Companies are advised to make security as one of their main priorities. A company is known to invest so much on its properties, products, and its employees that it cannot afford to lose any of these from dangerous activities that may affect it. Any disturbance should be stopped before it reaches the office premises. This is where it is necessary to employ corporate security officers to protect your business. For those who are unfamiliar with the duties and requirements of a corporate security officer, this article will make it clearer to you.
What Is A Corporate Security Officer?
The rise of security risks is not only a problem for individuals, but it is also affecting businesses from running smoothly. Corporations that run large-scale businesses are being targeted regularly due to the large sums of money they earn. Physical attacks on company grounds are possible with the advent of new advancements in technology. Corporate security officers are the ones who are tasked to prevent these from affecting the daily operations of any company. It may seem simple to some people, but corporate security officers have a lot of work to do to keep customers, employees, and properties safe from any kind of attack.
These corporate security officers are usually hired from 3rd-party security agencies. Regular corporations or businesses are focused more on their products and services that they do not have enough capability to properly train their people to do the jobs a corporate security officer is meant to do. Reputable security agencies are known for vetting applicants who wish to become part of their security workforces. Not everyone has the ability to become corporate security officers. This is very important to note because you do not want to put your company at risk of breaches that may cause your closure.
Requirements To Become A Corporate Security Officer
Before corporate security officers are hired and deployed to their respective companies, they need to meet strict requirements. The following list details most of the requirements needed by aspiring corporate security officers:
There is a need to get a security guard license.
o In the province of Ontario, before people become eligible to apply as security officers, they need to get their security guard licenses first. There are multiple prerequisites that these people need to get before they can get their security guard licenses. One of these requirements is that they are only allowed to apply once they have reached the age of 18 years old. They must show that they are allowed to work in Canada legally. There is also a need for these people to acquire an Emergency First Aid/CPR certificate. These aspiring security guards should not have any criminal record, or else they will be rejected outright. They are also required to take a basic training course for security guards. This is crucial because they will be taking a test, which will give them completion numbers that they will need to input in their applications for their licenses.
To work as a corporate security officer for a security agency, the aspirant should show that they can be trusted.
o Working in the security agency has no room for people that are dishonest. Companies that hire the services of a security agency put their assets on the line, which will make the security agency accountable for the actions of their corporate security officers. This is why the vetting process is very strict because the agency needs to ensure that the aspirants are not faking their trustworthiness.
Corporate security officers need to have healthy and fit minds and bodies.
o With the chances of conflicts happening on the company site, corporate security officers will need to respond to de-escalate any situation. With the task of protecting the property and people around from getting hurt, they must be able to physically handle any threat. They should also have a healthy mindset of not worsening any type of situation. They are there to calm down the situation until the police arrive to take over the problem.
Aspiring corporate security officers must show that they have good communication skills and that they can work effectively within a team.
o Communication is a key factor within the security industry. Corporate security officers need to listen and impart to the necessary people any relevant information that must be communicated to ensure that the system works harmoniously. Officers must listen and understand their colleagues and the visitors that come into the premises of the company that they are working in. This will help them assess situations if there are incoming troubles. Also, officers are known to work on shifts. It is imperative that an outgoing officer will be able to inform the incoming officers of any information that will be needed in their jobs. They must show that they can properly turnover information and things once they finish their shifts.
Those who wish to become corporate security officers must be open to criticism and should have the willingness to be trained.
o The security industry constantly has changes in relation to its techniques and tools. Technology is forever evolving. This also happens in the industry. New kinds of security threats are created regularly. The industry ensures to equip itself against these problems. Corporate security officers must always be ready to have their skills updated through training. Sometimes, it may be hard to adapt newer technologies and techniques. It is normal to receive constructive criticism within the industry. Security agencies make sure that the people they hire can accept these criticisms to improve themselves.
Duties Of A Corporate Security Officer
There may be times when employees or business owners expect their security officers to handle things in certain ways. They may expect that these officers will do everything that they are told. However, it is important to note that these officers are limited to the duties that they were meant to do for their jobs. The following lists the usual duties a security agency requires its corporate security officers to do:
Securing the workplace
o This is the most common job a corporate security officer is expected to do. The officer is tasked to patrol the property. This helps scare off people that are planning on doing something negative against the company. Officers are tasked to regularly monitor the surveillance equipment to check if there are breaches. This is a way to inspect the whole building to avoid running into trouble within the company premises. Corporate security officers also screen people that enter the building. They check the belongings and inquire from these people their reasons for entering the building.
Alarms the authorities when problems arise
o Corporate security officers in Ontario are required to practice maximum tolerance. They are tasked to handle problematic situations through de-escalation. They are allowed to detain any troublemakers, but they are required to call the police and turn the perpetrators over to them. They are also trained to contact the respective authorities, depending on the problem that is affecting the company. If there are fires, they must contact the fire department without any hesitation.
Traffic control
o There are corporate security officers who are assigned to direct drivers who may be entering or leaving the premises. Since officers are in constant communication with each other, this is a way for the security team to be wary of any suspicious movements among individuals. They can deny entry to certain people if the company requires them to do so.
Report creation and management
o Security teams are tasked to file daily reports so that this documentation can be saved for future reference. Corporate security officers are required to add details to these daily reports, which is also a way of giving them accountability of the actions they have taken each day. This also makes it easier to go back to when there are complaints or problems that may have involved the security team.
Ensure any equipment is running in an optimal condition
o There are times when corporate security officers must regularly check on equipment to see if they are working as needed. They are also tasked to do preventive maintenance as long as they follow the manufacturer’s instructions. An example of this is when the security team is tasked to regularly check the standby generator of the company. It needs to be kept in an excellent working condition. If problems are found when an officer checks the generator, the officer needs to report this to the maintenance department. This will ensure that immediate action is done to fix the generator since it needs to be always ready to run smoothly whenever a power outage happens on site.
Let Your Corporate Security Officer Keep Your Business Safe
Having discussed the requirements and duties of a corporate security officer, it clearly shows that a security team works in a systematic way to ensure that the operations of any business can run smoothly on a daily basis. It is important to know these duties so that you will not be waiting for your security team to do things that are not within its scope of work. If you are looking into hiring a security team for your company, you may contact Northern Force Security at (647) 982-1385.
