Security Guards Must Be Serious Guards

Life as a security professional can be dangerous. If you choose to do the work, choose to take it seriously.

Security guards have been killed or seriously injured while on duty, and a Florida guard even got the tip of his finger bitten off. Be as prepared as possible to observe and protect, which includes being better positioned to protect yourself.

Being prepared means being trained, even if you must pay for the training yourself. Consider special courses focused on self-defense and ways to detain a combative individual. These may double as workouts that help you stay physically fit.

Being prepared also means knowing and following standard operating procedures (SOPs), sleeping and eating well, and making sure your body and uniform are clean and presentable.

Speaking of sleep, do not sleep on the job! You must stay alert. Even if you’re working as an unarmed security guard to make extra money, it doesn’t take much for a quiet situation to go bad. Scheduled to work behind a desk? Find ways to add physical movement, take notes, and write reports you can be proud of.

Taking your work seriously can encourage the public to take you more seriously. But if someone doesn’t, you’ll be better prepared to handle them. You may even have to demonstrate something a lot of people don’t know about security guards: many have arrest authority.

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Check out my book Rent-A-Cop Reboot for more about the importance of training. On the Leumas Publishing YouTube Channel I talk about a wide variety of issues, from tips for security professionals to the cancer battle I was fighting this time last year. Tune in and subscribe.

(Above Image: Shutterstock/pryzmat)