Security Risk, Operations

and Management

Richard Franks
Volume 2
 Copyright Information

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

Franks, Richard, 1955-

Security operations / Richard Franks, author; artwork by
Richard Franks.
ISBN: 978-1-925615-71-5
Includes index.
1. Private security services. l. NSTA Limited.
II. Franks Family Trust. III. Title.
658.47—dc 23

© 2018 NSTA Limited and Richard Franks as trustees of the Franks Family Trust

Copyright protects this material, except as permitted by the copyright Act 1994 (New
Zealand) and Copyright Act 1968 (Australia. Reproduction by any means (photocopying,
electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise), making available online, electronic
transmission or other publication of this material is prohibited without prior written
permission of the copyright owner.

Enquiries should be addressed via email to [email protected]

Please note: The notes and information on legislation and policies and procedures contained
in this guide are plain English interpretations of the publisher and should not be used for a
legal interpretation. They are published to encourage the reader to research and maintain
currency in all aspects of legislation and company policy that apply to the reader in their
jurisdiction.

Moral Rights: All images are drawn by Sheher Bano from Kiwi Creations from concepts and
photographs created by Richard Franks.

Gangsters® (Trademark No 1076256) and the NSTA Logo (Trademark Nos NZ 955944
AUS 2085432) are registered trademarks of NSTA Limited and used under exclusive
licence.

© 2018 NSTA Limited 1 Version 2023.1

 Contents

Copyright Information ................................................................................................. 1

Contents ...................................................................................................................... 2
Chapter 16 ................................................................................................................. 21
Emergency First Aid ................................................................................................ 21
Hanging ............................................................................................................... 21
Suicide / Murder .................................................................................................. 22
Erotic asphyxiation .............................................................................................. 22
Early first aid........................................................................................................ 22
Initial response .................................................................................................... 22
Notes: .................................................................................................................. 23
Knife wounds / severe bleeding ........................................................................... 23
Treatment ........................................................................................................... 23
Shooting .............................................................................................................. 24
Initial response .................................................................................................... 24
Follow basic first aid. ........................................................................................... 24
Tips: ..................................................................................................................... 25
Drug overdose ..................................................................................................... 25
Signs and symptoms of drug overdose ................................................................ 25
Reasons for overdose .......................................................................................... 26
Risk factors of drug overdose .............................................................................. 26
Paracetamol overdose ......................................................................................... 26
First aid for drug overdose ................................................................................... 26
Drink spiking ........................................................................................................ 27
What is drink spiking? .......................................................................................... 28
How to prevent drink spiking. .............................................................................. 28
Strategies that may prevent drink spiking in your venue: .................................... 28
Date rape drugs ................................................................................................... 28

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 The most common date rape drugs are described below. ................................... 30
Alcohol ................................................................................................................ 30
Gamma-hydroxybutyrate and gamma-butyrolactone .......................................... 30
Tranquilisers ........................................................................................................ 30
Ketamine ............................................................................................................. 30
First aid for drug drink spiking (same as for an overdose) .................................... 31
Positional Restraint Asphyxia .................................................................................. 31
Introduction ............................................................................................................ 31
What are the risk factors? ................................................................................... 31
The following factors contribute to positional asphyxia deaths: .......................... 32
How can a Security Officer identify when it may occur? ...................................... 32
How can a Security Officer identify the symptoms and signs? ............................. 33
What prevention strategies can Security Officers use? ........................................ 33
Chapter 17 ................................................................................................................. 35
Customer service ................................................................................................. 35
The following are considered interpersonal skills. ............................................... 35
Emotional Intelligence ......................................................................................... 35
Communication ................................................................................................... 35
Reliability ............................................................................................................. 35
Leadership ........................................................................................................... 37
Positivity .............................................................................................................. 37
Negotiation ......................................................................................................... 37
Openness to Feedback ........................................................................................ 37
Empathy .............................................................................................................. 37
Teamwork ........................................................................................................... 37
Active Listening ................................................................................................... 37
Customer or client? ............................................................................................. 38
The service revolution ......................................................................................... 38
What is customer service? ................................................................................... 38
Establishing positive relationships ....................................................................... 38

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 Customer service is everyone’s responsibility. ................................................. 38
Professional presentation .................................................................................... 39
Uniform ............................................................................................................... 39
Personal hygiene ................................................................................................. 39
Your bearing ........................................................................................................ 39
Developing rapport.............................................................................................. 39
Your work area .................................................................................................... 39
Maintain confidentiality. ..................................................................................... 40
Identify and assess the needs and expectations of customers. ............................ 40
Licensed premises ................................................................................................... 40
Airport .................................................................................................................... 41
Delivering service to customers ........................................................................... 42
Be professional. ................................................................................................... 42
Build the relationship........................................................................................... 42
Listen ................................................................................................................... 42
Be patient. ........................................................................................................... 43
Be tactful, honest and sincere. ............................................................................ 43
Show understanding. ........................................................................................... 43
Know your limits. ................................................................................................. 43
Act within Your Authority .................................................................................... 43
Know your master. .............................................................................................. 44
Unforeseen problems .......................................................................................... 44
When to Get Help ................................................................................................ 45
Acknowledge the problem. .................................................................................. 46
Listen, ask questions and show that you care. ..................................................... 46
Fix the problem. .................................................................................................. 46
Consult with managers and supervisors............................................................... 46
Follow through. ................................................................................................... 46
Respond to client complaints or special requirements. ........................................... 46
Complaints .......................................................................................................... 47

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 Rights and responsibilities of clients .................................................................... 47
Client feedback .................................................................................................... 47
Techniques for gathering and analysing client feedback using interviews and
surveys. ............................................................................................................... 48
Interview / research techniques .......................................................................... 48
How to engage people with individual social and cultural differences. ............... 48
Types of security clients and available services and security systems to meet their
needs. .................................................................................................................. 49
Chapter 18 ................................................................................................................. 51
Defensive tactics ..................................................................................................... 51
Crowd control ......................................................................................................... 51
General security duties ........................................................................................... 51
Aviation Protection Officers .................................................................................... 51
Maritime security guards ........................................................................................ 51
Cash-in-Transit Security Officers ............................................................................. 52
Health Care Security Officers .................................................................................. 52
Martial Arts ............................................................................................................. 52
Work Instructions (WI’s) ......................................................................................... 52
Tactical withdrawal (Flight or Fight) .................................................................... 53
Underpinning knowledge .................................................................................... 54
Four (4) Fatal Errors ............................................................................................. 55
Neck restraints........................................................................................................ 55
Lateral Vascular Neck Restraint (LVNR) ............................................................... 55
Respiratory Neck Restraint .................................................................................. 56
Pain Compliance .................................................................................................. 56
How are pain compliance techniques used?........................................................ 57
When to reduce pain? ......................................................................................... 57
Use of Voice Commands When Applying Pain Compliance.................................. 57
Visual Signs of Pain .............................................................................................. 58
Positional Asphyxia .............................................................................................. 58

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 Factors that may increase risk of positional asphyxia are: ................................... 58
Avoidance Procedures ......................................................................................... 59
Signs a person is under the influence of drugs..................................................... 59
Signs of positional asphyxia ................................................................................. 59
Reactionary gap / reaction time .......................................................................... 59
Relative positioning ............................................................................................. 60
Strike zones ......................................................................................................... 62
Strike zones are separated into two categories. .................................................. 62
No target zones (unacceptable target) ................................................................ 62
Target zone areas ................................................................................................ 64
Methods of Application .......................................................................................... 64
Stance techniques – Bladed Stance ..................................................................... 65
The various stances ............................................................................................. 66
Natural stance ..................................................................................................... 66
The adapted Weaver stance ................................................................................ 66
The isosceles stance ............................................................................................ 66
Stance techniques – Defensive Stance................................................................. 67
Stance techniques – Interview Stance ................................................................. 67
Blocking techniques............................................................................................. 68
Blocking, locking and holding technique. ............................................................. 70
Come-along hold. ................................................................................................ 71
Wrist lock ............................................................................................................ 72
Wrist lock and hold. ............................................................................................. 73
Strike and lock technique .................................................................................... 74
Strike and lock technique (continued): ................................................................ 75
Block and take down. .......................................................................................... 76
Image: offender shows signs of aggression ......................................................... 76
Image: offender strikes and officer blocks ........................................................... 76
Image: officer brings right arm under offender’s right arm ................................. 76
Image: officer controls offender's arm, ready for take down .............................. 76

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 Block and take down (cont'd) .............................................................................. 77
Block and take down (cont'd) .............................................................................. 78
Impact Techniques (to less-than-lethal parts of the body) .................................. 79
Summary ............................................................................................................. 79
Chapter 19 ................................................................................................................. 81
Patrol Premises ....................................................................................................... 81
Managing a customer’s keys................................................................................ 87
Security vehicles .................................................................................................. 89
Types of patrols on premises .................................................................................. 93
Using a torch for external checks......................................................................... 95
Security Systems ................................................................................................... 101
What do security systems detect? ..................................................................... 101
Aerial View of Gangsters Bar................................................................................. 103
Alarm Response ................................................................................................. 106
Offenders on site ............................................................................................... 107
Security Officer responding to an alarm. ........................................................... 107
National Police Response Guidelines .................................................................... 108
Chapter 20 ............................................................................................................... 109
Screen people and items....................................................................................... 109
What are we screening for? .................................................................................. 109
Weapons ........................................................................................................... 109
Some samples of items we are screening for..................................................... 110
Improvised Explosive Device (IED) ..................................................................... 111
Prohibited Items ................................................................................................ 111
Prepare for screening. .......................................................................................... 111
Screen people and items....................................................................................... 112
Screening persons entering banks or financial institutions. ............................... 113
Screening persons entering licensed premises (nightclubs) ............................... 114
Monitoring the number of persons in the venue ............................................... 117
Screening persons inside licensed premises (nightclubs) ................................... 118

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 Removing persons from licensed premises........................................................ 118
Searching items .................................................................................................... 120
Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) ............................................................ 121
Screening entry or egress .................................................................................. 121
Bag searching techniques. .................................................................................... 122
Handheld metal detectors (HHMD) ................................................................... 126
Basic features of handheld metal detectors.......................................................... 126
Sensitivity .......................................................................................................... 127
Technology ........................................................................................................ 127
Are they safe?.................................................................................................... 127
Suggested HHMD Screening Method................................................................. 129
Undertake physical search of persons................................................................... 131
locating prohibited or dangerous goods on a person ........................................ 135
Government and private office buildings .......................................................... 136
Screening infants and special needs customers .................................................... 137
Infants ............................................................................................................... 137
Special needs customers ................................................................................... 137
ID Scanning - History ............................................................................................. 138
Something Had to be Done................................................................................ 139
How would ID Scanning Improve Things? ............................................................. 140
Previous System ................................................................................................ 140
ID Scanning Systems .......................................................................................... 140
Acceptable ID .................................................................................................... 140
How to Physically Check ID ................................................................................ 141
Be Alert for Fake ID’s ............................................................................................ 142
ID Scanning Procedures in Licensed Venues - Requirements for ID Scanning Systems
............................................................................................................................. 142
Privacy and Information Security ....................................................................... 142
Individuals permitted to scan IDs. ..................................................................... 143
A practical example ........................................................................................... 143

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 The host or hostess may only: ........................................................................... 145
Approved Operators of ID Scanning Systems..................................................... 145
House Policy ......................................................................................................... 146
So How Do Linked Scanners Work? ................................................................... 147
Ban Checking ..................................................................................................... 147
Ban Check Process ............................................................................................. 148
Identification Scanning Terminal (IST) ............................................................... 149
Terminal Operator Mode................................................................................... 149
Manager Mode .................................................................................................. 150
Service Mode..................................................................................................... 150
Administrator Mode (Reserved for approved operator) .................................... 150
Identification Scanners ...................................................................................... 151
Cameras ............................................................................................................ 151
Local Venue Hosts (LVH) ....................................................................................... 152
Physical Security – Seals........................................................................................ 153
ID Scanner Privacy Policy (Sample) .......................................................................... 154
Scope ................................................................................................................. 154
Consideration of personal information privacy.................................................. 154
Collection of personal information .................................................................... 155
Dealing with personal information .................................................................... 156
Integrity of personal information ...................................................................... 156
Access to, and correction of, personal information ........................................... 157
Contacts and complaints ................................................................................... 157
Collection Notice (Sample) ....................................................................................... 159
Chapter 21 ............................................................................................................... 161
Monitor and control access and exit of persons and vehicles from premises. ...... 161
Some types of premises are: ............................................................................. 161
Some types of persons are: ............................................................................... 161
Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s)................................................................ 162
Relationship of SOPs to legislation and industrial relations ............................... 162

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 Example ............................................................................................................. 162
Legislation ......................................................................................................... 162
Industrial relations ............................................................................................ 163
What should the procedures cover? ..................................................................... 163
Staff and Visitor's ID / Passes............................................................................. 164
Lost card (sample procedure) ............................................................................ 164
Forgotten card (sample procedure) ................................................................... 164
Government and private office buildings .......................................................... 164
Managing vehicular traffic ................................................................................. 165
Vehicle types ..................................................................................................... 166
Record keeping requirements. .......................................................................... 166
Record keeping .................................................................................................. 167
Access control ................................................................................................... 167
Security of equipment ....................................................................................... 168
Limitations on access control mechanisms and techniques ............................... 168
Searching a vehicle for contraband ....................................................................... 169
Entering premises.............................................................................................. 169
Exiting premises ................................................................................................ 169
Preparing for a search ....................................................................................... 169
Position vehicle ................................................................................................. 170
Procedure for stopping a vehicle. ...................................................................... 170
Create search zones. ......................................................................................... 172
Search inside the Vehicle. .................................................................................. 172
Search the boot. ................................................................................................ 172
Check underneath the vehicle. .......................................................................... 173
Search the exterior of the vehicle. ..................................................................... 173
Search surrounding areas. ................................................................................. 175
Consent ............................................................................................................. 175
Unattended vehicles ............................................................................................. 176
Suspicious vehicles near significant buildings or in busy public places .............. 176

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 What to do in the event of location of a suspicious vehicle ............................... 176
Chapter 22 ............................................................................................................... 177
Monitor and control individual and crowd behaviour to maintain security. ......... 177
Preparing for monitoring ................................................................................... 178
What is a crowd? .................................................................................................. 178
Conventional Crowds ........................................................................................ 179
Expressive Crowds ............................................................................................. 179
Spectator Crowds .............................................................................................. 180
Crowd knowledge .............................................................................................. 180
Types of venues that employ crowd controllers. ............................................... 180
Establishing a security post................................................................................ 181
Requesting proof of age .................................................................................... 181
Control Basics .................................................................................................... 182
Managing Queues ............................................................................................. 183
Managing Crowds .............................................................................................. 184
The FIST model of crowd disasters ........................................................................ 184
Force ................................................................................................................. 185
Information ....................................................................................................... 185
Space ................................................................................................................. 186
Time .................................................................................................................. 186
Prevention of crowd disasters by crowd management ......................................... 186
Terminology ...................................................................................................... 186
Information ....................................................................................................... 186
Nature of Crowd ................................................................................................ 187
Crowd management centre ............................................................................... 187
Staff training ...................................................................................................... 187
Emergency response ......................................................................................... 188
Responsibilities of performers ........................................................................... 188
Ticketing ............................................................................................................ 188
The duty to warn. .............................................................................................. 188

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 Space ................................................................................................................. 188
Movement pathways......................................................................................... 189
Pressure points .................................................................................................. 189
Back-up standby power ..................................................................................... 190
Emergency medical facilities ............................................................................. 190
Time .................................................................................................................. 190
Metering............................................................................................................ 190
Early opening and delayed closing ..................................................................... 191
Conclusions ....................................................................................................... 191
The certified crowd manager............................................................................. 191
Crowd behaviour, dynamics and movement patterns that can threaten security.
.......................................................................................................................... 191
Chapter 23 ............................................................................................................... 193
Apply security procedures to manage intoxicated persons. .................................. 193
Interpret and comply with procedures and legal requirements......................... 193
Working at licensed premises ............................................................................ 194
Security staff for licensed venues ......................................................................... 194
Acceptable proof of age .................................................................................... 194
Foreign driver licences not in English................................................................. 195
Definition of liquor ............................................................................................ 195
House Policy / Risk Assessed Management Plan (RAMP) ...................................... 196
Methods for assessing intoxication level of persons. ......................................... 196
Effects of alcohol ............................................................................................... 197
Factors affecting BAC......................................................................................... 198
Signs of undue intoxication ................................................................................... 199
Speech ............................................................................................................... 199
Balance .............................................................................................................. 199
Coordination ..................................................................................................... 199
Behaviour .......................................................................................................... 200
Reasonable belief for undue intoxication .......................................................... 200

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 Other considerations in assessing undue intoxication. ...................................... 200
How Alcohol Enters and Leaves the Body .......................................................... 201
Standard Drinks .................................................................................................... 202
Guide to Standard Drinks – Beer ....................................................................... 202
Guide to Standard Drinks – Wine ...................................................................... 203
Guide to Standard Drinks – Spirits & RTD .......................................................... 203
Signs of undue intoxication ............................................................................... 204
How to help an intoxicated person .................................................................... 205
When to call an ambulance ............................................................................... 205
How to recognise illegal substances and dangerous items ................................ 206
Potential signs of criminal activity ..................................................................... 206
Potential signs of harassment or assault ........................................................... 206
Potential signs of emotional or physical distress................................................... 207
Physical.............................................................................................................. 207
Emotional and psychological ............................................................................. 207
Behavioural ....................................................................................................... 207
Potential signs of mental illness ........................................................................ 208
Summary ........................................................................................................... 208
Prepare for work at venue. ................................................................................ 209
Venue layout ..................................................................................................... 209
Typical floor plan of licensed premises .............................................................. 209
Monitor the work area and identify and assist intoxicated persons...................... 210
Principles of security ............................................................................................. 210
Mutual support or teamwork ............................................................................ 210
Early warning or anticipation ............................................................................. 210
Early warning strategies include: ....................................................................... 211
Observing and monitoring behaviour ................................................................ 211
Crowd control basics ......................................................................................... 212
Screening persons entering licensed premises (nightclubs) ............................... 212
House policy ...................................................................................................... 213

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 Dress standards ................................................................................................. 213
Evidence of age ................................................................................................. 214
Warning re fake ID............................................................................................. 215
Underage drinking ............................................................................................. 215
Strategies for dealing with unduly intoxicated persons. .................................... 217
Disorderly behaviour ............................................................................................ 218
What does this mean? ....................................................................................... 218
Effects of alcohol on emotional state, health and physical alertness of persons... 219
Monitoring the number of persons in the venue ............................................... 219
Monitoring crowd size ....................................................................................... 220
Door staff duties ................................................................................................ 220
Screening persons inside licensed premises (nightclubs) ................................... 221
Removing persons from licensed premises........................................................ 221
Summary ........................................................................................................... 223
The requirement of exceptional circumstances ................................................. 224
Extending the duty ............................................................................................ 225
Narrowing the duty ........................................................................................... 225
An uncertain future: no objective test to answer future legal challenges. ......... 226
Ways that spoken and non-verbal communication can escalate conflict. .......... 227
Report security risk and complete incident documentation. ................................ 227
Controlling the risks, placing crowd controllers in safe workplaces ................... 227
How to manage risk? ......................................................................................... 228
1. Identify and list the hazards that have the potential to cause an injury......... 228
2. Assess the risks. ............................................................................................. 228
Solution: ............................................................................................................ 229
3. Prioritising the risks. ...................................................................................... 229
4. Control the risks. ........................................................................................... 229
Chapter 24 ............................................................................................................... 231
Escort and protect persons and valuables............................................................. 231
Introduction ...................................................................................................... 231

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 Interpret and comply with procedures and legal requirements. ........................... 232
Toolbox Meetings ................................................................................................. 233
Prepare to escort person and valuables. ............................................................... 233
Communications equipment. ............................................................................ 234
Communications processes .................................................................................. 234
Personal presentation ........................................................................................... 235
Assess risks. ....................................................................................................... 235
Protect person and valuables during escort. ......................................................... 235
Remember loose lips sink ships?........................................................................... 236
Escorting client carrying a consignment. ............................................................... 237
Operating a bank night safe .................................................................................. 238
Personal safety checks....................................................................................... 238
Maintain observation. ....................................................................................... 238
Escorting persons.................................................................................................. 239
Finalise and review escort procedures and maintain equipment and documentation.
............................................................................................................................. 240
Prior to escorting clients ....................................................................................... 240
Chapter 25 ............................................................................................................... 241
Dynamic Risk Assessments.................................................................................... 241
What is a Dynamic Risk Assessment? ................................................................ 241
Dynamic Risk Assessment .................................................................................. 242
Initial Stage of Incident ...................................................................................... 243
Step 1: Complete risk assessments and safe work procedures .......................... 243
Step 2: Identify the hazards of the task. ............................................................ 243
Step 3: Determine who could get hurt and how. ............................................... 244
Step 4: Assess the risk ....................................................................................... 244
Step 5: Decide what actions will be taken. ........................................................ 244
Step 6: Record any actions and review. ............................................................. 244
Step 7: Debrief and provide feedback................................................................ 244
Contingency Plans ................................................................................................. 245

