How to check the guard is actually on post
No single signal proves it; you confirm it by combining independent evidence: timestamped checkpoint scans, supervisor visits, unannounced checks, your own walk-arounds and response tests agreed in the contract. Checks are done openly and respectfully. The site’s cameras are not used to watch the guard.
Updated: 5 min readSources: 1
What evidence shows a security guard is on post?
Six signals: checkpoint scans, report timestamps, supervisor visits, unannounced checks, your own walk-arounds and response tests. None is enough alone; together they give a picture.
- Checkpoint scans: each patrol leaves a time and place, via NFC or QR. See how checkpoint patrols work.
- Report timestamps: a shift report written during the shift has entry times spread through it, not all at the end.
- Supervisor visits: the provider’s supervisor stops by the post and logs the visit.
- Unannounced checks: visits without warning, by the provider or by you.
- Client walk-arounds: you or a colleague pass through the site at different times.
- Response tests: an agreed call or request the guard must answer within a set time.
What can security records prove, and what can’t they?
A scan proves the tag reader or device was at that point at that time; it doesn’t prove what happened between two scans. Records show moments, not the whole shift.
- They prove: that the scanning device passed a point at a time; that a report was entered then; that the supervisor found the post covered at the moment of the visit.
- They don’t prove: that the guard was on post between two scans; that they looked carefully; that they, and not someone else, held the device.
- Warning signs: scans on round hours, times between points that don’t fit the distance, long unexplained gaps, every entry made at the end of the shift.
That’s why you combine signals. A scan at 03:10 and an independent visit at 03:40 that finds the guard on post say far more than ten scans on their own.
How should visits and unannounced checks be done?
At irregular times, with a fixed checklist and the time recorded. Write the right to unannounced checks into the contract, so everyone knows about it in advance.
- Irregular times: a visit every Tuesday at 22:00 checks nothing.
- A fixed list: is the post covered? Does the guard know the post orders? Is the shift report up to date?
- Record it: note the time and check later that your visit appears in the shift records.
- Findings go to the provider: raise whatever you find with the provider’s manager, in writing.
You can check licences on the same visit; see the security company licence check guide.
What is a response test, and how do I put it in the contract?
It’s a pre-agreed request — a call to the post phone, or an instruction to scan a particular checkpoint — that the guard must carry out within an agreed time. It goes in the contract: who runs it, how, and what response time applies.
- Channel: the post phone, radio or app — not the guard’s personal mobile.
- Request: answering the phone, or scanning a checkpoint named at the moment of the test.
- Time: the response time you agreed with the provider, written into the contract.
- Record: time of request, time of response, result.
- Frequency: at irregular intervals, not so often that it gets in the way of the work.
For how to word such terms, see security contract terms and the security KPIs, where test results can be tracked too.
Can I use cameras or covert monitoring to check on the guard?
No. According to the Hellenic Data Protection Authority, video surveillance may not be used to monitor or evaluate employees (art. 27 of Law 4624/2019). The checks in this guide are all done openly.
The Hellenic Data Protection Authority says so explicitly. A site’s cameras are there to protect people and property, not to watch what the guard is doing. For the rules, see the guide to CCTV and GDPR.
- Open checks: guards know in advance that there are checkpoints, visits and response tests.
- In the contract: every means of checking is agreed with the provider, not improvised.
- Through the provider: findings go to the provider’s manager, who is the guard’s employer.
OVIT brings patrols, incidents and reports together in the Guardly platform, so the client sees the same live picture as the operations team — without having to watch anyone.
What do I do if I find the post uncovered?
Tell the provider at once so the post is covered, record the time and duration, and ask for a written explanation. Once is an incident; if it repeats, it’s a supervision problem.
- Call the provider’s operations desk for immediate cover.
- Note when you found the post uncovered and when it was covered again.
- Check what the records say for the same period.
- Ask the provider’s manager for a written explanation and a corrective action.
- Raise it at the monthly review; if it keeps happening, reconsider the provider.
At a glance
- No single sign is enough: combine scans, visits and response tests.
- A scan proves one moment at one point, not the whole shift.
- Unannounced checks at irregular times, with a checklist and the time recorded.
- Response tests and their time limits go in the contract.
- CCTV may not be used to monitor employees (art. 27 of Law 4624/2019).
Frequently asked questions
Are checkpoint scans enough to know the guard was there?
No. A scan shows the device was at one point at one moment. Combine it with visits, unannounced checks and response tests.
Can I use the cameras to see whether the guard is on post?
No. The Hellenic Data Protection Authority states that video surveillance may not be used to monitor or evaluate employees (art. 27 of Law 4624/2019).
How often should I run response tests?
At irregular intervals and at the frequency agreed in the contract, so they check the post without getting in the way of its work.
Sources
Every legal or pay point in this guide was checked against the official sources below.
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