Ensuring Officer Accountability

How does a security company keep its officers accountable? In many cases the security officer is left completely alone on the property with no immediate supervision; that the location is otherwise unoccupied being the main reason for the officer’s deployment. In such circumstances, when an individual believes there is no accountability, the temptation to slack on job duties, or worse, is at it’s highest. How does a security company prevent that from happening?

The simple answer is to make sure that there is accountability, and that the officer knows it. There are many ways to do this, including having management make random and regular inspections at the times when the officer would least expect to be bothered. The officer’s daily reports should be reviewed at this time, among others, as they provide the best indication of a guard’s performance.

In addition, many sites install systems such as a wand that records the times when guards do rounds, or force the guard’s route to run through an area covered by cameras. The process of ensuring the officer’s accountability begins long before the officer sets foot on an assignment. The interview and training processes should wean out individuals that cannot perform the job duties.