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 Development Stage of Incident ......................................................................... 245
Maintaining Control........................................................................................... 246
Welfare.............................................................................................................. 246
Incident Debrief................................................................................................. 247
Chapter 26 ............................................................................................................... 249
Control room and monitoring centre operations. ................................................. 249
Introduction .......................................................................................................... 249
Definitions ............................................................................................................ 249
Introduction .......................................................................................................... 252
Control Room .................................................................................................... 252
Prepare for control room operations. ................................................................... 253
Review SOP’s ..................................................................................................... 253
Legislation ......................................................................................................... 253
Seek clarification. .............................................................................................. 253
Communications ................................................................................................... 254
Customer complaints......................................................................................... 255
When handling complaints, remember the following:....................................... 255
Identify the cause of the dissatisfaction resulting in the complaint. ..................... 255
Questioning techniques are a great way to identify causes of dissatisfaction for
example:............................................................................................................ 255
Handling or escalating complaints ........................................................................ 255
When recording complaints, make sure you record the following: ................... 256
Reports completed incorrectly. ......................................................................... 256
Grading of Monitoring Centres ............................................................................. 257
Work Health and Safety ........................................................................................ 257
Lighting .............................................................................................................. 258
Overhead lighting .............................................................................................. 259
Windows and walls ............................................................................................ 259
Sound Levels...................................................................................................... 259
Rest Periods....................................................................................................... 259

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 Design of workstation........................................................................................ 260
Safety of operators ............................................................................................ 260
Viewing Room ................................................................................................... 260
Systems checks. ................................................................................................. 261
Routine maintenance procedures ..................................................................... 261
Power fail and UPS ............................................................................................ 261
Companion systems .......................................................................................... 261
Searching for stored files ...................................................................................... 261
Request to view data. ........................................................................................ 261
Log of daily routine administrative events, including details of the following: .. 262
Operating a Control Room .................................................................................... 262
How do alarms communicate with the control room / monitoring centre? ...... 263
Dialler ................................................................................................................ 263
Communication Protocol ...................................................................................... 264
GSM................................................................................................................... 265
GPRS .................................................................................................................. 265
IP Alarm Monitoring .......................................................................................... 265
Internet of Things (IoT) ...................................................................................... 266
Network Protocols Definition ............................................................................ 266
Types of network protocols ............................................................................... 266
How do network protocols work? ..................................................................... 268
What are OSI model layers? .............................................................................. 268
What is a network vulnerability? ....................................................................... 269
Understanding Network Security Vulnerabilities ............................................... 269
Network Vulnerabilities ..................................................................................... 270
What Is Comparing and Contrasting? ................................................................ 270
Cyber Security v Information Security ............................................................... 270
Types of Motion Sensors....................................................................................... 271
Passive Infrared (PIR) ......................................................................................... 271
Microwave (MW): ............................................................................................. 272

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 Dual Technology Motion Sensors: ..................................................................... 272
Contact Motion Sensors (door/window): .......................................................... 272
Panic / Hold up / Medical Emergency. ............................................................... 272
Advanced Technologies ..................................................................................... 273
Communications................................................................................................ 274
Deploying security officers ................................................................................ 275
Maintaining contact with security officers......................................................... 275
Communications checks .................................................................................... 276
Operator inactivity monitor (Dead Man Alarm) ................................................. 276
Hand Over Procedures ...................................................................................... 277
Video Verification .............................................................................................. 278
National Police Alarm Response Guidelines .......................................................... 279
Category A ......................................................................................................... 279
Category B ......................................................................................................... 279
Category C ......................................................................................................... 279
Category D ......................................................................................................... 279
Accredited Alarm Monitoring Providers ............................................................ 279
Backing up Data .................................................................................................... 280
Voice recording ................................................................................................. 281
Responding to Incidents in Progress ..................................................................... 282
Incident Flow Chart ............................................................................................... 282
Mean time to detect (MTTD) ............................................................................. 282
Alarm processing time .......................................................................................... 283
Processing alarms .............................................................................................. 283
Process and Organise Data ................................................................................ 283
Alarm Response Time Monitoring Centre’s........................................................... 284
Data integrity..................................................................................................... 284
Records ............................................................................................................. 284
Video Monitoring Centres ................................................................................. 285
Retention of records ............................................................................................. 285

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 Retrieval of records............................................................................................... 285
Archive and dispose of data............................................................................... 286
Operating a CCTV Monitoring System ................................................................... 286
Test of quality of recording................................................................................ 287
Colour rendition test ......................................................................................... 288
Test Pattern ....................................................................................................... 288
Human identification test .................................................................................. 288
Number plate test ............................................................................................. 288
Human identification test chart ......................................................................... 288
Testing of alarm systems ................................................................................... 290
Monitoring Security Activities ........................................................................... 291
Responding to incidents .................................................................................... 291
Operation of CCTV monitoring system .............................................................. 292
Privacy Issues ........................................................................................................ 293
Deterrence v Evidence ....................................................................................... 294
Maintenance ..................................................................................................... 295
Data Management............................................................................................. 296
Access Control Systems ........................................................................................ 296
Common features of access control systems ..................................................... 297
Operational principles ....................................................................................... 297
Risk Measures and Control methodology ............................................................. 298
Security Risk.......................................................................................................... 298
Control Measures ................................................................................................. 298
Unwanted visitors ................................................................................................. 298
Access Control System .......................................................................................... 298
AI (Artificial Intelligence)....................................................................................... 298
Retail Theft ........................................................................................................... 298
AI (Artificial Intelligence)....................................................................................... 298
Biometric security ................................................................................................. 298
CCTV ..................................................................................................................... 298

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 Security Officer Down ........................................................................................... 298
Emergency Communications ................................................................................ 298
Fire........................................................................................................................ 298
Fire Detection / Alarms ......................................................................................... 298
Chapter 27 ............................................................................................................... 299
Body Cameras ....................................................................................................... 299
Who provides the cameras? .............................................................................. 299
Privacy Legislation ............................................................................................. 299
Is Camera surveillance necessary / fit for purpose? ........................................... 299
Signs .................................................................................................................. 300
Standard Operating Procedures ........................................................................ 300
Outsourced services.............................................................................................. 301
Selection of body cameras................................................................................. 301
Wearing the cameras ........................................................................................ 303
Features ................................................................................................................ 304
Facial recognition .............................................................................................. 304
Live tracking ...................................................................................................... 304
Remote live audio monitoring ........................................................................... 304
Panic alarm ........................................................................................................ 304
You only get what you pay for ........................................................................... 304
Summary ........................................................................................................... 304
Docking Stations ................................................................................................ 305

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 Chapter 16
Emergency First Aid
The Security Officer will possibly be exposed to accidents, injuries, heart attacks and
sickness while on duty. Under these circumstances, knowledge of first aid can often
mean the difference between life and death. It is not to be forgotten that sometimes
you may be required to apply first aid to yourself, as in some cases you may be working
alone and must wait for assistance. Your own initial response may well save your own
life. Being such an important area, each Security Officer will be required to learn basic
first aid skills and maintain these skills throughout his/her career. You must possess a
qualification in first aid to obtain your security licence, and some jurisdictions also
require this to be current to renew your licence. This section is designed to
complement your first aid qualification. Specific first aid situations that a Security
Officer may encounter whilst working have been selected. This list is not meant to be
exhaustive, and Security Officers should identify local risks that may exist in your
workplace. Ensure that you are prepared.

Hanging
Not all hangings are lethal. I f you find a victim strung up and lifeless, you should
immediately administer first aid. You can and should interfere with a crime scene to
preserve life, under circumstances such as these.

The major factors leading to a hanging fatality are the height of the drop at the
moment the hanging occurs and the subsequent suspension of the body (full or
partial). Hangings can result from any of the following situations: workplace accident,
suicide, murder or erotic asphyxiation.

Blade Seat Belt Cutter Glass Break

Image: Hanging victim Image: Emergency Rescue Tool

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Workplace accident
A person could be accidentally hanged in the workplace by exposed power cords,
chains, ropes, trip or falls, o r e v e n whilst operating machinery.

Suicide / Murder
Hangings account for nearly half of all suicide attempts in Australia and New Zealand.
It is possible then that some murderers will stage a "suicide" on their victim to try
to conceal the true nature of their crime.

Erotic asphyxiation
Erotic asphyxiation or ' breath control play' is the intentional restriction of oxygen to
the brain for sexual arousal. The sexual preference for that behaviour is variously
called asphyxiophilia, autoerotic asphyxia or hypoxyphilia. Colloquially, a person
engaging in the activity is sometimes called a 'gasper'.

Early first aid

Early intervention and application of first aid increases chances of survival. One study
concluded that even if the victim is found to be lifeless, aggressive intervention with
CPR and emergency medical transport is warranted. A significant percentage of
hanging victims will have spinal fracture, therefore spine immobilization and jaw
thrust manoeuvres should be considered at the scene.

Initial response
Depending on the availability of other Security Officers or even support staff (e.g.,
management, cleaners etc), the following initial actions should occur:

If you are working alone:

• Try to support the victim by the legs whilst cutting the rope (or other restraint).
If you cannot support the victim, immediately cut the victim down.
• Apply first aid as per normal resuscitation guidelines.

If working in a team:

• Take command (or allow the other officer to take command and follow their
instructions). Do not get into a power struggle with colleagues.
• Instruct the other officer to support the legs whilst you cut the rope or other
restraint used (this is also another reason for carrying an emergency rescue tool
with you).
• Apply first aid as per normal resuscitation guidelines.

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Notes:
Whilst the application of first aid takes priority over crime scene preservation, if
possible, try to preserve the knots in any rope or restraint used in the hanging, by
cutting at least 20cm under the knot. If you cannot cut the rope, whilst one officer
supports the victim, loosen the knot and lift over the victim’s head.

If multiple Security Officers are present (managers, cleaners etc.) and it is possible to
photograph the scene using your smartphone, give your smartphone to someone (if
possible, use your smartphone rather than theirs) and get them to video / photograph
the scene, including the knot and any chairs or other supporting objects.

Knife wounds / severe bleeding

Severe bleeding can rapidly lead to shock, loss of consciousness and death. Severe
bleeding is usually the result of a stab wound, gunshot, a severe blow, or a deep slash
with an edged weapon such as a knife or glassing injury. Warning: When administering
first aid to persons other than immediate family members (provided you are aware of
an immediate family member’s HIV or Hepatitis status), take care that you never touch
someone else's blood: always wear latex gloves. Latex gloves should always be
included in your personal first aid kit. If not available, use plastic bags instead.

Treatment
Apply firm pressure directly on the wound with a clean pad, bandage or even a piece
of clothing. Apply pressure around an embedded object. Elevate the injured limb. Lie
the person down. Remove any obvious superficial dirt and debris from the wound. Do
not attempt to clean the wound or probe it. If an object is embedded in the wound,
don't remove it. If the wound is abdominal and organs have been displaced, don’t try
to reposition them. Cover with a wet dressing or cloth. If the bandage becomes soaked
with blood, do not remove it. Apply a fresh bandage over it.

Continue to apply pressure for 10 minutes. If bleeding stops, bind the original wound
dressing tightly with a clean bandage. Check for circulation beyond the bandage every
10 minutes and loosen the bandage slightly if it is restricting circulation. Do not use a
tourniquet. If bleeding does not stop despite continued pressure on the wound, apply
firm pressure to the main artery between the wound and heart. Squeeze the artery
against the bone. With your other hand, continue to apply pressure on the wound.

While waiting for help to arrive, immobilise the injured limb and don't give the person
anything to eat or drink. Treat for shock if necessary.

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Shooting
Gunshot wounds are unpredictable puncture wounds that cause major tissue damage.
Three factors work together to determine the severity of a gunshot wound: the
location of the injury, the size of the projectile and the speed of the projectile.
A study of the science of ballistics in law enforcement is an exercise that has been
undertaken by many law-enforcement agencies and the FBI. The theory is that the
bigger the bullet, the bigger the hole, the greater the blood loss / incapacitation. So, in
theory, a slower .45 calibre projectile will cause greater incapacity than a faster moving
.22 calibre projectile. In most cases this is not relevant to our treatment as, unless we
witnessed the shooting and recognised the weapon, we will not be aware of the calibre
of the projectile. These tips will help in the case of a gunshot wound. In most cases
after a shooting, an ambulance will arrive within 10 minutes; therefore, the Security
Officer is required to apply immediate first aid principles until the ambulance is there.

Initial response
Stay safe (the first rule of first aid is "check for danger"). If you are not the victim,
practice universal precautions and wear personal protective equipment if available.
Any situation that involves a gun is potentially dangerous, and rescuers are no help to
a victim if they become victims themselves. Secure any firearm that is at the scene (this
is evidence) and prevent it from being further used, against you. Call emergency
services as soon as it is clear a gun is involved. Surviving a gunshot wound depends
greatly on how quickly a victim gets to a hospital. Ideally, a gunshot wound victim
should be on the way to a hospital in an ambulance within 10 minutes of being shot.
Do not move the victim unless his or her safety is in jeopardy, i.e., in an active shooting
scenario.

Follow basic first aid.

If the victim is unconscious but breathing, keep the airway open and clear. If the victim
is not breathing, begin CPR. Control any bleeding. Seal gunshot wounds to the chest
with some type of plastic to keep air from being sucked into the wound - use your
security licence or crowd controller’s identification card if nothing else is available. This
will help prevent the development of a collapsed lung. If the victim begins complaining
of worsening shortness of breath, open the seal. Let conscious victims sit or lie in a
position most comfortable for them. Unconscious victims should be placed in the
recovery position.

Do not elevate legs to treat for shock if the gunshot wound is above the waist (unless
the gunshot wound is in the arm). Gunshot wounds to the abdomen and chest will
bleed more quickly once the legs are elevated, making it harder for the victim to
breathe. Do not give the victim anything to eat or drink, including water.

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Tips:
• Gunshot wounds are puncture wounds and are typically treated the same.
Don't expect to be able to tell the difference between entrance and exit
gunshot wounds. There's no reliable way to tell and it doesn't matter.
• Bullets are unpredictable and can bounce around the inside of a victim.
• A gunshot wound on one side of the body that lines up with a gunshot wound
on the other side of the body may or may not be connected by a straight line.
Various dynamics affect the path a round may follow.
• The tissue damage (overall injury) caused by a projectile is determined by
multiplying the mass (weight) of the round by the velocity of the round
squared. Since the speed of the round is squared in this equation, doubling the
speed quadruples the energy and the damage.
• Handguns produce significantly slower velocity projectiles than rifles, and
therefore typically cause less severe injuries. That's not to say that handguns
are not dangerous, just that rifles cause bigger holes.
• Don’t spend time worrying about disinfecting your security licence or
identification card, if using this to seal the wound. Whilst there is a risk of
infection, this can be treated by the ambulance or hospital. Stopping the
immediate loss of blood takes priority.
• If you have been shot, whilst calling for help, use your security licence to seal
the wound, even if you pass out this may assist in your survival.

Drug overdose
An overdose occurs when a toxic (poisonous) amount of a drug or medicine is taken.
Substances that can cause harm when excessively taken include alcohol, prescription
and over-the-counter medications, illegal drugs and some herbal remedies.
An overdose is a medical emergency that requires immediate medical attention. Always
call 000 (Australia) 1 or 111 (New Zealand) if a drug overdose is known or suspected.

Signs and symptoms of drug overdose

A wide range of signs and symptoms can occur when a person overdoses - everyone
responds differently. Signs and symptoms depend on a variety of factors including the
drug, which is taken, the quantity taken and the person’s state of health at the time.
Symptoms include abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, dizziness, loss of balance, seizures
(fitting), drowsiness, confusion, breathing difficulties, internal bleeding, hallucination,
visual disturbances, coma, vomiting or nausea.

1
or 112 from a mobile phone

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Reasons for overdose
Reasons for taking an overdose include:

• Accidental: a person takes the wrong drug or combination of drugs, in the

wrong amount or at the wrong time, without knowing that it could cause them
harm.
• Intentional misuse: a person takes an overdose to get ‘high’ or to inflict self-
harm.
The latter may be a cry for help or a suicide attempt. Or a person spikes another’s
drink.

Risk factors of drug overdose

People of any age may overdose on drugs; however, some groups are at increased risk.
These include young adults, middle-aged people and women (more likely to overdose
than men). The risk is increased when more than one drug is taken at the same time
or when the body is not used to a certain drug.

Paracetamol overdose
Paracetamol is a common pain reliever and fever reducer that is usually bought over
the counter without a prescription. It is one of the most common medicines taken by
young children in an accidental overdose. People who intend to harm themselves also
commonly take paracetamol (suicide attempts). Signs of paracetamol overdose include
drowsiness, coma, seizures, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Another name for
paracetamol is acetaminophen (often known by its brand name, Tylenol). There is only
a small difference between the maximum daily dose of paracetamol and an overdose,
which can cause liver damage. Large amounts of paracetamol are very dangerous, but
the effects often don’t show until about two to three days after taking the tablets. Yet
treatment must be started early to be effective, before the effects begin. Always seek
treatment for paracetamol overdose immediately, even if the person seems quite well.

First aid for drug overdose

If you think someone has taken an overdose, stay calm and call an ambulance on 000
(Australia) or 111 (New Zealand).

• Do not try to make the person vomit.

• Do not give them anything to eat or drink.
• Bring the pill containers to hospital.

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Even if the person seems OK, call the Poisons Information Centre 2 on 13 11 26 3 for
advice. The centre is open 24 hours every day, Australia-wide.

Knowledge of basic first aid could mean the difference between life and death in an
emergency. That is why Security Officers are required to do a first aid course, so
that you will be able to act swiftly and appropriately if someone is injured or falls ill.

Drink spiking
Security Officers employed on licensed premises (crowd controllers) are required to
monitor the behaviour of customers and be alert for signs of criminal activity -
including attempts to spike the drinks of customers.

2
Also call 112 from a mobile phone.
3
Program this number into your mobile phone or smartphone, you never know when you will need it at home or work.

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What is drink spiking?
Drink spiking occurs when a substance such as drugs or alcohol, is added to a
customer’s drink without them knowing about it (example: a customer who drinks soft
drinks only may have their drink spiked with alcohol). This may affect how they act or
behave with other people.

A customer whose drink has been spiked may (depending on which drug has been
used) feel drowsy, confused and find it difficult to speak or move. They may also feel
drunker than they should be, given the amount of drink they have consumed. When
these feelings have passed, they may not be able to remember what happened.

The most common reasons for drink spiking are:

• For amusement
• To be malicious
• To carry out a crime: sexual assault, rape or theft.

How to prevent drink spiking.

Security Officers (and their employers and/or customers) should have systems in place
to monitor potential drink spiking. For example, Security Officers can educate
customers not to leave their drinks unattended or, if they must leave their drink
unattended, ensure it is left with a trusted friend to monitor. Encourage customers
who believe they have been subject to a drink-spiking incident to contact the Security
Officer and have a strategy in place to deal with this situation.

Strategies that may prevent drink spiking in your venue:

• Encourage customers: never leave their drink unattended!
• Encourage customers not to accept a drink from someone they don't know.
Whilst it may be appropriate for someone to buy a customer a drink, encourage
the customer to personally collect the drink from bar staff.
• Train bar staff and Security Officers to work together to monitor drinks and safe
drink practices, and for bar staff to communicate with Security Officers if they
suspect a customer’s drink have been spiked.
• Encourage customers to keep an eye on their friends' drinks.

Date rape drugs

The most common drugs that are used in drink spiking are often referred to as date
rape drugs. This is because they make it harder for a person to resist an assault. The
most common date rape drugs are alcohol, gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), gamma-
butyrolactone (GBL) and tranquilisers (most often benzodiazepines including Valium,
Rohypnol and Ketamine).

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These drugs are depressants which work by slowing down the nervous system, dulling
the responses and instincts and affecting memory. In moderation, alcohol can help to
relax you, and some date rape drugs are legally prescribed for anxiety and insomnia.
However, when taken without knowing, these substances can leave a person
vulnerable to danger. Date rape drugs will affect the customer’s behaviour and the
messages that they give out to other people. They will not be fully in control of
themselves, and someone could take criminal advantage of them.

Date rape drugs can start to take effect within 20 minutes of being taken. The
symptoms for the above drugs, including alcohol, are quite similar and include the
following:

• Drowsiness or light-headedness
• Difficulty concentrating
• Feeling confused or disorientated, particularly after waking up (if they have
been asleep)
• Difficulty speaking or slurring their words.
• Loss of balance and finding it hard to move.
• Lowered inhibitions
• Paranoia (a feeling of fear or distrust of others)
• Amnesia (memory loss) or a "black-out" of events (when they can't remember
large sections of their evening)
• Temporary loss of body sensation (feeling like they are floating above their
body, or having an "out of body" experience)
• Visual problems, particularly blurred vision
• Hallucinations (seeing, hearing or touching things that aren't there)
• Nausea and vomiting
• Unconsciousness

All date rape drugs are particularly dangerous when mixed with alcohol because they
combine to have a very powerful anaesthetic effect. This causes unconsciousness
and, in more extreme cases, can cause coma or even death. How long the drugs'
effects last will depend on how much has been taken and how much alcohol the
customer has drunk. The symptoms could last three to seven hours (12 hours
maximum), but if the customer passes out, it will be hard to know the full effect. They
may still feel some of the symptoms of a date rape drug after a night’s sleep,
such as confusion, amnesia or nausea.

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The most common date rape drugs are described below.

