Imperial Security provides a 24/7 key holding and alarm response service for businesses across Hackney, from the bars and independent shops of Shoreditch and Dalston to the studios, offices and converted workspace around Hackney Central and Hackney Wick. We store your keys securely off site and send an SIA-licensed guard to your premises whenever an alarm activates, so retailers, hospitality venues, offices, workshops and construction sites are never left relying on a director or manager to attend at short notice. Our guards check the building, secure any breach and liaise with the police or fire brigade on your behalf, then send you a full report the same day.
Hackney has well over a thousand premises licensed for alcohol or late night refreshment, with several hundred of those licensed through into the early hours around Shoreditch and Dalston, so an alarm in this borough is just as likely to trip at 3am on a Saturday as during office hours. Unlike many London boroughs, Hackney has chosen not to set up business improvement districts, which means there is no BID-funded warden patrol to fall back on outside council hours, and out-of-hours cover is entirely down to what each business arranges privately.
That gap is exactly what our key holding service is built to close. Whether you run a late licensed bar on Kingsland Road, a retail unit near Broadway Market or an office above Mare Street, we act as your emergency point of contact so nobody on your team has to leave home to deal with a triggered alarm.
7 Day Rolling Contract
No hidden fees, hassle free, Flexible. Not locked into a long-term contract. Easy to scale up or down
Sector Specific Experience
Each security guard is selected based on experience relevant to that specific sector
Street Wise & Vigilant
Local, street-smart expertly trained to protect & deter threats. Confident & observant
| What Our Hackney Key Holding Service Provides
Hackney's mix of late licensed venues, small retail units and converted workspace means our guards are set up to handle six core duties on every assignment.
Secure key storage
We store your Hackney premises' keys in an off-site, access-controlled facility, so a break-in at your unit never puts a spare set within reach of an intruder.
24/7 alarm response
Whether your alarm activates at a Dalston venue at 3am or a Hackney Central office on a bank holiday, a guard is despatched to attend and investigate.
Emergency service liaison
Our guard becomes your point of contact for the police and fire brigade, giving them access to the site and passing on what they need without waking your own staff.
Incident reporting
You receive a written report after every call-out, covering what triggered the alarm, what our guard found on site and any repairs or changes worth making.
Scheduled lock and unlock
For units around Ridley Road Market or Broadway Market with early openings or late closes, we can secure the premises at close and open it again the next morning.
Vacant property checks
Sites awaiting fit-out or redevelopment, including units caught up in Hackney's ongoing town centre schemes, are checked regularly so vacancy doesn't turn into an open invitation.
| Who We Provide Key Holding For In Hackney
Our Hackney clients cover most of the borough's business types, from venues trading past midnight to daytime retail and office premises.
Bars, restaurants and late licensed venues
Kingsland Road, Dalston and Shoreditch hold hundreds of licences that run past midnight, and a venue trading that late needs an alarm response that doesn't depend on the owner still being awake.
Independent shops and market traders
Units around Broadway Market, Ridley Road and Mare Street are often single-occupier premises without an on-site security team, so a triggered alarm needs someone to attend in person.
Workshops, studios and shared workspace
The borough's growing stock of converted workspace for small businesses and start-ups, much of it in shared or multi-tenant buildings, means several keyholders can rely on one point of contact instead of passing a key around.
Offices and professional premises
Offices around Hackney Central and Old Street need cover outside nine-to-five hours, particularly where cleaning contractors or out-of-hours access make it impractical for staff to hold every key.
We also cover construction sites, warehouses and event venues elsewhere in the borough under the same call-out arrangement.
| The Security Problems We Solve In Hackney
Hackney's night time economy and its growing number of small, multi-tenant units both change what businesses need from a key holder.
Alarms activating outside office hours
A shop or office with nobody on site overnight has no way to check whether an alarm is a false trigger or a genuine break-in. We send a guard to attend, assess the cause and only escalate to the police when there is a real incident.
Late licensed venues with no manager on call
Bars and restaurants trading into the early hours around Dalston and Shoreditch often close after their manager has already gone home. We hold the keys and respond directly, so closing up doesn't depend on someone staying awake to answer a call.
Shared and converted buildings with multiple keyholders
Workspace created from converted council or commercial buildings can have several small tenants under one roof, none of them with the resource to run their own out-of-hours cover. A single key holding arrangement gives every tenant the same response without duplicating cost.
Vacant or transitional premises
Units sitting empty during a fit-out, sale or redevelopment are an easy target if nobody checks on them. Scheduled visits and alarm response keep an empty property from becoming a soft target while it's between uses.
| Why Choose Imperial Security In Hackney
Familiar with Hackney's streets and access points
Our guards regularly work across Shoreditch, Dalston, Hackney Central and Hackney Wick, so they know how to reach a unit on Kingsland Road or Mare Street quickly, even when market days on Ridley Road or weekend crowds slow other traffic.
We cover premises across E8, E9, N1 and N16, including Dalston, Stoke Newington and Hackney Wick.
One call-out team, not a rota of strangers
Because the same team covers the borough night after night, our guards build a working knowledge of which venues run late, which units sit empty and what a genuine alarm looks like on each site, rather than treating every call-out as a first visit.
Vetting, licensing and insurance
Every guard we place on a Hackney assignment meets our company standards.
- Valid SIA licensing: appropriate to the role & verified qualifications
- BS 7858 compliant vetting: five-year employment & education history
- Enhanced DBS checks: The level appropriate for your sector
- Professional reference verification: All previous security employers
- Insurance: Public liability, employers' liability & professional indemnity
- First aid trained: Emergency response & CPR certified
- ACT counter-terrorism awareness training: Threat recognition & response certified
| How Our Hackney Service Operates
01
Site survey
We visit your Hackney premises to record access points, alarm codes and any special instructions before we hold a single key.
02
Secure key storage
Your keys are logged and stored off site in an access-controlled facility, never left in a vehicle or an unmarked drawer.
03
Alarm monitoring and despatch
When your alarm activates, a guard is despatched straight away, with routing that accounts for road closures around Ridley Road Market and weekend crowds in Shoreditch and Dalston.
04
On-site assessment
Our guard checks all entry points, looks for signs of forced entry and secures the building, including venues that only close after midnight under Hackney's late licensing hours.
05
Emergency liaison
If there's a confirmed incident, we contact the police or fire brigade directly and stay on site until they arrive or the property is secure.
06
Reporting and follow-up
You receive a written report the same day, along with any recommendations if the incident points to a weakness in your building's security.
Get your free Hackney Key Holding quote
Send us your address or postcode, building type, start date, hours you need covered, number of entrances and what prompted the enquiry.
Call us on 0208 088 2878, or send your details through the quote form and we will come back to you with a written proposal.
Related services and nearby areas
See our full service page on key holding, or other cover in the area: all Hackney security services, CCTV monitoring in Hackney, retail security in Hackney, key holding in Dalston, key holding in Hackney Wick, key holding in Stoke Newington.