What are the skills needed to be a security guard?
Posted on 24 May 2020
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If you’re considering making your way into the security services industry, you might be wondering what skills are required to become a qualified and licenced security guard.
Equally, if you’re working within a business that needs to hire security personnel, you may wish to gain a better understanding of what it takes to be security guard. What should you expect from someone who’s tasked with looking after your premises, staff, and visitors? Today, we’ll look at what we think are the most important skills needed to be a modern security guard.
Security sector qualifications
There are a number of qualifications available in the security services industry, these allow you to apply for a Security Industry Authority (SIA) licence which is legally required.
These can be obtained by following the following simple steps:
1) Identifying the SIA licence required.
2) Taking the relevant training course.
3) Passing the exams at the end of the course.
4) Undertaking first aid training, if necessary.
5) Applying and paying for the SIA licence.
Confidence and trustworthiness
Security guards are expected to have the confidence required to deal with confrontations and difficult situations, but they need to be equally adept at dealing with enquiries from the public and visitors.
The best security guards are highly trustworthy, which enables the business for whom they offer protection to rest safe in the knowledge that the job will be undertaken effectively and lawfully.
Excellent communication skills
Security guards communicate regularly with colleagues, staff members, visitors, and the public.
Excellent communication skills must therefore be high on the agenda. Security guards should be capable of dealing with the vast array of situations they’ll encounter on a daily basis.
Punctuality and presentation
A security guard is often the first and last person people see when visiting a building or event. This is why presentation is so important; security guards are a direct extension of the brand, event, or business they’re representing. That means wearing the right clothing and dealing with people in an appropriate, professional manner at all times.
They also need to be punctual and reliable, because lateness and unscheduled absences among security personnel can have serious impacts on health and safety.
Ability to diffuse situations
Although thankfully rare, security guards are expected to deal effectively with difficult situations.
For instance, if an altercation breaks out or someone refuses to leave the premises, the security guard needs the skills required to diffuse the situation before it gets out of hand.
They can do this by using great communication skills to bring calm to the individuals involved. As an absolute last resort, they can use reasonable, necessary and proportionate force but cannot turn to tactics the police might employ (for instance, the use of guns or other weapons). A calm head in the face of danger and escalating tensions is therefore vital.
Autonomy and teamwork
Depending on the type of security required, security guards may either operate alone for vast periods of their shift or as part of a team.
Often, the role mixes the two, therefore security guards need to be able to work effectively on their own but be equally capable of operating effectively within a team.
IT skills and a desire to learn technical skills
Basic IT skills are a must for security guards, due to the fact they’ll often need to use devices and software relied on by the business.
In some situations, they may need to learn more technical skills such as CCTV operation and access controls, therefore a desire to learn and grow in this regard is vital.
If you have a need for security personnel in your business or at an event, our range of solutions will offer the protection you need.
Security guards come in many forms and offer skills that benefit a wide range of industries.
To find out more about how we can help your business with fully qualified, highly skilled security guards, just get in touch with our friendly team today.