Alcohol
Alcohol is the most common date rape drug. It can be added to a soft (non-alcoholic)
drink without the customer knowing, or double measures can be used instead of
singles. If the customer has had a drink already, they may find it harder to tell how
much alcohol they are drinking. The effects of alcohol will depend on how much the
customer drinks. Large amounts of alcohol can be dangerous, particularly if the
customer passes out and vomits in their sleep. It takes the body one hour to process
a unit of alcohol, so the length of the effects will depend on how many units of
alcohol the customer has consumed.

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate and gamma-butyrolactone

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) usually comes in the form of a slightly oily colourless
liquid, or less often as a powder. Gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) is a more basic form of
GHB and another possible date rape drug. It comes in liquid form and is found in
some household products. After entering the body, GBL changes into GHB. Only a
very small amount of GHB is needed to have an effect, and it can be dissolved easily
into other liquids. GHB has an unpleasant taste and a weak odour. Victims are
unlikely to notice it in very small doses or when it is mixed with a s t r o n g drink.

Tranquilisers
Tranquilisers come in hundreds of different forms. The most common are called
benzodiazepines. You may hear of these as Valium, Rohypnol, Roofies or Benzos. They
can be legally prescribed to treat anxiety or insomnia. Tranquilisers work by slowing
down the body, by relieving tension and making the person feel very relaxed. They
normally come as a tablet.

Ketamine
Ketamine, sometimes called K, is a powerful anaesthetic that is used for both animals
and humans. In its legal form, it is a liquid. Illegally, it is normally a grainy white
powder or a tablet. Ketamine can cause hallucinations (when the person sees or
hears things that are not real), or it can create a feeling of the mind being separate
from your body. If the customer feels very unwell, for example they have symptoms
such as drowsiness, vomiting or hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not
there), ask their friend to take them to the accident and emergency (A&E)
department of the nearest hospital. Instruct them that when they arrive at A&E, tell
the medical staff they think their drink has been spiked.

If there is still have some of the spiked drink left, secure this as evidence and give it
to the bar manager to keep. Alternatively, you can give it to the police if they
attend. If you think that the customer’s drink has been spiked but they have no

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severe symptoms, they may decide to contact the police first to report the incident.
Drink spiking is a criminal offence. In all situations, it should be reported to the police
as soon as possible so that the matter can be fully investigated.

The stage at which you report the matter to the police will depend on the situation
and whether first aid is required. However, the police will need a blood or urine
sample for testing, so the sooner you or someone else can contact them, the better.

First aid for drug drink spiking (same as for an overdose) 4

If you think someone has had their drink spiked:

• Call an ambulance on 000 (Australia)5 or 111 (New Zealand)

• Do not try to make the person vomit.
• Do not give them anything to eat or drink.
• Bring the remainder of the spiked drink containers to hospital or give to police.
• Even if the person seems OK, call the Poisons Information Centre6 on 13 11 26
for advice. The centre is open 24 hours every day, Australia-wide.
• Knowledge of basic first aid could mean the difference between life and death
in an emergency.

Positional Restraint Asphyxia7

Introduction
There are techniques of restraint that have been associated with sudden, unexpected
deaths. Security personnel must be aware of the potential dangers and take every
precaution to ensure they adopt safe practice. Positional Asphyxia (restraint
asphyxia) can be defined as obstruction of breathing because of restraint technique.
It occurs when the position of a person’s body interferes with their ability to
breath. If this is not recognised, death can occur from asphyxia or suffocation. Any
positioning of the body that interferes with breathing can cause death.

What are the risk factors?

Security Officers are often involved in confrontations, which may necessitate physically
restraining a violent person. If a prone position is required to achieve restraint, some
people may have difficulty breathing and may even die.

4
Security Officers are not usually aware of the drugs used to spike the drink, so the best course of action is to administer
first aid (if required) the same as for an overdose.
5
112 From a mobile phone.
6
Program this number into your mobile phone or smartphone, you never know when you will need it at home or work.
7
Source Victorian Police publication for the security industry Version 1.0 Published April 2012

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The following factors contribute to positional asphyxia deaths:

• Obesity – a large abdomen or “beer belly” means that when the person is prone
the contents of the abdomen can be forced upward under the diaphragm
restricting breathing.
• Psychosis – stimulant drugs (amphetamines, speed, ‘ICE’, ecstasy) can create
an “excited delirium” in which the person is paranoid, over excited and
potentially violent. The stimulation of the heart can produce cardiac rhythm
disturbances, which can be fatal. In this situation, any difficulty breathing can
result in sudden deterioration in condition and death.
• Pre-existing physical conditions – any condition that impairs breathing under
normal circumstances will put a person at a higher risk when they are physically
restrained. Examples are heart disease, asthma, emphysema, bronchitis and
other chronic lung diseases.
• Pressure on the abdomen – even a thin person will have difficulty breathing if
there is pressure on the abdomen. The more Security Officers there are holding
a person down in a prone position, the greater the risk that there will pressure
on the person’s abdomen, making it difficult to breathe.

How can a Security Officer identify when it may occur?

The key to safety and prevention is awareness of the risk. Recognising specific risk
factors will assist Security Officers to adapt. Review of past tragedies reveals a
“downward spiral” leading to the adverse outcome that is common in these cases.

• Stage 1 – Development of an incident – the individual exhibits irrational, violent,

aggressive behaviour and/or paranoia. The person may be unusually physically
active and aroused. The behaviour causes concern and comes to the attention
of a Security Officer.
• Stage 2 – Intervention – Attempts at calm, rational intervention fails, and the
decision is made to physically restrain the individual. A struggle ensues in which
the person seems to have unusual energy requiring several people to restrain
them and place them in a prone position. One or more interveners are tempted
to sit or lean on the subject to maintain control. The subject may perceive this
as a hostile act and fight even harder to get relief. The person may also be
fighting harder because they cannot breathe and what is perceived to be
increasing violence may be increasing desperation to stay alive.
• Stage 3 – Exhaustion – The continuing panic and desperation to breathe may
cause interveners to see the person as a continued threat and apply even more
force to restrain them. While struggling with security staff, the person expends
large amounts of energy trying to breathe. The individual becomes exhausted
with low blood oxygen and, when they are finally unable to struggle any more,
it may be too late.

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How can a Security Officer identify the symptoms and signs?
The first step in prevention is to recognise the risks. This will not eliminate the need to
physically control some persons during violent or dangerous incidents but recognising
the signs of danger and taking appropriate preventative action may help to reduce the
occurrence of bad outcomes. Security Officers should pay close attention to the
following:

• A person telling you he/she cannot breathe.

• Gurgling/gasping sounds indicating blockage of the airway.
• Lips, hands, face discoloured blue due to lack of oxygen (cyanosis).
• Increasing panic, prolonged resistance.
• Sudden tranquillity – an active, loud, threatening, violent, abusive person
suddenly becoming quiet and tranquil, not moving.

What prevention strategies can Security Officers use?

Physical restraint should only be used when the situation clearly justifies it and there
is no other option available to prevent physical harm to the person or others, for the
shortest possible time and with the minimum of reasonable force. Anyone who is
restrained should be under constant observation and the time spent under restraint
should be minimised. The following actions will reduce the likelihood of a positional
asphyxia death occurring:

• Identify persons at risk – knowledge of the risk factors will help identify potential
situations.
• Avoid prone restraint unless necessary – consider alternative methods for
resolution. The person should be repositioned from the face down or prone
position as soon as practical.
• Do not sit or lean on the abdomen EVER.
• Identify danger signs of asphyxia – Security Officers must remember that some
restraints put the subject in danger, and they should avoid tactics that are
associated with deaths.
• Constantly monitor the person – continuously monitor a restrained person and,
where possible, task a person not involved in the restraint to monitor the
restrained person’s condition.
• Seek medical attention – immediate medical attention should be obtained
where there is any concern over the health of a person who has been actively
restrained.
• Continually ask the restrained person “Are you OK” - do not expect the response
to be “Yes, thank you”. The restrained person will probably swear, call you
names etc - however, they have just done what you wanted them to: they have
told you they are still breathing!

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© 2018 NSTA Limited 34 Version 2023.1
 Chapter 17
Customer service
The security industry depends on its customers. Your ability to build a relationship with
your organisation’s customers or clients will play a big part in the success or failure of
your job role. Interpersonal skills are the qualities and behaviours we exhibit while
interacting with other people. They are considered to be one of the most sought-after
types of soft skills. You must use these skills to promote positive interactions and
communication with customers and/or clients.
We demonstrate them whenever we engage in any kind of verbal or nonverbal
communication. In fact, qualities as basic as body language and attitude towards
others greatly affect our chances of excelling at work.

The following are considered interpersonal skills.

• Emotional Intelligence
• Communication
• Reliability
• Leadership
• Positivity
• Negotiation
• Openness to Feedback
• Empathy
• Teamwork
• Active Listening

Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is simply the ability to maintain control over your emotions, this
skill is essential when communicating with co-workers, clients and management.

Communication
The security officer’s role requires the ability to interact with a diverse range of
stakeholders using a combination of verbal and non-verbal skills. Effective use of body
language and eye contact are just as important.

Reliability
Being on time for work every day is the start of reliability and demonstrates to your
team that you can be relied upon, but it doesn’t end there! can you be relied upon to

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assist if required, security officers who are always hiding somewhere on a break,
having a smoke are not reliable, you must be able and willing to assist co-workers.

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Leadership
Leadership is a skill that sets you apart from your peers, it is not simply giving orders
it’s about inspiring others and taking charge when work needs to be completed.
Effective leaders can demonstrate self-confidence and vision as well as awesome
communication skills.

Positivity
Being continually positive is valuable in helping others keep stress levels down and in
generating a feeling of optimism in the workplace.

Negotiation
Negotiation is any interaction in which two or more people engage in a discussion in
an attempt to come to a shared agreement. A good “Bouncer” can effectively remove
a person with force HOWEVER a great crowd controller can negotiate with a person
and make them want to leave.

Openness to Feedback
Be open to feedback see criticism as feedback that will contribute to self-improvement
as a result, individuals who accept constructive criticism have a better chance of
coming out on top in the long run.

Empathy
People at work gravitate towards those who are capable of showing empathy and
taking actions consistent with an understanding of how others feel. Empathy can be
displayed at work in a variety of ways. For example, you could lend an ear to a
colleague experiencing problems in the company or, support a project when an
unforeseen difficulty strikes.

Teamwork
Teamwork is another great interpersonal skill to have in your repertoire. Modern
workplaces often require employees to rely on each other in some capacity and be
willing to support others when called upon. Effective teamwork involves knowing
when leadership is required and when it’s okay to stand back and be a supportive
project member. As such, a good team player will also possess a slew of interpersonal
skills already mentioned in this list, including emotional intelligence, communication,
and negotiation.

Active Listening
Being open to the ideas of others will lead to an environment where all employees feel
free to share their thoughts. In addition, actively listening enables you to clearly
understand all instructions and thus deliver work that satisfies requirements.

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Customer or client?
These terms are often used as though they mean the same thing. Some companies like
to call their regular customers ‘clients’. Whichever term is used, you should remember
that the term means little or nothing to the client or customer if the service they
receive doesn’t match up to their expectations. This book refers to those customers
who have contracted a service to the security company, as clients.
Clients are those organisations with a contractual agreement with the security firm.
Customers are those persons that frequent the client’s business.

The service revolution

In the 1980s and 1990s, observers in the USA noticed that companies which
emphasised good service, kept customers longer than their competitors and produced
better financial results. An American customer service expert, Ron Zemke, calls this the
‘service revolution’. Australian research has demonstrated this trend is not unique to
the United States. Australian customers have raised their expectations of service in
every industry. As customers become more sophisticated, the service bar lifts higher!
For this reason, customer service is a critical issue for the security industry.

What is customer service?

Customer service is about perceptions. Customer service can’t be tested before it is
sold. It can’t be stored, returned or exchanged. Service is an intangible quality that
customers assess for themselves. You can’t argue with their perception.

Establishing positive relationships

Everyone is an ambassador! Good customer service is an absolute requirement for
security. You are an ambassador for the company and the security section in general.
One unfriendly or unhelpful encounter may be enough to persuade a customer to
choose another store, or a client to choose another security company or operative.
On the other hand, if clients and customers find your services to be professional and
courteous, they may choose you or your security company for the next big security
assignment.

Customer service is everyone’s responsibility.

To find out what your customer needs, you must start out with the right attitude. You
need to be positive, helpful and professional. Your attitude will reflect on your fellow
employees and the company as well as yourself. Dealing with people and providing
customer service requires you to develop extraordinary interpersonal skills. Based on
research,

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The main attributes of interpersonal communication appreciated by customers are:
• Helpfulness, friendliness, courtesy.
• Perceiving customer needs.
• Knowledge of the services offered and how they can be tailored to meet the
customer's needs.

Professional presentation
Customer service is about perceptions. Customers judge service by what they see and
hear. It may seem unfair, but first impressions are important: you don’t get a second
chance at a first impression! To be effective you must always be well presented.

Uniform
Your organisation will specify what is required as far as your uniform goes. At the
minimum, your uniform should be clean and ironed and you should take care to shine
your shoes, the organisations SOPs provide the requirements for your presentation.

Personal hygiene
Ensure you maintain high standards of personal hygiene. Your hair should be tidy. Trim
your fingernails and use a deodorant. If you are a man, shave regularly or trim your
beard or moustache. Pay attention to your oral hygiene too. These small things make
a difference as to how customers see you.

Your bearing
How you carry yourself speaks volumes about you. A slouched posture suggests you
are bored or lacking confidence. Take pride in yourself. When sitting, sit up straight.
You will find this will reduce back fatigue. When standing or walking, think tall. This
won’t make you a tall person, but you will walk with more assurance. Develop a
confident, relaxed presence.

Developing rapport
Developing rapport with a customer or client means you develop a feeling of
sympathetic understanding. Barking out orders or giving a customer a blank stare is
guaranteed to ensure you appear to be completely lacking in warmth. When talking to
clients and customers, maintain eye contact and smile. Let them know that you have
understood their request or instruction. This may be by a simple ‘okay’, or by a
summary of what was said.

Your work area

Keep your work area clean. This includes any vehicle assigned to you. People will judge
your ability to meet their needs on the evidence they see in front of them.

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Maintain confidentiality.
The organisation you work for will specify in its SOP’s or operations manual what
information must be kept confidential. In general, no client or customer information
should be passed on to other people. In your patrols, you may become aware of new
products that your client is developing or of how much cash or valuables are stored
and where. This information is their business and must not be divulged to others.

Identify and assess the needs and expectations of customers.

At all sites, Security Officers are required to interact with customers from a diverse age
group and many cultural backgrounds. The professional Security Officer should identify
the customer’s needs and expectations and assist the customers in obtaining the
services or products they are expecting. For example:

Image: Customers from diverse backgrounds

Licensed premises
In a nightclub or licensed venue, the customers should be over 18 years of age, be
either drinkers of alcohol or should tolerate the consumption of alcohol. The
professional Security Officer would understand the “terms and conditions of entry” to
the venue and would assist customers in complying. Strategies would include policing
queues etc. If there is a long queue to the venue, a regular patrol of the queue to
inform customers of dress standards etc. may prevent a non-compliant person
remaining in the queue for a lengthy period, only to then be refused admission. This is
also excellent teamwork strategy as it assists other team members by preventing
problems from developing in the first place.

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A professional Security Officer should know the location of, and be able to direct
customers to, the following facilities: taxi ranks, first aid rooms, safe rooms, the
location of free drinking water, ATM’s, the nearest public transport terminals and
police stations.

Image: Security Officer checking ID

Airport
In an aviation environment, Security Officers will interact with customers from all age
groups and cultural backgrounds. All Security Officers must understand the range of
services available at the airport and the general layout of the airport. If, at the airport,
the domestic and international terminals are not connected via walkways and require
shuttle buses or trains to interconnect, the Security Officers should be able to provide
advice and appropriate directions with respect to this, too. A professional Security
Officer must understand the rules of airports to provide customer service. Many
customer problems / arguments can be avoided by the Security Officer meeting and
greeting customers and providing courteous assistance to passengers who need help.
For example, a Security Officer stationed “kerbside” may see a customer arrive carrying
a large surfboard, and several suitcases. Greeting the customer and being able to direct
them to a trolley and explaining the location of oversize baggage check in etc., will
assist the customer navigate the terminal and will also ensure the customer has a good

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experience through the check in stage of his or her journey.
It is common in some terminals for long queues to be formed for access to the sterile
area through the screening point. The loader (or another Security Officer) can assist
by regularly explaining the rules for LAG’s, Laptops, medications, and oversized
baggage etc. This will speed up the flow of traffic through the screening point, as
customers will have their laptops e t c . out of their bags, LAGS will be
in separate plastics bags in trays ready for screening. This will also improve
teamwork as less bags will require removal from the conveyor for re-screening, and
less customer complaints will be received.
There are many strategies that can be developed by Security Officers, to improve the
customer service provided to customers. These include having LAG’s compliant
bags to hand out to customers, ensuring that there are enough supplies of trays
for laptops etc. Special needs customers are identified, and service must be adjusted
to assist the special needs customers through the screening process.

Delivering service to customers

Your assignment instructions / standard operating procedures and / or job description
should give you clear information about what you are expected to do for the customer.
These should provide the organisation client service standards. As a Security Officer,
your role is to work within the company guidelines and the security system and to
follow procedures in the event of breaches in security.

Be professional.
To be professional, you need to learn everything there is to know about your industry,
your business, products, services and, finally, your customers. You will need to develop
and make the most of your abilities and opportunities.

Build the relationship.

You need to remember that the customer is the most important person in any
business. Look after them. Smile. Be attentive and build empathy. People form an
impression within the first 30 seconds of meeting someone and you only have about
five minutes to gain their trust and confidence. Be fair, friendly, considerate and
gracious.

Listen
Listen closely to what the customer must say. Listen to comments. Ask questions. Be
observant. Watch expressions and reactions or listen for voice tone and you will have
all the information you need to service the customer. Your attention helps to create
empathy and understanding, which allows you to ascertain your customer’s needs.

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Be patient.
You must remain patient with your customer and answer their questions. They may
be undecided, unreasonable, irritable or inconsiderate. However, it’s your
attitude that counts here, not the customer’s. Whether they do business with you
or not will be determined by your attitude.

Be tactful, honest and sincere.

Be tactful, honest and sincere as these three traits are probably the most important
in your relationship with your customers. If you constantly display these traits, they
will do more to lift your image and professionalism than any other attributes.
Customers want to feel that you are genuinely interested in their wants and needs.

Show understanding.
Understanding builds empathy and trust. You must have and exhibit a genuine desire
to appreciate the thoughts and feelings of your customers and a sincere wish to help
them to solve their problems. Be intent and focussed on your customer. Notice their
words and actions or tone of voice. Learn to interpret their wants and desires and
you will be rewarded with satisfied customers.

Know your limits.

Remember that no one is an expert on everything and there are many areas of
specialty within the industry. If you feel that you are not able or qualified to assist the
customer after assessing their needs, seek assistance from the most appropriate
person within your organisation or company. It is very important that you do not
attempt to go beyond your areas of expertise or abilities as this may result in
compromising service to the customer, or even compromising your own safety and
security or that of your team members or even the customer.

Security officers employed in areas with a large concentration of youths may need
assistance in understanding youth culture, local organisations such as Mission
Australia, Salvation Army are a good source of information. There are also Practice
guides for youth support services available.

Act within Your Authority

As previously stated, your authority to make decisions that affect a customer must be
guided by legislation and company policy. In most cases the source of your information
about what you can and can’t do, will be found in your standard operating procedures
or SOP’s. Some customers may have special requirements that are covered in your day-
to-day information. Accommodate your customer, if your organisation permits it - if
you are unsure or unclear about this, check with your supervisor first.

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Know your master.
You must not get confused about who you answer to (your SOP’s will provide a flow
chart). Whilst you are governed by the SOPs of your organisation, the client may
request you to perform certain tasks. The best way to handle this situation is to clarify
this with your organisation. If you cannot clarify this with your organisation, request
the client email or text you the instructions.
Example: You are stationed in a shopping centre and the company has previously
instructed you in your job description. However, the shopping centre manager
requests you to deliver the rent invoices to the tenants (as his office administration
officer is absent today). This task has not been addressed in your SOP’s. The SOP’s do
not say do it or not do it. The best course of action to take is to call your supervisor (on
your mobile phone) and hand the phone over to the centre manager so that the task
can be sorted out at the correct level. Once they have negotiated the outcome, you
will have confirmed to you the instructions, by your supervisor.
If you cannot contact your supervisor (within a reasonable period), you have several
options open to you:
• Write the instructions in your notebook, and have the centre manager
sign this; or
• Confirm the instructions via email or text to the centre manager AND
your supervisor; or
• Request the centre manager to email or text you the instructions (which
you can forward to your supervisor later).

Unforeseen problems
Sometimes you may find that unforeseen problems arise: a radio doesn’t work, or
perhaps a crowd attending a show or sale in the mall exits early. Be prepared for some
things to go wrong. Unforeseen problems can be good customer service opportunities.
Be aware of what is going on around you and, when unforeseen problems do occur,
put yourself in the customer’s shoes and think about what they would expect you to
do.
When you receive your instructions, think about the possible “failure points” and have
a ‘plan B’ prepared for the most likely failures. Be as proactive as possible in the
delivery of customer service. For example, while patrolling a site, you notice a car
‘prowling’ outside. A good customer service gesture on your behalf is to observe the
situation, note any relevant identifying information and pass it on to your control base
or supervisor so that a possible threat can be averted. You should also provide any
details in your incident report or the logbook. Not only will it be good customer service,
but it may also in fact prevent a breach of security or assure your own safety.

