Unarmed Guarding on the Defence Estate
Some 4000 strong, the MOD Guard Service provides the unarmed guarding service of the MDPGA. It guards over 200 MOD sites in Great Britain including high-profile locations such as MOD Main Building in London, RAF Menwith Hill and HMNB Clyde at Faslane.

MGS officers are often the public face of the MOD, since they are the first point of contact for employees, visitors or contractors arriving at an MOD site. Their principal role is access control, which can include:

• Control of entry and exit
• Permanent and temporary pass issue
• Searching of vehicles, personnel and baggage
• Control of keys

Other Duties
MGS officers undertake internal and external foot and vehicle patrols day and night.

Foot patrolling covers both buildings and perimeter fencing, and on some sites includes patrols by trained teams of dogs and handlers.

MGS officers work in control rooms and monitor CCTV systems, steering cameras onto areas of interest. At some sites MGS work closely with other guarding providers as part of an integrated security solution for the site.

• Helicopter marshalling
• First Aid duties
• Scanning of mail and baggage
• Security sweeps
• Security Officer duties
• Health & Safety guidance

History and Organisation
The MGS has its roots in the need for security and patrolling staff at nearly every defence establishment. Originally managed locally, guards were brought together in a corporate structure in 2004, when the MOD Police & Guarding Agency was formed by incorporating the MGS into the existing MOD Police Agency. Since then, all MGS units have shared:

• Common professional standards
• Common pay and conditions of service
• Centralised functional training
• A common uniform
• A career structure & career management

All new entrants must pass: a medical standard, security vetting, and the MGS Foundation Training Course. Information on joining the MGS is at the civilservicejobs website. 

MGS is organised in five Regions which largely mirror MOD Police Divisional boundaries, with some MGS and Police HQs sharing buildings. Each Region has appropriate management and support structures to enable delivery of the unarmed guarding service to all Defence customers in its area. The five Regional HQs are located at HMNB Clyde, York, Shrewsbury, Bath and Aldershot.

HQ MGS is located at MDPGA Headquarters at Wethersfield in Essex. The Head of Unarmed Guarding and the Head of Profession MGS sit on the Agency Management Board and are responsible for the provision of strategic leadership, policy and guidance, and overall management of the MGS organisation.