Introduction to the security industry - The Ontario Security Guard Training Course

 REQUIREMENTS OF CANADIAN POLICE SERVICES: 

In Canada, there are three phases of police services which are as follows: 

Federal – Royal Canadian mounted police

Provincial – Ontario provincial police, and Newfoundland royal constabulary

Municipal – Toronto police service, Ottawa police, south Simcoe police, etc. 

Policemen are tasked with carrying out a lot of duties to make sure public security. These responsibilities include: 

Avoiding crime

Detecting crime

Apprehending criminals that break the law

Enforce laws

Sustain public order

Protect individuals and their property from harm and loss

In Canada, only three states have set up their provincial law enforcement service which is Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland. Other states hire the RCMP to act as the provincial police. 

A lot of Canadian cities and municipalities as well have their municipal police service, while few municipalities employ the provincial or federal police to police their cities. 

STRUCTURE OF RANK:

However, there are a lot of police services in Canada, and the rank structure in most services is pretty the same. Most uniformed police officers hold the standard rank of constable. These are the police officers you see patrolling the road and attending calls for service. Officers, who give direct supervision to other officers, hold the sergeant rank. They must give extra help and direction to lessen ranking officers.  

Officers who conduct investigations are known as detectives. These police officers have been endorsed by constables and generally stabilized in a particular area like sexual crimes, homicide, or gang-related heinous crimes. In bigger cities, detectives might be concentrated on a specific area of the law, while in small cities detectives might investigate numerous kinds of crimes. 

Officers who are the rank of sergeant or higher carry out executive and administrative responsibilities!

MOST COMMON POLICE RANKS: 

CHIEF OF POLICE

DEPUTY CHIEF

STAFF-SERGEANT

SERGEANT

DETECTIVE

CONSTABLE

CADET

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN POLICE OFFICERS AND SECURITY GUARDS: 

The security guard's role is different from that of a police officer; though, they do overlap sometimes. The major role of an officer is to enforce the law and the major role of the security guard is to offer protection against loss or harm. The police serve the community as a complete and guards offer their services for a particular worker or customer. Security guards or personal workers carry no authority under the law. 

Security guards generally protect against loss or harm of: 

INDIVIDUALS

PROPERTY 

BUILDINGS

MOVAL GOODS

ASSETS

MONEY

INFORMATION

THEIR WORKER’S STATUS

As aforementioned above, there is a substantial overlap of work done by police, safety, and security. Like security, police as well save individuals and their property from loss or harm. Security guards are sometimes called upon to help the police in the task of enforcing the law.

A police officer must implement the law though a guard does not. Under specific situations, security guards have lawful authority to act in law enforcement and carry out responsibilities like detaining an arrest. 

Under section 129 of the criminal code of Canada, it is illegal for a guard to either obstruct a police officer in their efforts to enforce the law or fail without appropriate excuse to help an officer carrying out their responsibilities after having rational notice that they are needed to do so. Hence, the security guard should arrest if asked to do so by a law enforcement officer. 

In a few cases, a security guard might be appointed as a particular constable, this outcome in them being a guard and police officer at the same time. 

DIFFERENT PROFESSIONS WITHIN THE SECURITY BUSINESS:

The security business is more than only guards and security items. There are thousands of jobs that are a part of the security business. A few of the different professions within the security business are:

SECURITY GUARDING

GATE BOUNCER

RETAIL LOSS PREVENTION OFFICER

CLOSE PROTECTION GUARD

BODYGUARD

ARMORED VEHICLE GUARD

PRE-BOARD SCREENING GUARD

PRIVATE DETECTIVE

SECURITY CONSULTANT

ALARM INSTALLER

LOCKSMITH

CYBERSECURITY

COMMON RESPONSIBILITIES OF A SECURITY GUARD: 

Being a guard, you are going to be tasked with a lot of responsibilities throughout your shift. Few of the basic responsibilities of a guard might include: 

PATROLLING A SITE OR SPECIFIC AREA

STANDING GUARD AT A SPECIFIC POST

OBSERVING, DETECTING, AND REPORTING: 

 SECURITY HAZARDS

VIOLATIONS OF RULES, POLICIES, OR PROCESSES

ILLEGAL ACTIVITY

SIGNS OF ILLEGAL ACTIVITY

HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS

UNUSUAL OR DUBIOUS ACTIVITY

CHECKING AND OPERATING PHYSICAL SECURITY SYSTEMS

SUSTAINING CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR LOCKS KEYS 

SUSTAINING CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR ACCESS CARDS

CONTROLLING ACCESS TO A PROPERTY, BUILDING, AND/OR AN AREA WITH A BUILDING

MAINTAINING LOGS AND RECORDS

RECEIVING LOST PROPERTY

CHECKING AND/OR TESTING SECURITY, SAFETY, AND EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT

ACCESSING REGULATIONS, POLICIES, AND/OR PROCESSES

MAINTAINING ORDERS

MAKING DETENTION 

SECURING PROOF

HELPING LAW ENFORCEMENT AND EMERGENCY SERVICES

COMPLETING AND FILING REPORTS

THE LAWFUL AUTHORITY OF A SECURITY GUARD:

The lawful authority of guards comes from a range of different sources

1. PROVINCIAL PERSONAL ONLINE SECURITY GUARD LICENSING LEGISLATION – This legislation doesn’t grant any specific or extra lawful authorities on guard. In most cases, this legislation requires a long list of rules and regulations on their actions. In Ontario, the provincial licensing company is the private security and investigation services board and is supervised by the ministry of community safety and correctional services.

2. FEDERAL LEGISLATION – Regulating safety activities in specific sectors security guards work in specific units of security industry work to give security services in specific atmospheres might be subject to regulation as guards under certain federal statutes including:

THE FIREARMS ACT

THE CANADIAN AIR TRANSPORT SECURITY AUTHORITY ACT

THE NUCLEAR SAFETY ACT

THE NATIONAL ENERGY BOARD ACT

THE AERONAUTICS ACT

3. THE CRIMINAL CODE OF CANADA – Under the criminal code of Canada, a guard has similar lawful authorities as any other private individual. This means that guards might have the legal authority – under circumstances – to do the following: 

REMOVE TRESPASSERS FROM THE PROPERTY THEY ARE SECURING

ARREST INDIVIDUALS FOUND COMMITTING CRIMINAL OFFENCES

UTILIZE APPROPRIATE FORCE

MAKE DETENTION

4. A GUARD POWERS OF ARREST – Areas well the same as the normal public, which is known as a public arrest. S. 494 of the criminal code gives lawful authority for anybody to perform detention under specific circumstances. 

494 1 – Anybody might arrest without a warrant:

(a) An individual whom he finds committing an indictable offense; or 

(b) An individual who, on sensible grounds, he believes 

(i) Has committed a criminal offense, and 

(ii) Is escaping from and freshly pursued by individuals who have the legal authority to arrest that individual.

5. PROVINCIAL LEGISLATION RELATED TO PROPERTY RIGHTS – A lot of states have trespass–property legislation, which provides property owners or representatives of the property to have lawful authority to remove trespassers.