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When to Get Help
Wherever possible, you should try to resolve complaints yourself - provided you have
the authority to do so. You must have a clear idea of how much authority you have in
resolving complaints. You should never refuse to help customers to take their
complaints higher within your organisation. However, if the customer informs you that
they wish to deal with your manager or supervisor, ask for a chance to help them first.
Then promise that if you don’t handle the situation to their satisfaction, you will
personally make sure they can talk to a higher authority.
Managers and supervisors prefer to deal with the problem, having received suggested
solutions from their Security Officers, rather than having to solve it themselves. It
makes the decision-making process much quicker and easier. Security Officers who
present the problem with alternative solutions are therefore highly valued for their
ability to assist in the management process.
When referring complaints to a higher authority, take the following steps:
• Have all the facts and information about the problem on hand. Make sure it
is all confirmed with the customer as being accurate and correct.
• Have a clear idea of what the customer wants and how they want the
problem resolved.
• You should be ready to give an account of your conversation with the
customer – either verbally or a printed version from your notebook entry –
to your supervisor. This account should include what you said to the
customer and any vital details that the customer has provided to you.
• Explain the alternatives you offered and the customer’s reaction to them.
You must be completely honest and accurate and not distort the facts here.
You are not just trying to look good to management - if you make things up,
you may make things worse.
• You must make sure that you inform your supervisor and any oncoming shift
personnel of any promises you made to the customer.
• Lastly, you must come away from the meeting with your supervisor with a
clear idea of what your role is from this point on. Are you going to keep
working on it or is it out of your hands completely? If you are not involved,
you should get agreement with your supervisor as to when and how you will
be told about the outcome. This is a vital step in your learning process. If you
don’t know the result, you won’t learn anything by it.
There are also occasions when something goes wrong that nobody has prepared for
and no matter how good the service you provided was. Sometimes the problem is
caused by a service failure; sometimes the customer, client or employee is wrong.
Whatever the cause, good service means recovering from a difficult situation.

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Acknowledge the problem.
Whoever’s at fault, acknowledge the problem. Customers want to know you recognise
that there is a problem. Offer an apology even if you know you are not to blame, but
don’t blame others, either. Apologising for the inconvenience does not admit blame.
It builds rapport with the customer.

Listen, ask questions and show that you care.

It’s tempting to be defensive, but nothing makes customers angrier. Give your client
or the customer your full attention and listen. Asking a few well-placed questions will
demonstrate you are taking them seriously. It’s also important to acknowledge that
people have feelings and emotions: “I understand this is frustrating”.

Fix the problem.

Tell them what you can do, not what you can’t do. Look for a way to fix the problem
fairly. Some rules can’t be broken (those that relate to safety, for example). Others
may be bendable. All people want to be treated as individuals. Research shows that
one of the most common sources of customer dissatisfaction is ‘lack of flexibility’ from
the service provider.

Consult with managers and supervisors.

Ensure that clear communications paths are established and maintained between you,
your supervisor or manager, and clients, employees and customers. Make sure that
you report all necessary information and that you actively seek out ways to improve
the services provided.

Follow through.
To recover the situation, you may have to make new promises. Be sure you can deliver
on these promises (or don’t make them!). Take time to check that things were resolved
to the customer’s satisfaction. Customers feel doubly cheated if the recovery process
fails.
Respond to client complaints or special requirements.
Communication and/or mobility-impaired customers have the same requirements as
other customers: quality products and services that meet their needs, including
reliability, and competitive market prices. As it happens among most consumers, staff
attitude is a key deciding factor. We would ideally suggest providing specialised
training for managers and staff.

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If you are not used to communicating with a person who has any kind of impairment
and have any hesitations or concerns, use your common sense. Be polite, considerate
and patient as, in some cases, it may take a little time, depending on the person's
impairment.
The section on Communications deals with understanding different cultures, and
customers with special needs.

Complaints
Where you receive a complaint about your company’s services or contract compliance,
refer these immediately to your supervisor and inform the complainant of your
actions, recording all details in your notebook. Follow up with the complainant in a few
days and verify that action has been taken.
If you receive a complaint about your own performance, do not panic or try to fob off
the complainant (a good strategy is to always have a supply of your supervisor’s
business card in your pocket). Write your name on the back, hand it to the complainant
and use words such as: “Thank you I appreciate your feedback, here are my
supervisor’s contact details”, so you can direct the complainant to your immediate
supervisor.
Record all details in your notebook, if you have made a mistake, “Do not hide this”.
Record the details of the mistake and what you have done to prevent a recurrence.
You will then have this available to show your supervisor, if required.

Rights and responsibilities of clients

Clients enter into agreements with security firms (either a written or verbal contract)
all contracts should where possible be in writing. The contract will include
specifications about what each parties’ rights and responsibilities are, these are then
usually transferred to a written document called SOPs.

Client feedback
Security officers or supervisors working on a client’s site build relationships with
clients, it is important that relationships are maintained on a professional basis. Best
practice is to hold regular meetings with clients, these can be formal or informal (over
coffee or lunch etc), keep diary notes of each meeting and following each meeting
prepare a report for your immediate supervisor, include feedback obtained such as
client satisfaction with the service provided and importantly areas of concern where
the client would like to see an improvement.

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Techniques for gathering and analysing client feedback using interviews and surveys.
Techniques for gathering client feedback can include regular meetings or formal,
interviews. Regular meetings could include scheduling regular lunch or coffee sessions
and informally gathering feedback on the organisation’s performance. Prior to the
meeting review the performance of your team and actions they have taken to
overcome issues that have arisen, including customer complaints. Make notes in your
diary of the questions you will ask your client. Asking the client if he was satisfied with
the performance and any suggestions for improvement show that you are proactive.
Whilst formal sessions should include a full review of all work mapped against the
contract / assignment instructions

Interview / research techniques

Review the ways to gather information and select the methods suitable for you.

• In-depth interviews -- questioning one or several people open or closed

questions to gather response.
o Closed question – Did you leave that gate open?
o Open question – Do you know who left that gate open?
• Informal conversation -- allowing the conversation to follow its own course and
listening carefully for key information. Listen to stories and jokes and learn from
them.
• Survey research -- asking a number of people the same series of questions
either through administration of individual questionnaires! or through focus
group interactions.
• Observations -- observing the everyday life or specific events in the life of the
community.
• Content analysis or secondary research -- studying or analysing documents,
newspapers, books, and movies to gain an understanding of the culture.
• Experimental research -- in which you set up a situation, carry out planned
changes, and observe the results.
• Case studies -- intensive study of certain aspects of one person, family, or
situation.

How to engage people with individual social and cultural differences.

The culture in which you are raised greatly influences your attitudes, beliefs, values,
and behaviours. In order to provide sensitive and effective care to clients from cultures
that are different from your own, two things must occur.
• An awareness of your own cultural values and beliefs and a recognition of how
they influence your attitudes and behaviours.
• An understanding of the cultural values and beliefs of your clients and how they
influence their attitudes and behaviours.

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Identify a close confidant Identify someone who may help you "bridge the gap"
between cultures. Make sure the confidant you select is still in touch with his or her
culture. Often the people most accessible to a newcomer are those who relate more
to outsiders than to those within their community. Therefore, they may not be
representative of the community. Be aware that in all communities, cliques or
subgroups exist. Gather information and generate referrals to other community
members from people representing various subgroups, age groups, and both sexes.

Types of security clients and available services and security systems to meet their
needs.
One standard of service does not meet all client’s requirements, the following are
some common service standards available.

Type of Client Possible services to meet their needs.

Shopping centre • Security officers on duty in malls to maintain order,
patrol carparks enforce conditions of entry.
• May be required to assist centre manager in fire
drills or communicating with store owners etc.
Nightclub • Crowd controllers on duty to manage entry and exit,
queue management, review persons,
• Managing responsible service of alcohol
Coin Laundromat • Closing and opening services
Retail store • Mobile patrols after hours
• Cash escorts
• Staff escorts at closing times
Sporting event • Staff on gates verify access rights.
• Staff patrolling grounds maintaining order.
• Cash in transit
• Removing non-compliant patrons
Concert • Staff on gates verify access rights.
• Staff patrolling grounds maintaining order.
• Cash in transit
• Removing non-compliant patrons
Hospital • Assisting medical staff (Nurses and Doctors manage
abusive and / or violent patients)
• Patrolling wards and casualty
• Escorting staff at shift changes
• Patrolling pharmacy / drug storage areas

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 Chapter 18
Defensive tactics
There are many areas within the security industry where Security Officers may be
required to defend themselves or others. The professional Security Officer will develop
tactical negotiation techniques which, when used correctly, will enable the Security
Officer to reach a peaceful conclusion without needing to resort to violence. It is not
anticipated that Security Officers will go looking for trouble; however, sometimes it
happens, and you may be required to use force. Each type of security role has its own
inherent risks and continual training to deal with these risks is required. Some common
examples (this list is not exhaustive) are as follows:
Crowd control
Crowd controllers are responsible for maintaining the peace in licenced venues and
require the skills to deal with intoxicated persons. The situations that may require the
use-of-force include preventing a person who is unduly intoxicated from entering
licensed premises; removing a person from licensed premises; breaking up a fight
between two or more persons; protection against an armed offender (broken bottle,
glass etc.); and dealing with queue-jumpers at entrances and taxi ranks.
General security duties
Security Officers stationed in schools, office buildings, shopping centres / malls and
factories may be required to deal with domestic situations, e.g., a person has arrived
at the site and is arguing with their partner. This could be physical and may involve
them both turning on the Security Officer. Other examples include removing persons
who are non-compliant with “Terms and Conditions of Entry”; detecting criminal
activity; and in rare situations, dealing with an “Active Shooting” emergency.
Aviation Protection Officers
Security Officers employed in Aviation roles rarely are required to use force. However,
it does happen occasionally that a Security Officer may be required to use force to
prevent a person entering a sterile area.
Maritime security guards
MSG’s may be required to use force to prevent someone entering or remaining in a
maritime security zone.

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Cash-in-Transit Security Officers
These Officers may be required to use force to prevent someone removing their
firearm from their holster (firearms retention technique). The techniques discussed
here in this book will need to be adapted to the environment you are employed in and
will also require ongoing training to ensure the techniques, when required, are
employed instantly and instinctively.
Health Care Security Officers
Security Officers in health care environments are more likely to be confronted by
people adversely affected by drugs or suffering from mental health issues, especially
in facilities that incorporate psychiatric departments. Security Officers employed in
these facilities need to ensure they are aware of the safety issues in dealing with EDPs
(emotionally disturbed persons).
Martial Arts
A common question is whether Security Officers should learn martial arts / boxing
techniques and, if so, which style. Any system of self-defence will serve the purpose of
ensuring that the Security Officer maintains both physical and emotional fitness. If you
can devote the time and effort to training in martial arts or boxing, or any other sport
that assists you in maintaining a level of fitness, this is good for you and will ensure
that you can apply the techniques described in this book. In regard to what style of
martial arts should be considered, the recommendation is that you choose a school
that is close to you and is easily accessible. Even better is if co-workers attend with you
so that you all develop teamwork skills.
Security Officers should always use the techniques that are contained in this book or
in their WI’s (work instructions) whilst dealing with offenders. These are “Legally and
Tactically Defensible” techniques and are designed to ensure both the safe and
effective removal of persons and the protection of the Security Officer (or others).
Work Instructions (WI’s)
Security Officers must always refer to their WI’s and applicable legislation with respect
to use-of-force to determine which techniques they are authorised to use, under what
circumstances.

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Tactical withdrawal (Flight or Fight)
When confronted with any conflict situation where a use-of-force option is likely and
all tactical negotiation techniques have been exhausted, the Security Officer must also
consider Tactical Withdrawal techniques.
Tactical withdrawal allows a Security Officer the opportunity to withdraw from a
situation prior to engaging in a use-of-force option. It is not always possible to do so.

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Prior to withdrawal, the Security Officer would need to consider their “Duty of Care”
responsibilities in this situation, and the level of training and support available to them.
Risk assessments should be completed for each assignment by an appropriately
qualified and experienced supervisor / manager. The risk assessment would identify all
anticipated risks to the Security Officer and others, and the resources required to
manage these risks as well as any additional training requirements.
A crowd controller would be expected by his co-workers, managers, and clients to have
the necessary skills, techniques and training to be able to negotiate with an intoxicated
person; or to deny them access to a venue; or to remove them from a venue as
appropriate. However - it would not be reasonable to for such a Security Officer to
"Tactically Withdraw", in order to avoid dealing with an intoxicated person. This is an
anticipated critical role within their job description and cannot be avoided (just as you
would not expect a rugby league forward to avoid a tackle: forwards are generally
chosen for their size and strength and are expected to run with the ball, to attack, and
to make tackles).
However, if a crowd controller was confronted with a situation they were not trained
or equipped to handle, Tactical Withdrawal could be appropriate. Tactical withdrawal
should always be considered and, in any use-of-force report, should be addressed as
to why it was not implemented (i.e., with respect to duty of care to customers).

Underpinning knowledge
There are many points to consider that we have discussed previously, prior to applying
any use-of-force. Before being placed in a position where a use-of-force option may be
necessary, the Security Officer must have knowledge of the laws applicable to use-of-
force situations, including assault, self-defence, duty of care and WHS considerations.
The Security Officer must also understand the employer’s WI’s.
In addition, the Security Officer must be conversant with the use-of-force model
(continuum) and conflict resolution techniques to assist in selecting and implementing
the appropriate options when this is necessary. After the event, the Security Officer
must document these in the use-of-force report. Also, the Security Officer must
understand basic First Aid techniques that might be required for any injuries caused
when a restraint of a person becomes necessary, e.g., positional restraint asphyxia.

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The following issues must be fully understood by Security Officers.

Four (4) Fatal Errors

The longer any physical encounter continues, the increased likelihood of injury there
is. Exposure to injury is not restricted solely to the resistor, but also to all Security
Officers involved in the use-of-force encounter. A continued risk assessment of the
subject’s behaviour is necessary to determine the suitable application of force that is
required. Prolonged application of force or restraint may create medical distress to the
subject.
Being aware of the following specific medical risks will assist the Security Officer in
ensuring the safety and welfare of any person to whom force is being applied, and in
avoiding foreseeable fatal risks that may occur if signs are ignored. The four (4) fatal
errors are:
• Neck restraint
• Pain compliance
• Medical distress signals
• Positional asphyxia
All use-of-force encounters are dynamic and require continual monitoring to prevent
the situation rapidly escalating into a fatal outcome.
Neck restraints
Neck restraints should not be used under any circumstances, unless it is a lethal force
encounter. In all less than lethal force encounters, neck restraints should never be
used. Neck restraints are classed as deadly force.

Lateral Vascular Neck Restraint (LVNR)

Lateral vascular neck restraint is a technique that uses a controlled application of
pressure to the vagus nerve, carotid artery and jugular vein found to the side of the
neck. Pressure to these points affects the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain,
causing the heart rate to slow due to a stimulation of various nerves to the brain: this
results in the subject becoming unconscious. The vagus nerve controls the withdrawal
of blood from the brain. Over stimulus of the vagus nerve can cause the subject to have
a seizure that may mimic active aggressive resistance. Prolonged pressure - more than
four minutes - may cause permanent brain damage or death.

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Respiratory Neck Restraint
Respiratory neck restraint is a technique that uses a controlled application of pressure
to the trachea (throat) found at the front of the neck. Compression to the throat
generates a high degree of pain creating an adrenal rush which can trigger the fight or
flight sensor, enhancing the subject’s pain and survival threshold and, again, causing
the subject to act in a fashion that might be mistaken for active aggressive resistance.
This also can make it difficult to identify if the subject has sustained an injury.
Prolonged pressure will create the muscles surrounding the trachea to swell, causing
possible death by asphyxiation.

Pain Compliance
All control and restraint techniques (or defensive tactics) rely on a physical control
concept known as ‘pain compliance’. Pain compliance is the controlled application of
force to manage resistance or aggressive behaviour in an individual. Pain compliance
relies on a basic punishment-reward system. If the individual is non-compliant by
resisting or behaving in an aggressive, obstructive or threatening manner, the Security
Officers can apply controlled pressure. This controlled pressure, in turn, causes a
sensation of pain as a form of discipline. This behaviour management system should
be coupled with effective communication skills, particularly focusing on non-abusive
verbal commands. When the individual complies with the requests of the Security
Officers, such that the individual is no longer aggressive or ceases to resist, the
individual is rewarded. This reward is in the form of pain reduction.
Effective communication skills, especially loud, clear vocal commands (case studies
have shown that without loud, clearly audible and repetitive vocal commands), the
application of pain compliance techniques will actually increase the level of resistance
and aggression from the individual. It has been shown that, at any time the individual
experiences unexpected, moderate levels of pain, the individual’s ability to hear and
comprehend commands is greatly impaired. Therefore, it is necessary to repeat verbal
commands at least three times before most individuals who are subjected to pain
compliance techniques actually hear or comprehend those commands. A Security
Officer must remember that individuals cannot comply with requests or understand
what is expected, if they do not hear or understand the requests. Since the entire
concept of pain compliance relies on the punishment/reward system, it is very difficult
to justify the use of pain compliance techniques if the individual simply does not
understand what is expected of them. It is therefore recommended that, at any time

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a pain compliance technique is employed, the Security Officers(s) should keep
repeating any verbal requests until the individual complies.

How are pain compliance techniques used?

The main objective in using pain compliance techniques is to hinder the aggressor’s
movements or ability to counter-attack. This is achieved by keeping the subject off-
balance and ensuring you are outside the aggressor’s fighting arc. This will prevent the
attacker executing a counter measure to either strike or regain their balance.
Pain compliance techniques are used to:
• Place the offender/aggressor off balance, thereby affecting their stance and
mental focus.
• Create or to inhibit movement.
• Interfere with the reaction time of the aggressor.
• Create distance or a gap.
• Immobilise the attacker or subject.
• Distract the offender.

When to reduce pain?

The application of any pain compliance technique is to be discontinued once the
Security Officers determine that full compliance has been achieved and when you and
your restraint team are safe and out of harm’s way. Remember - a promise of pain is
used if the subject continues or attempts to continue with unacceptable behaviour.
Before any pain is reduced, you must ensure that the subject is unable to attack. You
do this by lowering their stance creating a downward pressure reducing their ability to
generate attack with a kick or substantial power to off-balance you or your team.

Use of Voice Commands When Applying Pain Compliance

Use clear, loud, simple commands combined with the application of pain compliance.
This will assist the Security Officer in gaining subject control. For example: "Walk!" -
"Will you comply?" - "Stop!" - "Extend your legs!" - "Spread your legs!" - "Turn away
from me!" - "Pain will be reduced if you comply" (remember that not all the pain is
reduced) etc. Allow time for the subject to act. Their physical and mental facilities may
be affected due to an injury, fear, intoxication, communication barrier or confusion.
Communicating with the offender also lets you know the subject is still breathing. If he
or she is yelling or swearing at you - let them - as this proves they are still breathing.

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Visual Signs of Pain
The study of pain is of great importance for a Security Officer due to the duty of care
they have to others and the legal obligation that exists to justify every action when
applying any amount of force upon a subject. During a training session we use the word
“danger” or the tap-out principle 8 to indicate pain or discomfort. This is made clear
during training but will certainly blur the clarity in a real situation. The subject we wish
to control, or escort will not know these techniques or may be intoxicated. Their body
reactions might be different ways to those experienced in training. When placed in a
volatile situation, fear can often reduce your ability to react soundly, and this can lead
to you not being aware of what the subject is experiencing. Visual awareness is
important - carefully observe the subject and watch for any of the following signs of
pain: shaking - change of colour - excessive sweat - stillness of motion - facial tension -
over-reactive response - desire to comply by changing stance, by drawing away from
pain. Knowing these signs will assist you in better controlling the situation and will help
you in judging the correct amount of force needed in applying these techniques.

Positional Asphyxia
Definition: death as a result of body positioning that interferes with breathing; also
known as restraint asphyxia. In its broadest sense, it refers to a state in which the body
is deprived of oxygen. This results in a loss of consciousness and/or death.

Factors that may increase risk of positional asphyxia are:

• Neck or chest compression, or airway obstruction which restricts breathing
(increased when the subject is placed in a prone position, on stomach).
• When the subject is exhausted or has tense muscles.
• Increased when intoxicated or under the influence of drugs.
• Excessive weight, elderly or pregnant.
• Medical problems - respiratory problems, cardiac disease.
• Chemical agents, allergic reaction.

8
The tap out principle involves the restrained person tapping his leg with his hand to indicate that he or she is withdrawing
consent for the continued application of force.

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Avoidance Procedures
The Security Officers and all team members involved in the restraint of the subject
must ensure that:
• the Subject has a clear, unobstructed airway.
• no pressure is applied to the nose, mouth, neck, chest or abdomen of the
subject.
• the use of supine or sitting positions is used as a priority and attention is paid
for any signs of distressed breathing, and
• close observations are maintained for signs of fainting, drowsiness, collapse or
shock.

Signs a person is under the influence of drugs.

• Bloodshot eyes, pupils larger or smaller than normal

• Tremors, slurred speech, or impaired coordination
• Unusual smells on breath, body, or clothing

Signs of positional asphyxia

Pay attention to any complaints by the subject that they are experiencing difficulty
with breathing: such reports should never be dismissed as a ploy by the subject to
increase their chance of evading the restraint. In such cases, the team may relax their
restraint as much as possible in order for the subject to recover, either by a 'stop and
rest' manoeuvre or by placing the subject in the 'recovery position’.

