A lot of times, people unknowingly mistake security officers from security guards. This usually happens to security personnel who are wearing uniforms. It is very important for businesses and individuals to differentiate between these two types of security personnel. This is necessary since people should be able to understand when they would need the services of security guards or if their requirements would call for the services of a security officer.
Differences Between Security Guards And Security Officers
- Job level and training
o Before people are promoted to become security officers, they start their careers by getting jobs as security guards. The position of a security guard is the entry level for all personnel that wish to join the security services industry. The law in Canada requires individuals to undergo a basic security training guard course, which is needed for them to pass their exams to get their security guard licenses. Security agencies are known to hire people who successfully acquire their licenses. As time passes and these security guards gain valuable experience, they can be promoted for higher level positions. Among these higher level positions is a security officer. Since the position is available for personnel who have a considerable amount of experience within the industry, this would mean that the pay grade is higher as compared to that of a security guard. Security officers may be required to handle specific high level roles needed within a security team. Security agencies are known for ensuring that their security officers are well-trained before they are sent out together with their security teams.
- Roles That They Have Within An Organization
o What many people fail to realize is that security guards have different roles from security officers. Even though the services of these personnel may be acquired from the same security agency, security officers have been trained to handle some supervisory tasks within their respective security teams. Security guards are assigned to handle specific tasks in protecting the people and property of certain businesses that have hired their services. A security guard may be assigned to check the belongings of all visitors and employees that pass through the entrance of a building. The security guard will be evaluated on how the task was implemented and fulfilled. A security officer, on the other hand, may have the task to assign which security guards will be assigned to protect certain areas all over the building. The security officer is the one evaluating the security guards if they have done their jobs correctly, and a security officer may choose to replace any of the security guards as needed. In addition, security officers may need to interact with the managerial staff of the companies that hired their services.
- Job assignment or placement
o Since security guards are the ones handling the protection of the people and property on their respective job sites, they are required to be present and visible at their assigned positions on their agreed schedules. Security officers, on the other hand, may not be required to be available on the job site at all times. They may be scheduled to regularly go to the site to check on how things are running, however, in most cases they may not be required to stay on the site the whole day. They may do their jobs remotely, and they have methods to reach out to the security guards that they have assigned on specific sites.
- Scope of work
o It has been defined that security guards handle specific tasks in the respective areas that they are assigned to protect. This shows that they only need to protect the security of one client and one specific job site. With a security officer, the scope of work may be bigger. Security officers may be tasked to handle multiple job sites from the same client, which may depend on the client’s requirements. This means that the security officer may need to rotate to these different job sites to assess their individual situations. If security officers find the need to retrain the security guards working under their security teams, they can effectively conduct the training themselves.
- Reports and evaluations
o Security guards are only focused on making reports that are aligned to their respective tasks. The reports made by these personnel are based on their daily tasks, which are used by their senior officers to evaluate them for job advancement opportunities. When it comes to the reports created by security officers, these are focused on looking at how the security team worked as a whole. In addition, the reports created by security officers may be used to determine if there is a need to improve the processes and security level in specific areas of the organization that hired them. The reports created by these security officers are usually given to their superiors at the security agency, and may also be given to the assigned team that handles any security concerns from the side of the company that hired the services of the security team. Feedback from the clients and the evaluations from all the reports submitted by the security officers are the things used to determine if these officers may be promoted to the next level.
Hire Security Personnel From Reputable Security Agencies
When you look at the differences between these two types of security personnel, they are focused more on the roles and responsibilities of these personnel. However, what people should not fail to consider is where they get their security teams from. Implementing an effective security system within an organization requires a team that is composed of trustworthy and reputable personnel. It does not matter if it is a security guard or a security officer, you should be assured that the personnel have principles and are honest and hard-working individuals. Reputable security agencies are known to implement a strict hiring process to make sure that they only hire qualified individuals to be part of their teams. If you have concerns with regards to security personnel, you may contact Northern Force Security at (647) 982-1385.
