Today’s article is a mirrored expression of the guards at sheriff deputies, it comes from the testimonials received from over 500 sites we guard across the country. For a private security service provider like sheriff deputies to have remained active and effective for more than 25 years tells a lot about the quality of personnel in charge of various departments in the company.

9 Qualities that make a security officer standout

There are more than 30 qualities of a good security guard, but we have helped you to reduce your read time by summarizing them in 9 simple points and they are:

1- Punctuality

Punctuality is as important in security services as in other lines of work. A security guard is not supposed to have a poor attitude at the time of reporting for duty. Guards must report for duties on time, they should be ready to start their shift at least 30 minutes before time.

During the course of training of Sheriff Deputies, the punctuality of guards is not negotiable, it is a basic requirement for a security guard, a guard should be reliable and punctuality is one of the true tests of reliability.

2- Good communication skills

Communication is important in human interaction and must be done in a way that both the sender of the message and the receiver have a good understanding for it to be effective. To be successful, your security guard must be able to articulate and comprehend what they are saying, whether they work as part of a team or individually.

3- Attention to detail

It’s essential to be able to think on your feet and recognize when action is needed. Identifying potential threats and disruptions quickly and efficiently requires an understanding of situations, people, and surroundings.

4- Good judgment

To be an effective security officer, a security officer must exercise good judgment – including the ability to de-escalate a situation – regularly. This skill is particularly essential in service-orientated organizations. They need guards who are calm and composed to douse a situation from degenerating into something to will affect the establishment they are guarding.

5- Integrity

There must be trustworthiness among security personnel. Security guards may have to work alone at times, and they must be trusted to maintain vigilance. To build and maintain trust, honesty is essential. Since these qualities are so fundamental, companies often conduct background checks on security guards to ensure they do not have criminal records or a history of dishonest behavior.

6- Discipline

A security guard must be careful not to be distracted while on duty, and he or she must be careful not to share confidential information about an organization with random customers. He must display professionalism at all times. He or she must stay at their post regardless of distraction, if they must leave their post, they should inform a fellow guard or a superior if there is any on-site.

7- Fitness

Fitness is important in security service, a guard should be mobile and be able to exert some level of force if he gets physical. Health is important for effective security service delivery. Security guards who call in sick are immediately replaced while they recover. Periodic walk-out are conducted to ensure that they remain fit for the task.

Like other qualities mentioned thus far, the Fitness of Sheriff deputies’ guards is important. Supervisors access the physical fitness of their guards on site and recommend actions if any guards seem unfit to work.

8- Training

Any successful security guard must undergo extensive training. To perform their job roles effectively, security guards must undergo extensive training. There are different kinds of training modules to be completed, each one having critical importance in the discharge of guards’ duty.

At Sheriff Deputies, we have certified trainers in the area of administration, combat, customer service, interpersonal relation weapon usage among others.

9- Customer service

Understanding customer needs and delivering to them is integral to providing security that meets the needs of the organization. Security guards should have a good brand/product knowledge of the site they are guarding. Before deploying a guard to a location, we ensure that a site orientation is done so that they don’t feel like an entire stranger to a site where they are supposed to know like the palm. Good brand/product knowledge on the part of the security guard will aid in better service delivery.

Action Point

Private Security Service practitioners in Nigeria are congregated under an umbrella body – the Association of Licensed Private Security Practitioners of Nigeria (ALPSPN), and it is important that you don’t engage any security company that is not under this body. Members of this body have the prerequisite to deliver quality security service.

Sheriff Deputies is a leading security company with 30+ years active years providing security service to tertiary institutions, food, and manufacturing, and private and other corporate entities. As aforementioned, the points highlighted in this article are a reflection of what is like to employ the service of a Sheriff Deputies trained security guard.