Security issues are one of the major concerns of most individuals and businesses. Therefore, the need for security officers has become increasingly important. An individual or business hires a security officer to safeguard life and property.
It’s easy to see why hiring a security officer for a business or event is beneficial, so let’s look at their duties, skills, and salary.
Who is a Security Officer?
Security officers are responsible for ensuring the safety and security of properties, assets, staff, and visitors by monitoring the environment for potential dangers. Also, they conduct routine security checks on the buildings and can be found at entrance points to ensure no trespassers can access the grounds. Additionally, they investigate and report irregularities and watch for illegal behavior.
Duties of a Security Officer
A security officer performs the following duties:
- Security officers regularly patrol the premises to ensure that order is preserved and a presence is established.
- Monitoring and authorizing the entry of any vehicles or people onto the property.
- Locking all exits, doors, and windows after closing business and expelling any trespasser from the premises.
- Performing routine checks on the security cameras to discover any disturbances or illegal activities.
- Conduct background checks on individuals to look for signs of illegal activities or unusual possessions.
- Investigate and evaluate situations if alarms are triggered
- Follow the procedures outlined by the law to apprehend suspicious individuals.
- Send in reports detailing the everyday activities of monitoring as well as significant happenings.
- Putting in place various controls and safety mechanisms.
- Keeping in contact with the local police department, fire department, and emergency medical staff.
- Keeping an activity diary and creating surveillance reports are two of your responsibilities.
- Observing rules set by the organization as well as any applicable laws
What Are the 3 Main Duties of a Security Officer?
The three main duties of a security officer are:
- Safeguard the life of the employer and ensure the safety of their properties.
- Ensure that order is maintained in the organisation
- Detect and handle all security issues that arise
Five Duties of a Security Officer to Include in a Resume
- Patrol and oversee premises to prevent and detect signs of intrusion and ensure the security of restricted areas
- Manage physical security operations, such as scheduling security personnel and updating senior management regarding security concerns.
- Implement best practices, security systems, technologies, and equipment to reduce safety incidents.
- Respond to security alarms and resolve situations without escalation.
- Oversee security staff incident responses, including planning, scheduling, and resource allocation for routine and special events.
What Are the Three Types of Security Officers?
Three types of security officers work for private and public businesses and individuals. They are contract security guards, in-house security guards, and government contract security guards. Each type of security officer differs from the others by the duties, education requirements, and sector that they specialize in.
#1. Contract Security Officers Working for the Government
The government of the United States hires this security personnel under contract. They are typically armed and have extensive military training.
Their primary responsibilities are:
- Upholding law and order as well as securing, protecting, and defending government persons and property.
- Gain experience working in settings such as government offices and other facilities.
#2. Guards Stationed Within a Premises
They are alternatively referred to as proprietary security. Instead of being employed through an agency, security guards are hired directly by the firms and businesses that require protection. They are paid by the corporations that engage them, and they report to those companies. Also, they maintain compliance with the standards set by the company.
#3. Private Security Officer
Private security officers are the most typical form of security officer. They are those who are hired temporarily by private security firms. The clients employ the agency that offers them the most appropriate security.
Each of these three main categories of security professionals has a number of subcategories. These subclasses include company security guards, government security guards, uniformed guards, personal protection officers, armed security officers, unarmed security officers, personal protection officers, and event security guards. Furthermore, each subcategory has its own set of tasks, responsibilities, and requirements determined by the nature of the work and the industry it is conducted in.
What are the Qualifications for a Security Officer?
In most cases, you will need to possess the following skills and qualifications to work as a security officer:
#1. Education
A high school diploma or higher education degree is typically necessary for this position.
#2. License
Many employers require a license for those who work in the security industry.
#3. Physical Fitness/Strength
Regarding physical fitness, security officers need to be able to kneel, bend, carry, walk, and stand for extended periods without experiencing discomfort.
#4. Good Communication
A security officer must have great communication skills because he must explain the specifics of the circumstances to other staff members or authorities.
#5. Attention to Details
A security officer should be observant, as it is essential for security officers. They need to be able to identify suspicious conduct and stop illegal operations.
#6. Knowledge of the Law
Security officers should know the legal rules for the area in which they are responsible for protecting the public and ensuring their safety.
#7. Knowledge of Security Operations and Procedure
A qualified security officer should know basic security operations and procedures, such as fire inspection procedures.
What Are the 5 Qualities of a Good Security Officer?
The top five qualities a good security officer should have are:
- Alertness – A good security officer should always have his mind on the job and be vigilant
- Honesty/Integrity – Clients expect honesty and integrity from a security officer as they would be trusting a number of things in his hands.
- Sound judgment – Security officers need good judgment as they would need to ascertain want is a security threat and how to handle it.
- Preparedness – Threats to security can happen at any time, and the security officer should always be ready to handle whatever threatens the peace in the environment.
