Security qualifications, must have and nice to have
Security officers make sure that buildings, valuables and people are safe and secure. The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is the organisation responsible for regulating the private security industry. They have two main duties. One is the licensing of individuals working within the private security industry and setting standards for their training. The other is to manage the voluntary Approved Contractor Scheme, which measures private security suppliers against independently assessed criteria.

What are the basic qualifications required for security officers?

• An SIA Security Guard License is required if you are carrying out the work of a security guard such as protecting property, patrolling areas or preventing theft. It is valid for 3 years, and you need to have passed the Security Guard Training Course in order to be licenced. The basic training course runs over 4 days and is divided into 3 units covering security industry knowledge, a series of specialist Modules on subjects such as patrolling, searching and reporting and recordkeeping. The final module covers conflict management and focusses on avoiding, defusing and resolving conflicts. These modules are tested by exams at the end of the course.
• While this licence enables an operative to work in the private security industry it is possible to add other qualifications allowing you to carry out other activities. To work as a door supervisor an additional licence is also needed.
• A further SIA licence is required if you work with public space surveillance (CCTV). These three licences form the core skills of a security officer

How can you use additional training to get better value of your contract?
Having a skilled security operative on site, particularly out of hours, means that you have someone who is trained to and expects to be able to assess situations and act accordingly available to you. By providing a little additional training your security team can significantly enhance the operation of your site. Here are a few examples:

• By adding a first aid qualification they can provide cover for existing provision. Many places now have an AED (automated external defibrillator), the skills needed to use this are an extension of many general first aid courses. The presence of an AED on site represent a community resource, and form part of your business CSR. Supplementing these skills with training as a first responder or Fire Marshall will provide resources to form part of evacuation and training programmes.
• It is entirely possible to extend that still further by training a security officer to Fire Officer level. This would mean that you have someone able to tackle small fires themselves and operate in hostile, remote and hazardous environments ranging from events to major manufacturing or construction sites.

The requirements for a good security officer fit them for these extended roles very well. The need to be able to work in pressured environments and make assessments of situations and respond to them is part and parcel of security. These are also the skills expected of first aiders, and those tackling emergencies. SGS work to recruit and train the best security officers, and then to upskill them to be able to undertake additional roles as required by the site they are working on or the client’s requirements. Get in touch to learn more about how we can assist upskill your security.