Reactionary gap / reaction time

All self-defence classes and martial arts schools teach or practice the reactionary gap.
Basically, it means that if someone (a perpetrator) is within your reactionary gap, they
will be able to attack you before you have the opportunity to respond. The best way
to think of this is your immediate personal space. This is an area around you of
approximately 2 metres: to be safe, maintain this reactionary gap by ensuring no-one
is within it. However, this is not possible at all times as we constantly allow people to
be inside our personal space to communicate with them. It is impossible to maintain
this space in crowded venues such as nightclubs, concerts etc. What is important to
remember is that, if people are within our personal space, we need to maintain
alertness. Remember - our personal space is 360 degrees, but we can’t see behind our
backs. So, place yourself in such a position that another Security Officer can see behind

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you, and you can also see behind them. By doing so, you can then provide mutual
assistance if anything happens. There is an excellent video on surviving edged
weapons9 which is of particular interest as it highlights the 21-foot rule. (6.5m) The
video states that in the time it takes the average officer to recognise a threat, draw his
sidearm and fire 2 rounds at centre mass, an average subject charging at the officer
with a knife or other cutting or stabbing weapon can cover a distance of 21 feet
successfully. What you need to consider is this: if an attacker with an edged weapon is
within this 21-foot distance and you only go for your firearm, the attacker may cut you
before you have a chance to draw, shoot and hit target. Therefore, regardless of
whether you are armed or unarmed, you should consider tactical withdrawal or
alternative tactics, such as placing an object between the attacker and yourself etc.
You can increase your reaction time by increasing the reactionary gap. This will provide
you more time to analyse the situation and react accordingly.

Relative positioning
Relative positioning is a principle of zoning, as it relates to the relative position of the
subject to the officer.
• Inside position: directly in front of subject.
• Level I: (Interview Position) a 45-degree angle to the front.
• Level II: side by side.
• Level II 1/2: (Escort Position) to the rear, oblique.
• Level III: directly behind the subject.
The Security Officer has to establish the need to restrain, secure or escort a subject in
accordance with the established threat. The Security Officer needs to select an
appropriate stance and distance from the subject to maximise his or her ability to apply
recognised hold techniques quickly, and then discontinue contact at cessation of the
threat. Operation records and reports (use-of-force report), need to be prepared in a
timely manner, presenting all relevant facts and information in accordance with
established assignment instructions.

9
Surviving Edged Weapons", released in 1988 by Calibre Press.

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When working in a team (of two) one officer may approach from the interview position
to communicate with an offender whilst another officer approaches from the escort
position.

Image: Security officer approaching from the Interview position

Image: Security officer approaching from the escort position

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Strike zones
Security Officers only strike offenders to protect themselves or others. If you are
required to strike an offender, the strike should be delivered (either empty hand or
with impact weapons) to areas of the offender’s body that will create short term pain,
allowing the Security Officer sufficient time to apply a restraining technique.

Strike zones are separated into two categories.

Table: Strike zones

No target zones (unacceptable target)

There are areas of a person’s body that should not be targeted whilst applying striking
techniques. These are all spine, joints, head and groin, as strikes to these areas are
more likely to result in permanent injury to the person (see diagram on next page).
Even in a lethal force encounter where the offender is armed with a knife, broken
bottle or syringe, targeting the strike zones will be more effective in getting the
offender to drop the weapon.

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 Figure: Joints of human body – no target zones

Figure: Muscle groups of human body –target zones

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Target zone areas
The areas highlighted with green dots (previous page) are the preferred target zones
for any fluid shock wave strikes. Strikes to these areas, either empty hand strikes or
from impact weapons, are less likely to break bones. In any violent encounter where a
Security Officer uses force, there is a possibility that non-target areas may be struck.
This in itself does not make the action unlawful, but it is important you record in the
use-of-force reports, the actions you took and the results of those actions.

Table: Methods of application

Methods of Application
There are three methods of application, each with individual attributes for varying
effects: touch pressure, quick penetration and striking (fluid shock wave).
It is important you learn the theory on the preceding pages associated with all use-of-
force concepts and techniques. In the following pages, we illustrate some of the
physical holds, restraints and strikes. Not all techniques will work on everyone and not
everyone can successfully use every technique. The professional Security Officer
should learn which techniques they are capable of using and practice these, in both an
individual role and in teamwork situations.

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It is important that you practice defensive tactics with varying sizes and sexes of
officers as this will create variations to the outcome of techniques. It also creates a
different perception to observers.

Stance techniques – Bladed Stance

Maintaining a correct stance and posture is important for the wellbeing of a Security
Officer - some work assignments require you to stand for long periods of time. A
comfortable stance will assist you in reducing stress and fatigue.
Also, your stance must be suitable for any activity you are about to encounter. If your
feet are together and parallel, you can easily become unbalanced. A good stance
provides a platform from which you can easily communicate with customers whilst not
look aggressive, but whilst maintaining the ability to respond as and if required with
the appropriate use-of-force options, including empty hand, impact weapons or
firearms. A good stance is a foundation upon which to build all your skills.
A good stance is this: feet - shoulder-width apart with one foot slightly in front of the
other. This is known as the Bladed Stance and is also referred to as the Weaver Stance
in firearms courses. Where arms are folded or in pockets it increases the officer’s
reaction time and places them in danger.

Folded arms Hands in pockets Good stance

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The various stances
Learning any technique of self-defence requires a foundation in basic skills. The first
skill is stance, and the best stance is one that the Security Officer can use on a daily
basis either when communicating with customers or when questioning suspects. The
Security Officer will need other stances when apply defensive tactics techniques
and/or impact weapons or when handcuffing and when using a firearm. There are
many stances taught for each of the above, and each has its own benefits.

Natural stance
The Images on the following pages were taken with the Security Officer using his
natural stance which, as you can see, varies considerably. And in some cases, where
feet are close together, the officer in a position where they can easily be taken off-
balance. The natural stance can include adaptions of the weaver and isosceles stances,
adapted to suit the Security Officer’s physique.

The adapted Weaver stance10

The weaver stance involves the positioning of the feet into a walking stance, with the
off-side foot ahead of the strong side foot. A right-handed Security Officer 11 will have
the right foot angled out to approximately 45 Degrees to the side and to the rear at
shoulder length. Most of the weight will be on the forward foot, with the forward knee
slightly bent and the rear leg straight. The person’s upper torso should be leaning
forward at the hips, putting the shoulders just over the forward foot. The positioning
of the rear foot will assist in absorbing the force of re-coil when shooting, blocking
strikes etc.

The isosceles stance

A true isosceles stance is where the officer stands with both feet shoulder-width apart
parallel to each other and pointing in the direction of the person you are
communicating with.

10
The weaver stance was developed by a Los Angeles County Deputy Sherriff John Weaver in Southern California in the
late 1950’s for use in teaching handgun stance techniques. The author has adapted the weaver stance so that one stance
can be utilised to use whilst communicating, applying defensive tactics, impact weapons, using handcuffs or firearms.
11
Reversed for left-handed person.

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Stance techniques – Defensive Stance
When approaching a person from the rear, the defensive stance is best selected. This
is approximately 45 degrees on either left or right-hand side, at the rear.

Image: Defensive stance (officer is in the escort position)

Stance techniques – Interview Stance

The interview stance is adopted by assuming the defensive stance at the 45-degree angle to
the front of the person with whom you are communicating.

Image: Interview stance (Officer is the one on the right-hand side)

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Blocking techniques
If a person throws a punch or otherwise strikes at you, you must block for your own
protection. However, simply blocking without a follow-up is asking for trouble: as you
keep blocking, the offender will keep striking. You must follow up with either impact
techniques (a strike) or a lock-and-hold technique.
One option is to incorporate a strike into your block, as the best method of defence is
to attack. The block should have sufficient force to block the strike and should be
directed towards impact zones - radial or median, as appropriate. The Radial impact
zone is approximately halfway between elbow and wrist on the top of the arm, while
the Median impact zone is underneath the arm and between elbow and wrist (closer
to elbow than wrist).

Image: Upper block Left hand) and Right hand ready to block or strike.

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Blocking, locking and holding technique.

Offender has grabbed the front of the Officer's shirt and is about to strike the officer.

Image: offender grabs officer’s shirt Image: Offender is raising arm to strike

Image: offender strikes, but is blocked by officer, who Image: officer raises right hand to protect face and
simultaneously grabs and secures offender’s other simultaneously raises elbow, and grabbing and twisting
hand. offenders’ hand

Image: officer simultaneously twisting hand and rolling Image: officer rapidly rotation offenders’ arm to take
the right arm over offender’s elbow joint offender off balance. (take down technique)

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Blocking, locking and holding technique.
Continued: here, the offender has grabbed the front of the Officer's shirt and is about
to strike the officer. Whilst the offender is “Held” on the ground, the officer should
monitor the offender to remain alert for signs and symptoms of positional
asphyxiation.
Whilst offender is held, the officer should either request back up on the radio, or
request someone else do this if another officer is available.

Image: the offender is losing balance, and officer Image: the officer has secured offender on the ground and
straightens offenders’ arm (Lock) and pushes down. places offenders’ hand in a wrist lock variant.
(applying take down technique) (Locking technique)

Image: officer placing arm behind offenders back to Image: Officer is holding offender in position, and
hold offender in place whilst awaiting assistance / communicating with offender, to monitor offender’s
support. (holding technique) wellbeing, and prevent positional asphyxia.

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Come-along hold.
The Come-along hold (sometimes called the No 1 Come-along hold) is ideal for
removing uncooperative people from a venue, using the least amount of force. It is not
ideal for restraining a person in a stationary position as it is most effective when you
are moving forward. It can be used effectively by two Security Officers with one on
each arm, escorting a person from a venue.

Image: Come-along hold: approach from behind the offender, one hand on wrist (rotating like a motorbike throttle)
whilst support hand is under the elbow joint. The offender's arm should be angled towards your hips and the Security
Officer's body weight used against the arm to propel the offender forward.

Image: come-along hold, applied by two officers

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Wrist lock
The wristlock is an ideal escalating use-of-force option where a Come-along hold is not
working, and/or the offender is resisting, and control cannot be maintained.

Image: approach subject from escort position and secure Image: whilst securing subject's hand, bring the other
subject's hand arm up underneath arm pit and apply pressure to
elbow bend of subject's arm

Image: bring inside hand over subject's hand so that your Photograh: side view: ensure subject's elbow is secured
middle knuckle is over the subject's middle knuckle. in your sternum, to avoid elbow strike to your jaw. To
gain more control, twist subject's hand or thumb.

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Wrist lock and hold.
If you cannot control offender with a wrist lock, an escalation technique to hold the
offender is as follows.

Image: push offender's arm across their chest and raise

Image: raise your right arm and press offender's arm to
your left arm over your right arm
their chest.

Image: raising left arm to apply scissor lock. Image: apply scissor lock pressure to subject's arm and
walk them forward to remove them from venue.

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Strike and lock technique
The common peroneal nerve is located on the outside of the leg, approximately 10 cm
above the knee. When struck, it causes drop foot, preventing the offender from either
pursuing the officer or escaping. This distraction allows the officer to then place a hold
on the offender to control them.

Image: approach from escort position Image: officer preparing to strike.

Image: officer applying strike to common peroneal nerve Image: officer securing arm of offender, ready to apply
(causing offender to drop his arm). an arm lock.

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Strike and lock technique (continued):
When applying a striking technique with the knee, aim for the position approximately
10 cm above the knee and on the trouser seam (if there is one) but in the middle of
the outside of the leg. Do not strike and then pull the knee back. Instead, use the hit
and stick technique - strike and keep the knee in contact with the leg for a few seconds.
This is called the fluid shock wave principle.

Image: officer places arm over and under offender’s arm Image: officer simultaneously lifts up on right arm and
presses down on left arm, whilst walking forward.

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Block and take down.
Security Officers must always anticipate a person’s next movements and determine
whether they a threat or not, be ready and be alert! If a strike is directed towards you,
you must block and take the next appropriate action. This will depend on the
opportunities available. These Images show the series of steps required to block and
take down an offender and restrain them on the ground until support arrives.

Image: offender shows signs of aggression Image: offender strikes and officer blocks

Image: officer brings right arm under offender’s right Image: officer controls offender's arm, ready for take
arm down

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Block and take down (cont'd)
Remember when applying any techniques, we owe a duty of care to each offender
(and to others). Be alert to your surroundings and protect the offender's head.

Image: officer pulls offender's arm backwards, taking Image: officer pulls offender's arm backwards, taking
offender “off balance” offender “off balance”

Image: officer continues to apply pressure until offender is secured on the ground

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Block and take down (cont'd)
Once the officer has restrained an offender on their back, the offender should be
monitored for signs of positional asphyxia. A simple strategy such as asking, “Are you
alright sir (or ma’am)?" is enough to elicit a verbal response. Any verbal response will
do - even foul abuse - this is what we want because, as long as an offender is verbally
communicating with us, it means they are still breathing.

Image: officer rotates offender's hand clockwise, simultaneously providing verbal command “On your back!”

Image: officer has placed offender on their back (this is not a good holding position).

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Impact Techniques (to less-than-lethal parts of the body)
The use of impact techniques (striking) should be a last resort and used only when
absolutely necessary (e.g., when other techniques have either failed, or it is not
possible to deploy them).

Image: officer striking radial nerve motor point Image: officer striking median nerve motor point

Image: officer blocking and preparing for next step. Image: Incorrect impact technique.

Summary
Defensive tactics cannot be learnt from a manual or video, manuals and / or videos will
assist in supporting knowledge components of a course, practical instruction and
assessment by a qualified instructor will ensure the officer is competent (only on the
day they are assessed) to maintain currency of skills and knowledge officers should
practice their skills and best if these are practiced with the teams they work with.

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 Chapter 19
Patrol Premises
Security Officers undertaking mobile patrols need to prepare for the tasks they are to
undertake during a shift. Some Security Officers may take vehicles home and
commence duty from home while others start from the control room or depot.
The first stage of preparation is to confirm you have sufficient resources and
equipment to complete your tasks - creating a simple checklist for each patrol zone will
assist in this respect. The standard operating procedures (SOP’s) should be very specific
and list the personal protective equipment required, as well as any other equipment
such as torches and keys. The AIs should also contain detailed run sheets with
instructions for each client’s patrol. Run sheets could be computerised or may be based
on manual systems. The run sheets will detail the standard of service required by each
client and all relevant task information, such as how many visits per night, key
numbers, access codes for alarm systems, and whether the visits are to be internal,
intermediate or external. You may be required to manually record the times of each
visit on the run sheets, or you may be required to use a data reading device.
Security Officers utilise specialised technology to assist them in their tasks. For
example, a mobile patrol vehicle should be fitted with satellite navigation/ global
positioning system (GPS) so that officers working alone are able to have their locations
monitored for their safety by an operations room or control room. The vehicles could
be fitted with on board computers connected to remote operations / control rooms,
providing details of tasks to the Security Officer to be performed in real time, and
allowing the Security Officer to record the results on screen to finalise the task, also in
real time.
The primary aim of the Security Officer is to protect our customers “From all forms of
loss”. Each customer will have identified their own range of potential losses via a risk
assessment. The Security Officer should be aware of his/her role and the client's
expectations. Whilst some clients are concerned about physical security, i.e.,
protecting their premises from being broken into or vandalised, others are more
concerned about intellectual or non-tangible assets. For example, the nightclub/bar
owner is concerned about keeping his liquor licence, whilst the city council is
concerned about being sued by someone who is attacked or hurt in a council park.
This is why it is important that Security Officers employed on mobile patrols are aware
of what the customer's expectations are, so that the Security Officer can protect the

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customer's interests. The customer provides assignment instructions to your
employer, who then assigns them to your supervisor or perhaps directly to you.
All customers are different and have different needs. Customers may request routine
external patrols daily but may also provide keys and access codes for you to enter the
premises in the case of an alarm or emergency. You may be asked to routinely provide
a safe escort for staff to a car park or other area or assist staff to close and secure a
workplace after late night trading or overtime. For example, a takeaway food chain
that has junior staff working late, may request a patrol Security Officer to attend at
closing time, to wait until parents etc. have picked up all staff.
Some customers will request that you enter the premises on the weekends or each
evening and check that equipment is turned off, windows are closed, and doors are
locked. You may be required to check that temperature gauges on equipment are
within defined guidelines, etc. - for example, freezers in a supermarket or incubators
in a hatchery. Regular patrols and designated alarm responses and assignments will be
provided to you by a supervisor or other authorised person.
You may not always receive these instructions in writing. However, if the customer is
expecting a service that is ongoing and performed at set times, your instructions will
generally be provided to you in writing. If you work at a permanent site, your
assignment instructions may be provided to you in writing by your employer or
supervisor and you may also receive instructions directly from the customers either as
notes to you in a logbook, verbal instructions*, or in a site instruction manual.
*Note: where you receive verbal instructions from a customer, always confirm /
validate them. For example, you should have the customer’s mobile phone number or
email address: request the customer to text or email to you the instructions. If you
have a smartphone, you can receive the email immediately. If the customer does not
confirm the instructions via text or email, it may be because they do not have their
phone with them. You should send them an email or text confirming their instructions,
copying (CC) this to your supervisor. Another important tip: if you are using a corporate
mobile phone / smartphone, programme it to blind copy (BCC) all messages to your
personal email address so that you always have a personal copy of messages.
The site instruction manual is usually referred to as standard operating procedures
(SOPs). These instructions will normally be quite detailed and provide you with
information on plant and equipment, emergency procedures, contacts and other
relevant information regarding the site and the customer.

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Whenever you receive instructions verbally, you should record your instructions in
your Security Officer notebook, as well as the date and time you received the
instructions and the name of the person who gave them to you. Always notify your
employer of the details of any additional verbal instructions you may receive.
Smartphones come equipped with many standard features (Apps) that a Security
Officer can use to assist them. Some are as follows:
Camera: you can take photographs of clients you find on premises that do not have ID
on them and email them to a supervisor or manager who knows them and can verify
their identity. You can take photos or videos of vehicles, numberplates, registration
sticker details etc. as you enter a customer’s premises and record these in your
notebook later. Remember to save the original evidence.
Voice memos: you can record conversations you have with customers and save these
to a file on your personal computer at the end of each shift (most smartphones will
provide a capacity to record for 12 hours. This allows you to turn on the voice memo
function at the start of a shift and forget it. Get into the habit (if your smartphone does
not record date and time on voice files) of recording verbally the start and finish of
each voice memo. For example: "Richard Franks starting duty at 1800 hours this 23rd
day of July 2013".
Find my IPhone®: this facility can assist the Security Officer locate his/her IPhone if you
have lost it. If it is a corporate phone, the owner (employer) of the phone can find your
location.
Encrypted folders: most smart phones now either come equipped with encryption or
have app’s (applications) available to encrypt files. This should be done for all client
files, contacts etc.
Torch: the light from a smartphone screen can assist you locate keys etc. If you
suddenly find yourself locked in a dark room or stairwell, there is also a torch app
available which can be quite useful as well.
In the event of an emergency, alarm response, patrol or staff escort, your assignment
instructions may be provided to you verbally from a control room. The control room
operator will provide you with all of the information you need to carry out the response
and will provide you with any additional instructions you may require once you are on
site.
Whenever you commence a shift, you should check any written assignment
instructions, clarify any new instructions and ensure that you have the equipment
necessary to undertake your duties (client keys for example).

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Preparation requirements
All Security Officers are to present themselves for duty in their full uniform and carry
the following (suggested) equipment:
• Current security licence (in accordance with SOP’s - some jurisdictions
require this to be worn by the Security Officer and be clearly visible)
• Torch (both day and night patrols).
• Security Officers notebook and pen
• Food for breaks - include a Protein energy bar, water bottle etc.
• Radio and or mobile phone / smartphone including spare batteries or battery
chargers / life extenders.
• Personal first aid kit (note this is in addition to any first aid kit supplied in the
security vehicle and is required to treat any injuries you might sustain and
protect you from infection.
• Disposable latex gloves.
• Spare padlocks.
• Accurate watch.
• Personal Protective Equipment (as identified in a risk assessment) - possibly
including retroreflective vest, flares or orange flashing lights, emergency
rescue tool (Including seat belt cutter / glass breaker), body armour, firearms,
batons and/or handcuffs.

Authors note:
Prior to carrying any personal issue PPE or other equipment, always obtain written
approval from your employer to do so. Also check your state laws to confirm it is legal
to carry. In regard to the Emergency Rescue Tool, if you only need this once in your
life, it is worth it. The Author personally has used a seat belt cutter twice in his career
when he was first on the scene at a vehicle accident, and recommends you carry it
where it is easily accessible in an emergency. Security Officers performing mobile
patrols regularly work at night, in the rain and are likely to be first on the scene at a
vehicle accident, especially if you drive on country roads. Your vehicle may just get a
flat tyre. If you have to change a tyre at night, you need to follow basic safety
procedures such as put on your hazard lights, wear a retroreflective vest, this will
increase your visibility and safety.
If you are first on the scene at a vehicle accident, it is sometimes hard to remove a
person from a vehicle - in both of the situations where the author removed people
from vehicles, they were upside down and the seat belt releases were locked in

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position. The seat belts could not be released using the normal seat belt release. Whilst
the Author has not had to use a glass breaking tool yet (and hopefully will never have
to), he still believes it is a worthwhile tool to carry.