- Professionalism – As a security officer, you should handle situations and individual professionally, ensuring it doesn’t go against the law and won’t cause further issues
Security Officer Skills
Security officers have skills they should possess to do well in their role. The following are the top 15 sets of skills a security officer should possess:
- Written and verbal communication
- Attention to Detail
- Emotional Intelligence
- Ability to follow complex instructions
- Interpersonal skills
- Ability to multitask
- Dependability
- Surveillance skills
- Patrolling
- Good and rational judgment
- Objectivity
- Integrity
- Safety Management
- Professionalism
- Reporting Skills
What Are the Key Skills of a Security Officer?
There are two types of hard skills that security officers should possess. They are key to ensuring that they perform well in their duties.
#1. Technical Skills
- Monitoring and surveillance: To successfully watch and report any suspicious activity, security officers must understand how to use various monitoring and surveillance systems and the technology used to operate them.
- Access control: Comprehend and control physical and logical access controls to guarantee that only authorized employees can access particular locations or systems. This also involves familiarity with biometric scanners, key card systems, and other access control technologies.
- Functioning of the alarm system: A working knowledge of various alarm systems, emergency phone numbers, and response processes for the many possible scenarios.
#2. Security Analysis:
- Evaluation of risks and preventative measures: Capability of recognizing possible threats to security and formulating plans to address these threats
- The handling of incidents and reporting: Carrying out preliminary investigations, gathering evidence, and putting together comprehensive incident reports
- Property damage: This means being able to assess property damage and react in the right way
- Patrolling: Monitoring and guarding your place of assignment and seeing that any threat will be detected on time and taken care of as soon as possible.
What Not to Do as a Security Officer?
As a security officer, your primary duty is to ensure the safety of people and properties. You must maintain peace in the environment while ensuring the law is not broken. Therefore, there are things that you shouldn’t do as a security officer. Those things include:
#1. Avoid Using More Force Than Necessary.
A security officer may arrest a person, but the officer should not use too much force. Therefore, security officers can only use physical force if the suspect is resisting arrest or trying to escape. Also, it is against the law to be rude, use bad handcuffing methods, or try to scare the person in any way.
Security officers may keep someone in custody until law enforcement arrives. If the security officer uses too much force, the citizen’s arrest will be thrown out hence hurting the image of the security officer and the company where they work.
#2. Do Not Carry Weapons Unless You Have the Licensing
Only trained and licensed security officers are allowed to carry guns by law. Security officers in certain places are expected to focus more on nonviolent ways to solve problems than on using physical force. Still, they are authorized to carry handcuffs and are taught how to handle situations diplomatically.
What Are the Responsibilities of Safety and Security?
Safety and security responsibilities encompass different aspects of public safety and workplace safety and security. Also, law enforcement agencies, individual employees, safety and security officers, and employers share these responsibilities to ensure a safe and secure environment for everyone. The responsibilities are:
- Maintaining overall public safety and security.
- Responding to disasters or acts of terrorism.
- Coordinating with the private sector to perform assigned safety and security missions.
- Individual employees should communicate potential hazards and unsafe working conditions to their managers, ensuring a safe work environment.
- By monitoring security cameras and alarm systems, patrolling areas, as well as observing suspicious behavior
- Coordinating with law enforcement officials.
- Employers should provide a secure working environment by implementing proper security systems like CCTV and access control devices.
- Conduct security checks regularly to identify and address any loopholes.
Is a Security Officer the Same as a Security Guard?
Security officers and guards share a common goal of protecting people and property, but their roles and responsibilities differ in several ways. The differences between a security officer and a guard include their responsibilities, training and skill requirements, qualities, and salary. However, the terminology and definitions for these roles can vary by state, and licensing agencies often use the terms interchangeably.
Security Guard:
- Rank below a security officer with a limited scope of responsibility
- Assigned to a single facility or area and perform specific security functions like monitoring access or patrolling
- Usually stationed in one area and report suspicious activities to their supervisors
- Have limited responsibility and not expected to exercise independent judgment
- Requirements for hiring are less stringent than those for security officers
Security Officer:
- Increased responsibilities like managing other security personnel and also supervising security activities
- May span across multiple teams and facilities, with more specialized training and certifications
- Functions as a liaison with local law enforcement for major security events
- Assumes a management role and has a higher rank than security guards
- Responsible for assembling teams, creating security strategies, and identifying weak points
- Often in charge of training security guards
Salary Range for a Security Officer
The average salary for a security officer in the United States, according to payscale.com, is $20.23/hour, and the lowest pay is $10.93/hour. Thus, the estimated total salary is $37,089 per year, with an average of $35,252 per year.
Average Salary of a Security Officer by Experience
These figures refer to the general security officer position
- Entry-level Security Officer with less than 1 year of experience: $13.86 based on 413 salaries.
- An early career security officer with 1-4 years of experience: $14.37/hour based on 3,123 salaries.
The average salary is higher for a specialized role like a facility security officer. According to salary.com, it is estimated at $59,574 per year in the United States.
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