Spartan Training Bulletin | Volume Two – Issue Four

Access Control is a critical aspect of the overall protection of any location. Different properties have different methods of screening people who enter their site. Security Officers must understand the sensitivity of access control. Without having the ability to determine who can enter the property, security personnel face a very delicate situation which can have a significant effect on the protection of the people from harm, and property from loss or damage.

The safety of employees, residents’ customers, vendors and visitors is important and a critical aspect of the responsibilities of the security officer. When patrolling, security professionals must be able to identify potential risks and or hazards. A risk is a situation that can lead to injury or death, such as trip hazards or fire hazards. Security Officers must be able to identify these issues and report them, so appropriate actions are executed to lessen or remove risk.

Security Officers must be mentally capable and physically fit to perform their functions. Being mentally prepared and ready to interact with people from many different social, economic and cultural backgrounds, requires security professionals to be prepared to deal differently with different people. Hence, being mentally alert will make a significant difference in the way security interacts with the general public.

Depending on the type of property, security staff may encounter just a few people, or hundreds during each shift. Having the ability to respond to incidents and possibly physically interacting with someone requires Security Officers to be physically fit, to meet the physical challenges they will be confronted with while in the private contract security field.

Since emergencies are unpredictable, physical fitness and stamina are necessary to properly respond to emergency incidents. Some incidents might require security officers to climb several flights of stairs, to reach the floor where the emergency is occurring.

Professional demeanor and appearance are perhaps the most notable aspects of being a security officer. With hundreds and thousands of people entering the facilities protected by security officers, it is critical for each individual security officer to understand that they are being observed every day by all the people who enter the property, including colleagues, client management, company representatives, client’s employees, visitors and most importantly prospective clients of the company. Security officers play a significant role in public relations.

Discretion and confidentiality are critical of security officers who have access to sensitive company and or client information and or trade secrets. Private information should never be exposed or tampered with by anyone, particularly security officers who have a great deal of accessibility to this information. All business transactions should always remain confidential. In some properties, contractual security personnel are required to sign a confidentiality agreement indicating that they are not to share any private company data with anyone outside of those people who need to know.