Endorsement re Glass Breaking Tool 12

When I attended my security course in 1990, Richard Franks mentioned the benefits
of carrying a seat belt cutter with me at all times. As a Security Officer, I carried this for
10 years, and when I joined the Queensland police service, I continued to carry this
every day. I have used the seat belt cutter at car accident scenes 15 times and believe
its use has directly save 3 lives. It is well worth carrying (FGG).
Knife Blade - Seat Belt Cutter - Glass Break

Use of a torch.
The author always recommends that Security Officers carry a torch, even whilst on day
shift. A small tactical torch can be easily worn on your duty belt. You never know when
the lights will go out in a basement, car park, stairwell or other internal area just when
you need to find a key to open a door, or access an alarm etc.

Training new patrol Security Officers

In the bad old days, training of new Patrol Officers generally consisted (by all
companies) of sending out a new Patrol Officer with the existing Patrol Officer (unpaid)
for two nights to learn the patrol rounds. Now Security Officers undertake the licensing
course and are paid for on-the-job training.
Whilst it is important that new officers learn the patrols and are shown all clients and
potential hazards, the first patrols performed by new Patrol Officers should be a
daylight patrol on a weekend. This allows the Security Officer the opportunity to see
the client’s premises including areas where people (offenders) could conceal

12
FGG is a current serving police officer and as such cannot endorse products; his name is kept on file for validation.

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themselves, and also become aware of the layout / terrain of the premises. Other risks
include areas where dangerous materials / chemicals are stored, and loose or rough
floor surfaces that make you susceptible to trips and falls. If you look at most premises
from the customer’s perspective, you will see a clean storefront and inside shop area
that is tidy. However, go behind the premises and look where rubbish is stored - you
will see many hazards.
Training should include instruction on the client’s requirements directly as per the
SOP’s and not just passed down verbally from one Security Officer to another. Properly
conducted risk assessments will identify all hazards and risks and allow procedures to
be put in place to minimise these risks.
All new Security Officers should also be aware of communications requirements and
procedures, the location of any dead spots (areas where mobile phones and/or radios
do not work). They also must know back up procedures, estimated response times and
local emergency contact numbers for clients and in case of emergency response
requirements.

Risk assessment
The role of a Mobile Patrol Security Officer is to actively “patrol” an area or site with
the intention of identifying any and all risks and threats. Whilst you are there to protect
the premises and property from others, you also have a duty of care to yourself and
any colleagues who may be patrolling with you. When you approach any premises, you
should apply risk identification tactics to your patrol procedures. This is where a visit
to the client’s premises by a supervisor to perform a risk assessment should be
undertaken. During the risk assessment, the supervisor can take photos of the areas
which are required to be checked, and of any hazards on site.
Performing mobile patrols on a small restaurant may seem like a low-risk client, but
what hazards are there really for the Security Officer?
The risk assessment should include a site map which identifies the location of all
hazards, as well as all security lighting and access points. It should include details of
the standard of service required by the client. The results of the risk assessment should
be provided to each Security Officer involved in performing security duties on the
client’s premises.

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Managing a customer’s keys
Security Officers conducting mobile patrols are required to manage the security and
access to clients' keys. Many clients who require a key holding service, do so in case
they lose their keys etc. These keys would be stored in the control room. Some keys
are required by the Security Officers to access a client’s premises whilst conducting
patrols or to respond to alarm activations. These keys are stored securely in the patrol
vehicle. Care must be taken by the Security Officer to ensure that the key box is kept
secured when not in use. Keys are usually numbered with a client code so that, if keys
were lost or stolen, it is not easy to identify which client they belong to. Security
Officers therefore need to secure their vehicle at all times, when they are not in it.
Carding up
Many security companies no longer “card up” clients' premises - the Author believes
this is a big mistake. The reasons we use cards is not only to verify our attendance, or
the number of times we attended or times of attendance. The recording of times and
verification of attendance can easily be performed by data reader systems. Cards are
a tool of the Security Officer conducting patrols: they can assist the Security Officer by
identifying if someone has entered a premise since it was last checked.

Door carded Carded up padlocks

Considering that Security Officers conducting mobile patrols may have 100 clients
requiring multiple visits per night, cards play an important role in the Security Officer
assessing the risk of entering a client’s premises. The fact that a card is missing or is
disturbed provides early warning to the Security Officer that an offender may be on
site. Cards can also be used on internal doors of a client’s premises (which are visible
from the exterior), so that when a Security Officer is performing a follow-up external
check of a client’s premises, he/she can look inside and see if the premises have been
tampered with. The backs of cards can be written on to provide notes to clients, such
as when doors and windows are found open.

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Guard Tour Systems
A security manager plans guard tours to meet the security and safety requirements of
the facility. The security manager decides where officers are to patrol and determines
where checkpoints will be located to ensure that the officer has actually visited an
area. The security manager also decides what incidents or observations are to be
recorded. These vary depending on the type of facility and the specific security needs.
An officer may be expected to confirm, by reading an incident button, that specific
doors were locked, an area was free from debris or spills, and so forth. The security
manager can also set up special tours such as safety checks for AEDs, fire extinguishers,
or exit signs.

Photograph: Security Officer using the “Pipe” reader to

record a patrol visit Photograph: Guard plus “Pipe” system comprising reader,
software and set of buttons

Pipe Readers. Each Security Officer is supplied with their own unique button, which is
scanned at the start and completion of each shift to ensure all recorded tasks are
allocated to the correct Security Officer. When a tour is completed or any time since,
the PIPE can hold several days or weeks of information, depending upon use. The
officer or supervisor downloads the data by placing the PIPE into a downloader, which
automatically transfers the data to a PC. Downloader versions are available for direct
connection to a PC, or for transfer via LAN, WAN, or the Internet. Each PIPE holds 4883
button reads and can be fully downloaded in less than a minute. Once the data has
been successfully transferred, all button reads stored in the PIPE are cleared and it is
ready to be used for a new tour.

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Security vehicles
Patrolling a customer’s premises is a task undertaken by all Security Officers. There are
some Security Officers whose sole task it is to carry out mobile patrols on customers'
premises using a designated mobile patrol vehicle, whilst other Security Officers
stationed on a customer’s premises conduct patrols ancillary to their guarding
functions either on foot or in a vehicle. Security firms select the type of vehicle based
upon client’s specifications (in the contract), fuel economy and the terrain to be
protected.

Vehicles:
When security officers are accompanied by a dog, the vehicle should be suitable and
safe for the dog, vehicles could include:

• Bicycles
• Motorcycles
• Personal transporters (Segways)
• Golf carts

Image: Security officer with dog

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When purchasing patrol vehicles, security companies should undertake an assessment
to determine the suitability of the vehicle for its intended task, not just purchase one
based upon price alone. Once the vehicle is selected, it should be sign-written to clearly
identify it as a security vehicle. Accessories such as satellite navigation, radio
transceiver, fire extinguisher and a first aid kit should also be fitted.

Check calls.
It is important that all Security Officers understand the requirements (in accordance
with the SOPs), to perform check calls at predetermined times. This would include
commencement and cessation of shifts, as well as at least hourly throughout the shifts.

Photograph: Security Officer performing a check call with control room.

Failure to perform a check call at the designated time should initiate action by the
control room to attempt to locate you.
Where performing a patrol on a client’s premises the mobile patrolman will need to
contact the control room and advise them of their arrival and departures from the site.
If it normally takes only 15 minutes to complete the patrol and now 20 minutes has
elapsed since the on-site call entering the premises, the control room can follow up to
ensure the mobile patrolman is OK. If they cannot contact the Patrol Officer, they can
despatch another Patrol Officer (or Police) to the last known point and aid if required.
If clients are found working back late or are delayed for other reasons, contact control
room and advise them accordingly, so that they are aware of any changes.

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Vehicle inspections
Security Officers should check the mobile patrol vehicle prior to starting their shift.
There should be a vehicle inspection check list to record things such as:
• Oil and water levels.
• Lights and indicators and windscreen wipers are functional.
• Tyre pressure.
• Spare tyre is fitted.
• Recording the odometer readings.
• Safety equipment, jacks, tools, is in place.
• Vehicle is roadworthy.
• Visible body damage.
The SOP’s should document the procedures to follow to log on/off the vehicle-
monitoring device in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions and workplace
policy, if these are fitted to the vehicle. Post start-up and shut-down checks are to be
carried out after the engine is started to identify possible engine or electrical problems.
The owner’s manual for the vehicle should be in the glove box of each patrol vehicle.
Security Officers should use it to familiarise themselves with the operation of each
vehicle they drive, as there are important safety features contained in these manuals.
In the event of a warning light illuminating on the dashboard, the owner’s manual can
be referred to, in order to determine if there are minor repairs that can be carried out
by the Security Officer or whether a breakdown service is necessary (in accordance
with SOP’s).
Security Officers should also check under the bonnet to ensure all fluid levels are
correct, as per the owner’s manual of the patrol vehicle. It is important that Security
Officers read the owner’s manual of each vehicle they drive as these contain important
safety information relevant to the particular vehicle. The radiator cap is not normally
removed to check fluid levels, as inspecting the reservoir can achieve the same thing.
If the radiator cap is to be removed, follow safety procedures in the owner’s manual
to avoid being sprayed with boiling water. If oil is changed old fluid should be placed
in a sealed container and disposed of at an oil recycling facility, some council landfills
have oil disposal facilities available.

Tyres
The inspection should include tyre pressure and whether the tread wear is even, and
its depth is legal. Do not forget to check the spare tyre: some spare tyres are in

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locations that are hard to get too, but at 0200 hours when you need a spare tyre, it can
be frustrating to find that the spare is flat. If the vehicle is fitted with “Run Flat” tyres,
be aware of the requirements for operating when flat, such as speed limits etc.
Safe tyres – the tread depth must be at least 1.5 millimetres right around the tyre. If
your car is fitted with winter tyres, these must be fitted to all four road wheels and
have a tread depth of at least 4 millimetres right around the tyre. All tyres have tread
wear indicators moulded into the tread grooves. Where your tyres are worn down to
the tread wear indicators on any part of the tyre, the tyre should be replaced. Ensure
you check all of the tyres tread area, including the inside of the tyre's tread.
If you notice the tyre tread is getting low (but still legal), mark this on the inspection
sheet. This will assist the company allocate funds for new tyres and make appropriate
arrangements for vehicle to be inspected.
Old tyres must be disposed of properly they cannot be placed in normal rubbish,
usually the tyre dealer that changes them will charge a small fee to dispose of them.

Lights
Headlights, taillights, brake lights, hazard lights and indicators all require checking to
ensure they are fully operational and roadworthy.

Implications of not checking the vehicle correctly.

There are several consequences that are likely to impact on Security Officers if they fail
to check a mobile patrol vehicle prior to using it:
• You may get in an accident if the vehicle is not roadworthy.
• You may be injured as a result of being involved in an accident.
• You may get charged (whether you are in an accident or not), if you are
caught driving an un-roadworthy vehicle. This could result in a fine or loss of
points and you will be responsible for the fine, not your employer.
• If you are in an accident and someone else is injured, there is a possibility
that you could be charged under Work Health and Safety Laws and / or Traffic
or Criminal laws for failing to check that the vehicle was safe. For instance, if
the vehicle had seriously bald tyres, and the steel belts were clearly visible,
and this contributed to the accident.
A simple visual check of the vehicle prior to commencement of shift, for body damage
should be performed. You should then record the details on the vehicle check sheet,

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as failure to identify a damaged body panel could cause a situation where you are
blamed for the damage. Take photos of damage prior to commencement of shift.
Types of patrols on premises
So, you can see that there are diverse ranges of clients that require security patrols.
The client brief sheet (example next page) should contain information about the
service required, and details of the risk assessment should be either attached or
included on the rear of the page.

Table: Client brief sheet

All patrols services can be classified as either a safety check; a lock up; or external,
intermediate or internal calls. Some clients may request a combination of these. For
example, a client may require the first call to be an internal check (where the Security
Officer performs just an external check) followed on the second call by an internal
check to ensure all lights are turned off, safes are secured, and alarms are on - followed
by 3 external checks throughout the night.

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Some clients require lock up and/or opening checks. For example, a coin Laundromat
may require the Security Officer to ensure the premises are secured at a designated
time and then opened at another designated time. Another example of a lock up check
is where the Security Officer arrives at a fast-food restaurant at closing time to ensure
all junior staff are safe before they are picked up by parents, etc. Safety checks are
performed on premises where staff are still working (e.g., hospitals etc.) by the Security
Officer randomly calling in to ensure that all employees are OK.

Opening and Closing checks

Some clients require the services of mobile patrol Security Officers to open and close
(or supervise the opening and closing) of their premises at pre-determined times.
Examples include coin laundromats, fast food franchised restaurants etc. The brief
sheet or run sheet will designate the times you are to open and/or close the premises,
as well as any other action that is required (for example, remove money from machines
and place in night safe etc). Many coin laundromats are unmanned and rely on the
Security Officers to open and close them, whilst franchised fast food outlets require a
security presence to ensure junior staff are protected at closing.

External check
An external check of a customer’s premises is conducted to ensure that the premises
have been secured when the customer has departed for the night and that no one has
broken in or vandalised the premises since then. It is during the first check of the
evening that the Security Officer should make sure all doors, windows, gates etc. are
secured, and that there are no broken or cracked windows or fresh graffiti. If a breach
of security is identified, the Security Officer will take the appropriate action (refer to
SOP’s). This could include calling the designated after-hours contact to attend to lock
doors etc. If the Security Officer has keys, that can be done by the Security Officer. An
incident report will be required for each such event.
Where graffiti, cracked windows etc. are found, it is advisable to photograph it on a
smartphone and email a copy to the supervisor, in order to provides a record and to
enable you to know if further email is added later on. On large factories or
sportsgrounds, the Security Officer may be required to perform a physical check, either
by vehicle or on foot, of the boundary fence to ensure it is intact It is important the
incident reports are created and submitted to the client so that appropriate repairs
can be made. If repairs are not made, it makes it difficult (if not impossible) for the
Security Officer to identify if the fence has been tampered with on subsequent visits.
In the absence of repairs, emergency repairs can be made (with zip ties for example).

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These will not secure the fence; however, they will enable you to see if further
tampering occurs.

Using a torch for external checks

A torch can assist in identifying signs of unauthorised entry. Broken or cracked
windows will reflect light differently to intact windows.

Image: Security officer performing an external check.

Whilst performing any external check on a building, you can still look inside a
customer’s premises for security issues. Some examples, which have occurred whilst
conducting external checks, include:
Fish and Chip shop: whilst performing the 2nd patrol of the evening, it was noticed that
there was a small flame coming from under the gas fired vats (potential fire hazard).
The customer had forgotten to turn off the vats. The customer came out and turned
off the vats, and then asked why that wasn’t picked up on the first visit. The reason
was that the client had a timer on his internal lights: they turned off at 2200 hours,
which prevented the flames from being seen until then. It was only when the premises
became dark that the flames were noticeable. Always be vigilant when performing
checks.
Finance company: whilst performing an external check on a finance company following
an alarm at the premises, the front door was found open. Upon entering the building,

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a lady was found sitting in the reception area - she was waiting for service. This was a
Saturday afternoon at 1400 hours, and the finance company had closed at 1200 hours,
leaving the doors open. The customer just walked in and sat down, activating the silent
alarm.
It is quite often the case that clients work back late, without having identification on
them. In these cases, you must verify their identification and authority to be on site
after hours by contacting the approved after-hours contact. If any damage is identified,
incident reports need to be completed, and the client notified in accordance with
SOP’s. Some may request you call them at home for every incident, whilst for other
clients it will be sufficient for you to leave an incident report at the location.

Image: security officer identifying a broken window with a torch.

Where gates are located unsecured, but the chain and padlock are intact, it is
sometimes useful for a Security Officer to use a spare padlock to secure the existing
padlock to the chain. This way both the security company and customer can access the
premises and you can retrieve the spare padlock later.

Intermediate check
Some clients (for example transport depots, sand and soil / garden supply, sand pits,
quarries and construction sites) may have an external fence that requires checking by
the Security Officers, in addition to buildings and equipment inside the fence line.

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These clients do not require the Security Officer to perform an internal check of the
building. The Security Officer would perform an external of the fence line, and then
enter the gate, securing it behind once inside. Whilst inside the fence line, the Security
Officer would check equipment as listed in the SOPs.
This could include:
• Fuel bowsers, checking that they are secured and not leaking. Fuel is often
the target of thieves, and kids can cause vandalism and considerable loss by
releasing the fuel from an unsecured tank.
• Vehicles left on site. Trucks, forklifts, lawn mowers, etc. that are left outside
should be checked to ensure keys are not left in the ignition.
• Council (or similar premises) may request that you check local swimming
pools to ensure that the covers are in place in the winter months when pools
are closed.
• Construction sites may request that you ensure no-one is on site inside the
construction zone.
• Sand pits or quarries may request that you patrol regularly to ensure people
are not riding trail bikes etc. in the sandpits or congregating (partying) near
lakes or water holes on site.
Clients are required to ensure the health and safety of people who are likely to enter
their premises. This duty of care applies to anyone who can reasonably be foreseen as
likely to be injured, harmed or killed by an act or omission. This includes contractors
such as security personnel. It is to be assumed that the owner of a large sandpit would
reasonably foresee that people could ride trail bikes on site, so hiring security to ensure
they are removed from the site, is a key means by which they adhere to their duty of
care obligations. Every security company should undertake a risk assessment on each
new client (and conduct regular reviews) to identify all hazards that could affect the
Security Officer’s safety whilst patrolling the premises. It is also the Security Officer’s
responsibility to comply with any safety instructions issued by their employer and with
local safety instructions that apply to the client’s premises.
Rental car depots (and similar buildings) may require an intermediate check so that the
fence line is checked, followed by a check inside the boundary fence to check all
vehicles and fuel bowsers and to confirm that external areas of the building are
secured.

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Vehicles and equipment
Whilst patrolling all premises, checks of all vehicles should be made to ensure that keys
have not been inadvertently left in the ignition. If this happens, the risk is that an
intruder could start the vehicle and cause damage to property or injury to persons. In
any case a damage might arise against the client. Vehicles are not restricted to just cars
or trucks - they also include ride on mowers, boats, Segways, earth-moving equipment
etc. If a Security Officer finds a vehicle with keys in the ignition, the keys should be
removed, and the client notified in accordance with SOP’s.

Internal check
Where a client requests an internal check of their premises, the Security Officer must
perform an external check first. The external check will provide an indicator to the
Security Officer of the likelihood of an intruder being on site. For example, if all doors
and windows are secured, it is less likely an intruder is on site. If a door is open or
unlocked, it is more likely that someone will be onsite.

Image: Security Officer performing internal check.

Here are some tips and issues to think about when conducting a patrol:
• Make sure that you have all of your equipment and that it is working properly
before you begin your shift.
• Always assume there is a security breach – DON’T BE COMPLACENT.
• Patrol quietly – don’t alert any offenders to your position.

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 • Vary your patrol route – don’t make the mistake of being predictable.
• Never smoke or light matches when you patrol – this may indicate to others
where your position is, and it may also be an offence to smoke within a
workplace.
• If you think you hear a suspicious sound or smell an unusual scent – stop,
look and listen – this could save your life and the lives of others.
• Improve your night vision by using your torch only when you need to – it can
take your eyes a moment to focus, if you have to look behind you.
• When using keys and opening locks, be prepared: have your key ready and
as soon as you have the key in the lock, lift your head and look around you.
• If you think there are persons on site who should not be there, find a
concealed position and wait, listen and observe. If you confirm there is
someone acting suspiciously or hiding from detection, remove yourself from
any danger and report the details to your control centre or base station.
• Be ready for all emergencies.
• Be calm and in control of your emotions – never panic as that could cost you
your life.
What to check:
• Check fence lines – look for holes, broken gates, unlocked gates, parcels or
goods thrown over to be collected later or placed nearby to aid climbing. If
there are overhanging trees – report them as a potential threat to security.
• Check all gates, windows, doors, and all entry points – they should be
securely locked.
• Appliances and machinery should be checked – your site instructions should
tell you which items should be left on, and which items can overheat and
cause a fire etc.
• Turn off any lights that should not be on and close doors behind you as you
patrol.
• Check taps and water areas and be alert for unusual situations. Overflowing
drains and flooding should be reported.
• Check that hazardous chemicals and materials are stored correctly.
• Challenge any persons on site who normally would not be there – especially
if they are moving equipment or supplies – and record and report their
details.
• Check toilets, as well as behind curtains, blinds and doors.

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 • Check car parks and loading docks and report and record the details of any
vehicles that are not normally on site, or equipment that has been left
unsecured.
• Remove obstacles from pathways, corridors or hallways.
There is little doubt that night patrols are the most dangerous and that the majority of
serious offences are committed at this time. Darkness can convert a relatively harmless
facility into a place fraught with peril. Even with the aid of artificial light, distances
become difficult to judge and shadows create additional hiding places for offenders.
Switch the lights on as you enter a room. In a darkened place an offender’s vision will
have become accustomed to the dark. If you have just come from a well-lit area, it can
take up to ten (10) minutes for your eyes to fully adjust. An intruder will be
momentarily blinded when confronted by sudden bright lights. If they are unaware of
your presence, sudden light may also either momentarily freeze the intruder in the
bright light or startle them long enough for you to locate them. It is your responsibility
and duty to know the premises you are protecting and to identify where light switches
and danger points may be. Continually check your own safety – make sure that you
don’t place yourself in dangerous or threatening situations when you don’t need to.
If you attend an alarm response and there are offenders on site – don’t put yourself in
danger in order to apprehend them. Only perform an apprehension when it is safe to
do so. If, for instance, the offender is carrying a weapon or there is more than one
offender, remove yourself from the situation quickly, request assistance and observe
the scene so that you may assist Police or other emergency personnel with up-to-the-
minute information.

