldn't deal with night shift work - I was only getting about 2-3 hours sleep most days lol
But I never experienced anything. |
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