Training a new security guard: the first weeks

Staff of a private security company need a category A or B work licence (art. 3 §1, Law 2518/1997). How to get certified and licensed is covered in our guide on how to become a security guard in Greece, so we won’t repeat it here.

A licence says nothing about where a hotel’s emergency exits are, who to call when the alarm goes off at a warehouse, or which visitors walk in unchecked. A guard only learns that on the post.

As a client, ask your provider to show you both: each guard’s licence and their induction record for your site.

1. Post orders: what to do, when and how on this post. Without written orders, induction has nothing to stand on; see our guide to post orders.
2. The site: entrances, emergency exits, assembly points, shut-offs, extinguishers, sensitive areas.
3. Emergency procedures: fire, medical emergency, break-in, power cut; who to alert and in what order.
4. People: the client’s contact, the shift supervisor, the operations desk, regular suppliers.
5. Systems: cameras, alarm, access control, radio; what the guard may operate and what not.

A round-the-clock post is not the same by day and by night: traffic, deliveries and risks all change. A new guard should work at least one shift of each type (morning, afternoon, night, weekend if it applies) next to an experienced colleague.

• Watch first: the experienced guard does it, the new guard watches and asks.
• Then do it under supervision: the new guard runs the patrol, the log and visitor checks; the experienced guard corrects on the spot.
• Finally, be tested: the supervisor sets a scenario (“the alarm goes off at the loading bay”) and watches the response.

• Shift report: what happened on the shift, even when nothing did; see the shift report guide.
• Incident report: who, what, where, when, what happened next; see the incident report guide.
• Checkpoint patrols: how to scan checkpoints and what to do when one won’t read; see checkpoint patrols.

At OVIT, guards log patrols, incidents and reports in Guardly, which gives the supervisor and the client one live picture. The supervisor sees a new guard’s first reports as they are written and can correct them early.

Sign-off is a simple document: the post checklist with a date and the supervisor’s signature next to each item, plus the guard’s signature confirming they understood it. The supervisor’s role is set out in our guide to the security supervisor.

If an item on the checklist isn’t signed, the guard doesn’t know it. Don’t leave it to “they’ll pick it up as they go”.

• A change on the post: a new camera, a new access system, a new procedure; every guard on the post is briefed and signs.
• After an incident: what happened, what worked, what changes.
• Coming back: a short briefing on everything that changed while they were away.
• Drills: an emergency scenario at regular intervals, so the procedure doesn’t live only on paper.

Want to see how guards would be trained for your site? Request a proposal and ask us about the first-weeks plan.