Image: Security officer operating alarm panel

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Security Systems
Mobile Patrol Officers and Security Officers are required to operate clients alarm
systems when entering and exiting premises. During induction training, you will receive
specific instructions on operating and maintaining security systems in accordance with
SOP’s/ SOP’s and manufacturer’s instructions. When attending initially, the alarm
panel will display the zones where alarms have been activated or indicate that all is
OK. It is important to follow SOP’s when attending an alarm: accessing the code
correctly will record the time you attended and departed the premises. Access control
systems (when in use) will allow you to enter specific pre-set sections of the premises
and can assist in identifying to others your location within the premises.
Alarm signals are often transmitted to a control room / monitoring centre, and it is
required you maintain contact with the control room / monitoring centre whilst
responding to alarm responses.

What do security systems detect?

The security system consists of an alarm panel (the part that is visible to the officer)
and one or more detection devices.
These include but are not limited to:
• door contacts (reed switches) that indicate when a door is open (or has been
opened)
• motion detectors (either microwave, passive infra-red (or a combination of
both)
• smoke detectors,
• glass-break detectors, and/or
• CCTV security cameras etc.

Access codes and/or access swipe cards should be secured in the same way keys are
secured, in order to prevent unauthorised access. Alarms can be audible, such as a
siren or bell located externally, silent where the alarm is activated at a control room /
monitoring centre.

.
Control Room or Monitoring Centre

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Vehicle approach and positioning:
Can you approach with good visual access to your area? Can you park near lighting?
Do you need to park in the dark? Does the position allow you to observe your foot
entry points and surrounding areas? Do you have good visual access of the car when
you return to it? Have you spent time examining the area? Have you secured keys etc.?

Image: Security officer investigating an activated alarm.

Foot approach
When approaching a client’s premises on foot, make sure you allow sufficient time for
your eyes to adjust to the dark (if required). In Queenstown, New Zealand, it is daylight
till after 2100 hours in summer which provides an opportunity to secure many clients
premises (first check) before it becomes dark. However, in winter it becomes dark
much earlier than that. Use all of your senses, not just sight. If you think there is
something different about the client’s premises, investigate until you identify what it
is. Perform a check call on arrival and departure so that the control room are aware of
your movements and last known location.

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As you approach (either on foot or by vehicle), be aware of the surroundings - is the
lighting the same? Did you see lights inside being switched on or off? Are any external
windows open (at night you will always get a reflection from closed windows by shining
a torch on them)? Are there any vehicles parked nearby? Especially ones that were not
there earlier? If so, record the registration numbers in your notebook and even check
if the bonnet is warm, which indicates recent use.
Aerial View of Gangsters Bar.

Image: Layout of Gangsters bar (Bar, bottle shop and warehouse)

Building approach
When approaching a building during the day, you can see external windows (upstairs)
which cannot be physically checked if you are only performing an external check.
Shining a torch or spotlight at the windows will provide a visible indication that the
windows are secured. If performing an internal check, you should always perform the
external check first to determine if potential intruders are on site.

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Building entry
If you find signs that the client’s premises have been broken into, you need to contact
the control room for further instructions. Offenders could still be onsite, or you could
interfere with valuable crime scene evidence if you enter. Whilst it may only be an
isolated case of vandalism, it is impossible to determine this with an external check.

Bushland / garden
• Be alert for snakes/spiders/hiding offenders: they can all bite.
• Local knowledge.
• What effect does your knowledge of the client and the area have with respect
to your tactical mindset?
• What’s out of place?
• Be aware of seasonal issues.
• Make notes or take photographs for future reference.

Know the premises.

To carry out duties efficiently, you must be thoroughly familiar with the premises you
are protecting. It is your responsibility to acquire all of the necessary information as
soon as you begin a new patrol site.
You should make sure that you know:
• Locations of telephones.
• Locations of key personnel and how they can be contacted.
• Locations of fire alarms and fire-fighting equipment.
• Locations of emergency exits and stairs and where they lead.
• Locations of sprinkler control valves.
• Where dangerous goods, hazardous materials or supplies are stored.
• The client’s rules relating to safety and fire emergencies.
• Locations of first aid stations.
• Locations of light and power switches for machinery.
• The general layout of the site and the locations of various buildings,
departments and offices.
The need to be very familiar with the location of key personnel and the general layout
of the premises is also important from a public relations point of view. Employees and
visitors may ask you for information and directions. It is a part of your role to be well

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informed, to give correct information and, when necessary, to direct people accurately
to their destinations.

Mechanical equipment
Never attempt to operate mechanical equipment of any kind (for example, plant,
boilers, refrigeration, compressors or forklifts), unless you are specifically qualified to
operate that equipment and it is a requirement of your employment. Unless there is
an emergency, no equipment should be operated unless that task is specifically listed
in Site Orders or SOP’s as being part of your patrol duties.

Alarmed premises
Client premises may be electronically alarmed or have an access control system. The
system may control entrances and exits for all or parts of the premises. Become
familiar with the type of system, the control unit and the procedures for investigating
and resetting the system to maintain the correct ‘seal’ status.

Theft prevention
Pay special attention to carelessness or suspicious attitudes in areas where attractive
or valuable items are used or stored. Report areas where tools or attractive items or
equipment are left lying around after work has ceased. Check tool cribs or storerooms
for the presence of unauthorised persons or employees acting suspiciously. Identify
any property found outside its normal area: it may have been deliberately placed in
readiness for a theft. Challenge persons moving equipment or supplies. Submit any
recommendations for the improvement to the protection of property. The client and
your employer will thank you for your suggestions. You can record suggestions in the
logbook or make a formal report.

Clients working late and unauthorised personnel.

It is your responsibility to challenge and identify all staff (including senior
management), or personnel working after-hours. Establish that their presence is
properly authorised. The fact the staff or management may be known to the officer
does not negate this important security requirement. You have not completed your
patrol unless contact is made, you have checked all identification, reported the
identification to the base station and recorded the incident in the logbook or on your
patrol docket.

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Your safety
In the event you do disturb intruders or detect any incident of a serious nature, your
primary responsibility is to ensure your own safety, not the security of any valuables,
premises or money.

Breaches of security
If you detect a breach of security or a break and enter during your inspection:
• Contact the control room immediately with brief details of the break and
enter.
• The control room operator will contact the client and/or the police and
provide you with instructions.
• Conduct a full inspection of the break and enter area, ensuring the crime
scene is secure and potential evidence is not destroyed or compromised.
Don’t touch things but record all details in your notebook and on the patrol
docket slip.
• If the internal inspection shows no breach of security and you are satisfied all
is secure, re-arm the alarm system and re-secure the premises.
• Contact the control centre and ask for a seal check, complete your patrol
docket and place it under the door or securely in a letterbox.
• Record details of nearby vehicles or observers either in your notebook or take
photographs with your smartphone.

Alarm Response
As a Security Officer, you may be required to attend to security breaches via
instructions from a control room or to respond to a security breach encountered
during your normal duties. Examples: as a mobile patrol Security Officer, you may be
despatched to an alarm activation either at a remote client’s premises by a monitoring
centre, or as a Security Officer stationed in commercial premises after hours. You may
also be despatched to an alarm activation locally by your onsite control room. On
receiving a request to respond, you will be provided with basic information about the
incident such as:
• Alarm status and what type of alarm activation has occurred (e.g., fire, burglary,
late to close, early open, break-glass, distress).
• How many sectors (areas) are in alarm.
• Location or address details, your key number, if you hold keys.
• Whether the client or other personnel such as fire or police are attending.

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The type of alarm activation will determine your response actions. The control room/
monitoring centre operator will assist you by providing additional information and
back up support if required and will usually have authority from the client to decide
what actions or responses are appropriate. There will be times when things go
wrong, and your tactical thinking and risk analysis should come into play as soon
as you attend the incident. Unless you are working on a site monitored by Close
Circuit Television (CCTV), the control room / monitoring centre operator cannot know
what is happening and will rely on you for further information. Observe the external
surroundings - note what is going on - examine vehicles, people, the environment, and
analyse the risks to yourself and to others before you proceed. Knowledge of the
client’s premises and prior activity will assist you in determining the risks. The
following are instructions on how to respond and when to request assistance:

Offenders on site
You may have arrived at a site in response to an activated alarm and find that there
are obvious signs of a break and enter. If you suspect or know there are persons on
site, immediately contact the control room / monitoring centre or whoever requested
your attendance and ask for assistance. If you are unable to do that, call the Police or
other emergency personnel yourself. Do not enter the premises unless you feel there
is a risk in not doing so. By entering, you may expose yourself to undetected
emergency such as a fire or chemical spill or to the threat of injury. This threat may
also apply to other persons already on site.

Security Officer responding to an alarm.

When responding to an alarm, it is usual to access the alarm panel upon arrival, thus
recording your attendance times and confirming to the monitoring centre your
presence. Some SOPs’ may specify that you are to radio in and not access the alarm. This
way, the location of the Security Officer responding to the event will trigger the alarm
and can be tracked by the monitoring centre and compared to alarm activations caused
by the intruder.
You must ensure that you are familiar with the duties and responsibilities required of
you in the event of a fire, chemical spill, armed hold up, bomb threat, or other
emergency where the evacuation of people may be required. Your function in these
emergencies is to assist in minimising or preventing the loss to life and property. Action
on your part is most important in the period before the arrival of emergency services
such as the fire brigade, ambulance or police. On arrival of emergency teams, hand

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control of the situation over to them, as these people are the professionals in this area.
Make yourself available to the emergency teams to advise or assist as necessary.
In any emergency, you must react as per the circumstances with the following points
in mind:
• To prevent further personal injury to any person, make sure that
further casualties do not occur, including yourself.
• Alert nearby personnel of the danger.
• Notify emergency services of the situation.
• Evacuate personnel, if necessary.
• Render assistance to injured persons.
• Ensure emergency services know the exact location of the incident and have
free access to the area.
• If possible, neutralise the hazard.
• Prevent further damage to property, if safe to do so.
• Make careful observations of the circumstances, so an accurate account can
be given to emergency crews and correct reports can be made.
Action on your part is most important in the period before emergency services arrive.
Mobile patrol Security Officers regularly attend client’s premises because of an alarm
activation, only to find an embarrassed staff member or business owner on site who
either typed in the wrong code or forgot to turn off the alarm upon entering after
hours. The professional Security Officer needs to assess this situation, identify the
persons and record the details in an alarm or incident response book.
Many jurisdictions now require verification that the alarm activation is not a false
alarm prior to despatching police. This is usually by video verification. If the alarm has
been verified (i.e., it is not a false alarm), the monitoring centre should inform the
security officer so that we can time our attendance with that of the local police and
assist by providing keys etc.

National Police Response Guidelines

On 1st July 2018 the guidelines were released, these are important guidelines for
control rooms and monitoring centres when requesting a police response. Security
operatives undertaking alarm responses should also be aware of these. They are
attached for discussion and review.

Emergency services should be notified when persons are being removed from
premises for, sexual assaults, assaults, stealing, or drug dealing.

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 Chapter 20
Screen people and items
Security Officers are often tasked with controlling access to a customer’s premises; this
includes overseeing who can enter the premises and what they can take into or out of
the premises.

Table - Secure sites

The customer’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) will provide guidance to

Security Officers about site-specific requirements. Security Officers will be required to
identify dangerous and prohibited items (as defined in the SOPs) and take appropriate
action. Security Officers may be required to search persons, vehicles and physical
effects. To undertake these tasks, Security Officers will be required to demonstrate an
understanding of appropriate legislation and SOPs and to maintain excellent customer
service skills whilst performing these tasks. As there will be differences between sites,
Security Officers who rotate between sites should ensure they are familiar with the
site-specific requirements for each site.
What are we screening for?
The organisations SOPs will describe what items security officers are screening for,
these will vary from site to site.

Weapons
Guns, knives and other weapons are screened using a variety of screening devices, walk
through metal detectors, handheld metal detectors or frisk searches. It is good practice
to maintain knowledge of current trends in concealed weapons as many are sold on
the internet.

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Some samples of items we are screening for.

Pistols Revolvers

Batons Magazines (Firearm Parts)

Knives Detonators

Belt Buckle Knives Disassembled firearms

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Improvised Explosive Device (IED)
In principle, all IEDs consist of an initiating mechanism, a detonator, an explosive
charge, and a casing or collection of projectiles (such as ball bearings or nails) that
produces lethal fragments upon detonation. Remember people may try to smuggle
components of IEDs or firearms into a venue so you must be alert for components that
are out of the ordinary.

Prohibited Items
Prohibited items are items not allowed in accordance with the SOPs for example a gun
club will allow persons to carry firearms and ammunition into the premises, a movie
theatre may prohibit people bringing their own food. It is a good idea to investigate
and find out why these SOPs are in place.

Security officers rostered on events or concerts need to be alert for people smuggling
drugs, alcohol or other contraband, drugs are restricted for obvious reasons, as they
are illegal, and deaths occur at concerts with inexperienced drug users and poor-
quality drugs readily available.

Alcohol may be concealed in water bottles, ponytails, soda cans, or any number of
other devices, Google how to get alcohol into a concert and you will see current trends
shared amongst people.

Prepare for screening.

Irrespective of the Security Officer’s duties (screening people or items), the Security
Officer must prepare themselves for the task ahead of them. “Failing to prepare is
preparing to fail”.
Most clients place signs in prominent positions to advise their customers of the terms
and conditions of entry - Security Officers should familiarise themselves with these
conditions. It is important that Security Officers prepare for screening duties by
familiarising themselves with the relevant legislation, codes of practice and SOP’s
applicable to the premises. This includes checking for updates and/or changes in
legislation and SOPs.

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Clarification of SOP’s is best obtained by checking the appropriate message logs on site
(or notice boards) on commencement of each shift. It is suggested that all Security
Officers commencing duty arrive 15 minutes prior to the shift commencing and
participate in a briefing session with the outgoing Security Officer which should inform
the incoming Security Officer of any changes (short term or long term) to the
customer’s SOP’s and/or legislation applicable to the premises. The customer's risk
assessments will determine the screening equipment to be used and when it is to be
used. However, prior to operating any screening equipment, it must be checked and/or
calibrated in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and/or SOP’s as
appropriate. See the section on "Operate Security Equipment" for more specific
information.
Screen people and items
There is a requirement to balance the competing needs of providing a secure
environment and maintaining customer service. Screening can occur when people
enter court houses, government buildings, theme parks, tourist attractions, high-rise
buildings and shopping centres/malls.

Screening persons entering shopping centres.

In Australia, entry and egress to/from shopping centres is totally unrestricted, meaning
people are free to come and go as they please. In some countries, all people entering
a shopping centre are screened and searched: the photo below, taken by the author in
the Philippines, shows customers wishing to enter the premises being divided into two
lines (male and female). All customers were frisk-searched, and bags were checked
prior to entering the shopping centre. The Security Officers wore gloves and used a
wooden dowel to search through bags and run over the person’s body. In Australia and
New Zealand, persons entering and exiting retail premises can usually see the
“Conditions of Entry” prior to entering the retail outlet. These signs are normally placed
prominently at the entry to the retail outlet. Customers freely enter and exit the
shopping centre as they please.
Security Officers patrol the common areas and police the “conditions of entry”. These
conditions could include:
• No smoking
• No riding of pushbikes or skateboards
• No photographs

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It is important that Security Officers interact with all customers in a sociably
responsible manner. For instance, if you notice a person smoking in the common areas,
you should politely approach the person and request they extinguish the cigarette. If
they refuse, you should request they leave the shopping centre immediately. Shopping
centres provide bicycle racks for those people who ride pushbikes, so that they can
secure their bicycles. If you confront a person in the shopping centre common areas
walking next to and pushing their bicycle, you will need to refer to your SOP’s and also
be aware of the tenants in the shopping centre. Is there a bicycle / sports store, or a K
Mart or Big W that sells push bikes? Did the customer just purchase one or are they
taking one back for warranty repairs?

Screening persons entering shopping centres.

Shopping centres are private property, and, within reason, the owners can put in place
whatever conditions of entry they choose. I have noticed that many now put up “No
Photograph" signs. Look around a shopping centre: how many customers have a
smartphone capable of taking photographs? As a Security Officer, you can request a
person to leave the shopping centre, but you cannot forcibly delete any photographs
they might have taken. The Author recently was approached in an Australian shopping
centre whilst taking photographs. The Security Officer said that it was for security
reasons as I could be a terrorist and getting the layout (floor plan) of the shopping
centre. Interestingly, after I went home, I Googled “floor plan of ------Shopping centre”
and there it was. There are probably many good reasons why shopping centres restrict
photographers, and it is their right to do so. These could include customer privacy and
security concerns in general. Maybe these reasons could be published on their
websites. Remember - as a Security Officer, you can request that people cease taking
photographs and you can request that they leave the premises. However, you cannot
forcibly delete any photographs13 they might have taken.

Screening persons entering banks or financial institutions.

Not all banks have Security Officers on duty. Each bank develops policies and
procedures based upon their own risk assessment strategies. Security Officers on duty
in banks (and other financial institutions) should be alert and be aware of the SOP’s
applicable to the site.

13
Areas other than private property (e.g., customs areas at airports, court houses etc) have specific legislation in place
with regard to photography and deletion of photographs. These duties are not normally the responsibility of private
Security Officers.

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Screening persons entering licensed premises (nightclubs)
Security Officers (usually referred to as crowd controllers) employed at licensed
premises such as clubs, nightclubs etc. are responsible for ensuring that the venue
complies with the appropriate liquor legislation 14, House Policy and responsible service
of alcohol (RSA) guidelines.
Each person in charge of licensed premises is responsible for developing and
implementing a House Policy and ensuring that all staff (including Security Officers) are
aware of the House Policy. Controlling the flow of people into and out of a venue or
event presents a range of potential risks to the health, safety and welfare of those
responsible for crowd control at entry and exit locations.

Image: security officers screening entry into the Gangsters Bar.

14
NSW Liquor Act 2007 and Liquor Regulation 2008
SA Liquor Licensing Act 1997 and Liquor Licensing (General) Regulations 1997
VIC Liquor Control Reform Act 1998 and Liquor Control Reform Regulations 2009
WA Liquor Control Act 1988 and Liquor Control Regulations 1989
QLD Liquor Act 1992 Liquor Regulation 2002
NT Liquor Act and Liquor Regulations
TAS Liquor Licensing Act 1990 and Liquor Licensing Regulations 2003
ACT Liquor Act 2010 and Liquor Regulations 2010
NZ The Sale of Liquor Act, 1989, Sale of Liquor Amendment Act 1999 and Sale of Liquor Regulations 1990

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House Policy
Harm minimisation is the concept of minimising the harm to the community and its
members, arising from the use of alcohol. A mandatory requirement for licensed
premises is the development of harm minimisation documents including a House
Policy, which sets out the terms and conditions for the use of the premises. The House
Policy should establish clear standards to be applied with regard to such things as
intoxication, juveniles, responsible service of alcohol and respecting your neighbours.
A good House Policy is a powerful tool for service staff to assist in the successful
prevention and management of intoxication and anti-social behaviour. The House
Policy should provide guidance and assistance to Security Officers, so that those
stationed at the entrance to the licensed premises:
• have sufficient light, so that they can easily view / verify acceptable evidence
presented for proof of age.
• are aware of the House Policy.
• have access to support, if required.
• are aware of location of CCTV systems; and
• are aware of the liquor licence conditions applicable to these premises.

Dress standards
The House Policy can set the venue’s dress standards; these requirements should be
clearly visible for all patrons to see before they enter the premises. For example, if the
venue has long queues, signs displaying dress standards or other conditions of entry
should be prominently displayed where customers can see them early in the queue.
This will assist in preventing arguments at the door with customers who have waited
for 30 minutes only to have access denied. Another strategy is to regularly walk up and
down the side of the queue, advising customers of dress standards etc. Monitoring the
behaviour of customers in a queue also provides possible indicators of undue
intoxication etc. Dress standards will vary between venues - if you are employed at
multiple venues, ensure you are aware of and enforce the correct dress standards.
Dress standards could require that appropriate footwear is worn between certain
hours or be of a certain standard and could restrict such items as sporting clothing (the
venue may prescribe that no football Guernsey’s or jumpers are allowed). Most venues
prohibit motorcycle club colours or other gang patches etc. and many clubs will not
allow visible tattoos. Security Officers must be familiar with the venue's dress
standards and apply these standards fairly across the board to all customers. It is also
prudent to ask “Why” - the answer to this will enable Security Officers to understand

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the reasoning behind the venue's dress standards. This, in turn, will assist Security
Officers in advising the dress standards to customers when queried. It is the licensee’s
right to implement dress standards - however, it is not a requirement of the liquor
legislation.

Evidence of age
Security Officers are to monitor the age of customers trying to enter a licensed premise
to verify that they are over 18 years of age. Only the following forms of identification
are accepted as proof of age to allow entry into the premises:
• a current Australian driver's licence or permit.
• a current Australian or foreign passport.
• other current identity documents approved by the Liquor Licensing Division
such as:
(a) The Victorian Key-pass
(b) An overseas driver’s license that must contain the person’s photograph,
date of birth and be written in the English language. If this license is not in
English, it must be accompanied by a current document (an international
driver’s license) that converts the document into English.
Strategies undertaken by Security Officers whilst monitoring the ages of patrons
include:
• Check ID in well-lit areas, so you can verify presented ID and customer match.
• Check ID where you know that CCTV systems are in operation. If liquor
licensing officers later catch an underage customer in the licensed premises,
where the customer has perhaps discarded their false ID and claimed you
allowed them to enter without scrutiny, you will have CCTV footage proving
that you checked the customer and their ID before allowing them entry.
• If ID Scanning procedures are in place, follow these procedures to scan
customer’s identification.

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If you suspect that presented ID is either fake or not the customer's, request a copy of
secondary identification. Ask the person some questions - for example:
• What month were you born in? Driver's licences usually show date of birth
as dd/mm/yyyy, so if the customer has memorised the date of birth on the
ID, they may need to pause and think whilst they calculate the month.
• What is your star sign?
• Are they an organ donor? (This is written on driver’s licences).
• What is your middle name?

Monitoring the number of persons in the venue

Security Officers on the door of a venue may be required to monitor the number of
people who are attending the licensed premises: The House Policy document will
provide guidance on this. There are a number of reasons that venues will restrict the
number of customers, including:
• Compliance with fire codes
• Compliance with conditions imposed on licenses.
• Insurance company requirements
• Results of risk assessments.
• Ensuring compliance with the required ratio of Security Officers to
customers.
A suggested ratio of crowd controllers to patrons is15:

Table: Ratio of Crowd Controllers to Patrons

15
Security Officers should check House Policy, assignment instructions or licence conditions to verify local requirements
for numbers of security staff on duty at any particular venue. (Western Australia recommend minimum of 2 crowd
controllers for the first 100 patrons and 1 per 100 thereafter.)

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Door staff duties
Door staff are responsible for meeting and greeting all customers. It is important to
remember that the Security Officer on the door of licensed premises is usually the first
person that customers will meet. Whilst maintaining customer relations is an obvious
duty of door staff, it is important that door staff realise that they can play an important
role in minimising harm to customers and prevent problems inside the venue by
implementing the House Policy of the venue. This includes:
• Monitoring dress standards.
• Verifying that all customers entering are over the age of 18 years.
• Monitoring the behaviour of customers prior to entering the venue and
refusing admission to those persons who either show signs of undue
intoxication, or do not meet other conditions of the venue's House Policy.
Letting unduly intoxicated customers into the premises only creates
problems for the bar staff and internal security staff, who may have to refuse
service or remove the customer from the premises.
• Monitoring the number of persons who are entering and leaving the venue.
(this can be achieved by use of a hand-held counter)

Screening persons inside licensed premises (nightclubs)

Security Officers stationed inside licensed venues should monitor patrons inside the
venue for compliance with the house policies and liquor legislation, including for signs
of undue intoxication, or underage patrons etc. Whilst it is the responsibility of door
and bar staff to check for these signs at entry, it is always a possibility that underage
persons might gain access to the venue, change their clothing to be non-compliant
with the House Policy or become unduly intoxicated whilst inside the venue.
Security Officers stationed inside venues should continually monitor bar staff and
other employees and aid where required. It is not to be forgotten that licensed
premises are private property and persons can be requested to leave where, in the
opinion of the Security Officer, patrons are not complying with the House Policy.

Removing persons from licensed premises

Security Officers must always follow the House Policy prior to making the decision to
remove a patron from the premises. Whilst it is against the House Policy to provide
alcohol to someone who is unduly intoxicated, the venue has a duty of care in relation
to their customers. Some alternate strategies to immediate removal, may include that

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the venue has a “safe room” where water and/or coffee is available (and no alcohol is
permitted), allowing persons to sober up, prior to leaving.
When Security Officers remove patrons from the premises, the venue still has a duty
of care to them. As the customer entered licensed premises under the control of the
licensee, the customer and licensee established a client / customer relationship and
the alcohol consumed on the premises had the potential to impair the judgement of
the customer.

Safe transport strategies

Security Officers should be aware of the availability of public transport at the venue.
Where no public transport is available, or access is severely restricted / limited, it is
expected that customers who have been removed from the venue or who have left of
their own accord will/may congregate outside the premises. Congregation of persons
outside the venue can cause noise complaints from neighbours, increase the risk of
violence amongst customers and make the venue unappealing to potential customers.
Some strategies to assist in removing patrons include providing a free courtesy bus to
transport customers to the nearest transit centre (bus, train or ferry terminals);
establishing a taxi rank in close proximity to the club; and monitoring the taxi rank

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queues to prevent queue jumping and associated violence. Many venues have VIP
membership programs which might include arranging a discounted chauffer service
from a VIP entrance/exit and encouraging VIP customers to use this service.

Image: Safe transport strategy of a local taxi rank,

Searching items
It is the role of Security Officers to search items carried by customers to ensure that no
dangerous or prohibited items are carried into the premises. In a retail environment,
it is also required that Security Officers inspect bags of customers who are leaving the
premises.
It is not to be forgotten that Security Officers have no rights to forcibly search a
customer’s bags. However, the owner or manager of the premises has the right to
request people voluntarily submit to a search or to deny access to the person. For
instance, customers wishing to fly out of an airport have a choice: submit to the
airport's screening process or don’t catch the airplane.

What items are we searching for?

Each premise will have different requirements. Prior to undertaking searching duties,
Security Officers should undertake instruction in what they are searching for and the

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methods and techniques of the searching process. In an aviation environment, the
screening methodologies are established in legislation 1617 whereas with other
customers, the searching process may be documented in SOPs or in the House Policy.

Image: A Security Officer conducting a bag search

Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s)

The SOP’s will specify who, when, where, how, and why you conduct a search. For
example, theme parks may be looking for weapons, retail outlets for goods not paid
for and movie theatres may wish to ensure you do not take your own food into the
cinema. It is also important that the security officer maintain the flow of persons
through the screening point to prevent a large queue forming.

Screening entry or egress

Facilities that are concerned about preventing theft will screen persons leaving the
premises. This could include factories, staff in resorts, retail outlets, sporting events,
theme parks, music events, etc. Facilities that are protecting persons within against

16
Aviation Security Transport Regulations, 2005, Regulation 4.17 Methods, techniques and equipment to be used for
screening.
17
Maritime Transport and Offshore Security Regulation 2003 Regulation 7.30 Methods Techniques and Equipment to be
used for screening (Large passenger Ship Screening Notice 2011

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threats from without (e.g., terrorist activity, or threat of active armed offender) search
people on entry. The SOP’s will provide specific instructions relevant to the premises.

Table: Dangerous goods

Bag searching techniques.
It is important to maintain a courteous and professional manner with customers whilst
searching their bags or possessions. Security Officers conducting bag searches must
refer to the customer's SOPs for direction on when and how bags are searched.
Some customers require 100% of bags to be searched, whilst other customers may
require just random searches. When performing random searches, it is important that
searches are conducted randomly, and that one particular minority group in particular
is not selected. If the SOP’s do not specify how random searches are to be conducted
but provide a generic guidance (for example search 25% of customers), then set a
standard at the beginning of a shift that will apply for the entire shift. For example,
check every 4th customer, or check every 2nd customer etc. (or use an electronic
random generator).

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There are three basic techniques for conducting bag searches:
• Security Officer takes control and searches the bag; or
• Security Officer requests customer to show contents of bag for inspection; or
• Security Officer requests customer to open bag and just visually check inside.
Security Officers should be briefed on the procedures to be followed in each instance.

Security Officer takes control and searches the bag.

Where SOP’s require the security officer to take control of the bag, the Security Officer
informs the customer to provide the bag for inspection.
• When conducting the search, the Security Officer must not give control of the
bag to the customer, until the search is completed.
• A good question is to ask the customer: “Are there any sharp objects or other
items I should be aware of whilst searching this bag?”
• The Security Officer must be aware of the reasons for the search being
undertaken (SOP’s etc.).
• The Security Officer must conduct the search at the designated searching
point in the presence of the person.
• The Security Officer must inspect the item to an extent sufficient for the
Security Officer to be satisfied that no prohibited items are located in the
item / bag.
• The Security Officer should remove objects that prevent visual identification
of suspicious or prohibited items, and physically check underneath objects to
ensure they do not mask a prohibited item.
• Security Officers should be alert for false bottoms in bags, or concealed
compartments.
• If customers identify that they have embarrassing items in their bags, a
private search can be offered to the customer if facilities are available.

Security Officer requests customer to show contents of bag for inspection.

Where the SOPs specify that the customer is to open the bag for inspection, the
Security Officer can use a dowel to search inside or request the customer empty the
contents in the designated searching area.

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This procedure is normally undertaken in a retail environment and is common practice
in the Australian and New Zealand retail industry. There are various codes of practice
prepared by retail traders' associations and Offices of Fair Trading in all states and
territories. Where the customer is conducting the search, it is important to remember
that the customer is aware of the contents of the bag and may try to hide any
prohibited items or remove them from the bag. Care should be taken to avoid
customers taking physical possession of weapons once they have been identified.
Some clients specify that Security Officers request the customer to open their bag,
after which the Security Officer is to look inside. Bag checks must be done in a way that
respects the rights of the customer and protects staff from unfounded allegations, and
in accordance with documented SOP’s.

Reasons for bag checks

Bag checks may be performed on every customer when leaving the store. It is common
in high value electronics goods stores for Security Officers to inspect all customers
leaving and match any goods in the customer’s possession to a receipt. Bag checks
could be either random or specifically conducted if a retail anti-theft alarm is activated.
It is important that all staff are aware of the SOPs in relation to bag checks. This
includes the methodology to be adopted (i.e., either the customer searches the bag,
or the Security Officer does), and the reasons. The reasons will vary considerably
between venues, ranging from retail loss prevention to counter terrorism or other
criminal behaviour.
In most cases Security Officers only have the authority to request permission to search
a customer’s bag and cannot demand to search a bag. Security Officers must be briefed
on each client’s requirements and the specific legislation that applies.
Some factories, manufacturing plants and retail stores have separate entrances and
exits for employees and bag checks (or vehicle inspections) are conducted at
commencement and end of shifts. This is always in accordance with SOP’s.

Procedures for performing a bag check.

• Security Officers conducting searches should have completed the required
training prior to undertaking bag checking tasks. The training should include
store policies, codes of practice and legislation.

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 • Generally, do not check handbags smaller than a sheet of A4 paper (297 x
210 mm). Smaller handbags may be checked if you are sure they contain
merchandise that has not been paid for18.
• Bag checks should be made as requests, not as instructions or orders.
• Where bags are offered for inspection, ask the person carrying the bag to
open the bag so that you can clearly see its contents.
• If you are not able to see to the bottom of the bag, ask the customer to move
the contents so that you can be satisfied that it does not contain store
merchandise.
• Avoid placing your hand into someone else's bag as you could put yourself at
risk. These risks could include contact with contagious diseases or even an
allegation of removing their personal possessions.
Note: Do not ever tell customers, for example school children, to leave their bags
outside the store or in a particular place. Simply request that school bags are not
brought into the store and leave it up to the bag owner to decide where their bag is
left. If you give exact instructions or directions, then the client can become liable for
the security of the bag until the owner collects it.

Refusal to have a bag check.

A shopper can refuse to present their bags for inspection - you cannot force the issue.
• If a customer refuses a bag check, advise them of the store policy and draw
their attention to the signage at the store entry.
• If a customer still objects to a bag check request, the matter should be
referred to a store supervisor or manager.
• The store supervisor or manager may ask the customer to leave the store and
not return unless they are prepared to offer the bag for inspection or are
without bags or parcels.
• Under no circumstances should any staff member:
o enter into a discussion with a customer on the rights or wrongs of bag
checking.
o forcibly restrain the customer and prevent them from leaving the store.

18
NSW Retail Traders Association Code of Practice

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 o grabs hold of the bag for the purpose of checking - this could invite legal
action on the part of the customer against the store.

Finding store property during a bag check

If you discover an item in a bag that could be store merchandise, remain polite and
respectful and do not accuse the customer of stealing.
• Politely ask to see the customer’s receipt.
• If the customer doesn’t have a receipt, politely ask if they wish to purchase
the merchandise. If the customer wishes to make the purchase, direct them
to the checkout point so that they can pay for the item.
• If the customer does not wish to purchase the merchandise, politely ask them
to return it. Call the store supervisor immediately as they may wish to keep
this customer under observation if they visit the store in future.
• If the customer refuses to return the merchandise and/or attempts to leave
the store with the property, do not attempt to restrain or stop them (unless
you have specific instructions otherwise). Try to get an accurate description
of the person and the merchandise and call your supervisor immediately.

Handheld metal detectors (HHMD)

Security Officers performing a search using a HHMD should obtain the consent of the
customer prior to conducting the search. Consent can be implied - for example, if the
venue has signs that are clearly visible, advising that persons entering the premises will
be searched. However, you must not touch the person. Consent can also be obtained
verbally. If you intend to identify alarms by touching the person or if your SOP’s require
written consent, you can use the search consent form.
Customers (as with frisk searches) have the right to refuse a search with a HHMD.
However, if the person cannot be screened, the Security Officer must refuse their
admission to the premises or sterile area. HHMD’s are often used as a secondary
screening device (in airports for example) where a person has failed a WTMD and is
referred for secondary screening. HHMD’s can also be used as primary screening in
venues where WTMD’s are not operational.
Basic features of handheld metal detectors
Handheld metal detectors will detect ferrous, non-ferrous and stainless-steel
weapons, contraband, and other metallic objects, within a relatively close range, best
practice is to hold the detector about 2.5cm from the person’s body being screened.

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Sensitivity
Handheld metal detectors can detect medium sized pistol from 23cm distance; large
knife from 15cm; razor blades and box cutters from 7.5cm distance; foil-wrapped drugs
and tiny jewellery from 2.5cm.

Technology
Most handheld metal detectors use a technology called beat-frequency oscillator
(BFO). In a BFO system, there are two coils of wire. One large coil is in the search head,
and a smaller coil is located inside the control box. Each coil is connected to an
oscillator that generates thousands of pulses of current per second. The frequency of
these pulses is slightly offset between the two coils.

As the pulses travel through each coil, the coil generates radio waves. A tiny receiver
within the control box picks up the radio waves and creates an audible series of tones
(beats) based on the difference between the frequencies. These trigger an audible
and/or vibration alarm to indicate to the screener that an item has been detected.

Are they safe?

The manufacturers claim they are safe for use on pregnant women and persons who
have pacemakers, however many organisations will draft SOP’s that allow pregnant
women and persons with pacemakers to refuse screening by handheld metal detectors
and be screened by alternate measures. This is seen as good customer service.

Customer relations
It is important that Security Officers communicate politely with all customers during
the use of the HHMD, clearly requesting they consent to the process. Whilst you are
conducting the search with the HHMD, clearly explain the process to the customer.
Ensure all items have been removed from pockets etc. by asking questions such as: "Do
you have anything in your pockets?"

Testing the HHMD

The company’s SOP’s will specify the testing frequency and procedures. There is also
an NIJ (National Institute of Justice) publication freely available19 for further reference.

19
Hand-Held Metal Detectors for Use in Concealed weapon and Contraband Detection (NIJ Standard-0602.02)

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HHMD’s must be tested at the following scheduled times:
• Immediately before they are placed in operation.
• If the HHMD has been in continuous operation for 24 hours, once every 24
hours
• If requested at any time by the owner of premises or regulatory authority
• If the HHMD has been out of service for repairs or maintenance (for example,
changing the batteries or recharging them).

Test Procedures
There is no official HHMD test piece, but a good guide is to use a coin to test
operational effectiveness.

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Correct use of the HHMD.
The HHMD detector should be used to scan the person’s body from a distance of 25
mm to 50 mm; care should be taken not to touch the person during the process.
• Request the person to remove bulky clothing, hat, belt and shoes first prior
to conducting the search with the HHMD.
• You should perform the search using the same methodology each time. This
ensures the Security Officers always remembers what has already scanned
and does not forget to scan an area (a suggested method is shown on the
next two pages).
• Ask the person to place all carried items, plus any caps or headgear, on a
table. The person should stand with his or her feet about 18 inches apart,
facing away from the table and about 2 feet in front of it. Footprints outlined
on the floor or drawn on a mat can greatly help position the person properly.
Ask the person to hold his or her arms out to the sides, parallel to the floor.
• Start at the top of one shoulder of the person. With the paddle of the
detector held horizontally and parallel to the front of the body, sweep down
one side of the front of the torso, down the leg to the ankle, then repeat from
the opposite shoulder.

Suggested HHMD Screening Method

Stage Method Procedure

1 Outline • Commence with the neck.
• Top of the arms / under the arms
• Down the side
• Between the legs
• Up the side
• Under the arm / top of the arm
• Finish at the neck
2 Sweep across front • Wrist to wrist
• Down torso, right front of leg
• Down torso left front of leg.
• Double check central torso
3 Turnaround • Sweep across back.
• Same process as front

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HHMD - screening the front and rear.
It is good practice to screen persons the same way each time, consistent use of the
HHMD will ensure best practice is adhered to.

Photograph: A Security Officer searching back of customer with HHMD

HHMD - search of front of body.

1. Start at wrist and sweep the detector across top of arm and, depending on the
amount of hair, either sweep over top of head, or around front of neck, and
across top of opposite arm to wrist.
2. From the wrist, sweep under arm to armpit.
3. From armpit, sweep down the side of the body to the knee.
4. From the front of the knee, sweep straight up to just above nipple.
5. Move across to middle of body and sweep down to groin.
6. Sweep side of each inner leg.
7. Move to opposite knee and sweep straight up to just above nipple.
8. Move across to armpit, then sweep straight down to knee.

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HHMD - search of back of body.
1. Start at wrist and sweep across back of arm to opposite wrist.
2. Move to shoulder and sweep over shoulder blade to back of knee.
3. Move up to the bottom and sweep up to neck.
4. Move across to opposite shoulder and sweep over shoulder blade to knee.
Note: it is particularly important to avoid touching the person with the HHMD.
5. Ask the person to take a seat and to lift one leg up at a time. Conduct a frisk
search from each knee down to the end of each foot.

When you receive an alarm

Never assume that when a HHMD alarms that it is with respect to a visible object., if a
person cannot be cleared with the HHMD then a further frisk search may be required.
Remember - if the person cannot be cleared, they must not be allowed to enter the
sterile area. If the person alarms, have them divest themselves of the object causing
the alarm. It’s also good practice to ask is there anything on your person that caused
the alarm? After performing a risk assessment by touching the object, place it on the
table for further inspection and re-scan the person using the HHMD.

Undertake physical search of persons.

Security Officers have no rights to physically search a person without the person’s
consent. Security Officers will conduct frisk searches of customers who have consented
to the procedure after failing primary screening with the HHMD before entering the
premises. When conducting searches, Security Officers should only conduct searches
of persons who are the same sex as the Security Officer: so, security companies should
employ sufficient staff of each gender to enable searching to be conducted efficiently.

Preparing to search
Prior to commencement of each shift where searching is to be undertaken, Security
Officers should familiarise themselves with the SOP’s of the customer and the location
where searching is being undertaken. SOP’s will establish if the searching is to be
random or if 100% of customers are subject to search, and the method of searching.
Consent to search
Signs should be prominently displayed advising passengers of the requirement to
consent to a search. The Security Officer should politely request each person to
consent to search; for example: “Good morning Sir, as part of the enhanced security

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procedures for these premises, I am required to conduct a frisk search which involves
me running my hands over your entire person including sensitive areas such as your
chest and groin. Do you consent to this search?”
The SOP’s will prescribe whether or not the patron is required to sign a written consent
form.

Understand the reasons for search.

It is imperative that Security Officers understand the reasons they are conducting
searches and what they are searching for.
These will be clearly listed in SOP’s. The margin for error is small, as letting one
explosive or weapon into the premises is not acceptable and potentially disastrous.
Conducting a search is a part of a series of inspections. For example, a person has failed
primary screening (HHMD) and has now consented to a frisk or physical search.
Remember the person can refuse the search, but we would then refuse access.
In theme parks, shopping malls, electronics stores and movie theatres there are unique
requirements and procedures for searching. For example, in a retail environment, it is
common to request a search of a bag when customers are departing a store. Many
electronics stores check receipts against merchandise when customers are leaving the
store to verify purchases. However, the customer cannot be subjected to a frisk search.
In certain workplaces (diamond mines, etc.), by virtue of agreements between unions
and employers, the employees consent to frisk searches being undertaken. It is
important that these only occur exactly when and where, as specified in assignment
instructions.

Search procedure
At all times, Security Officers must follow the appropriate legislation 20 (if any) and
policies and procedures 21 in place in relation to screening.

20
Aviation Transport Security Regulations 2005 Regulation 4.17 Methods Techniques and Equipment used for Screening
(ASN)
Aviation Transport Security Act 2004 Section 95B
21
Policies and procedures could relate to Codes of Practice in a retail environment, Clients Human Resources Policies,
Quality Assurance manuals or Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s).

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Determine the requirement to be frisk searched.
If the person has failed to clear primary screening (WTMD) and has not been able to
be cleared with secondary screening (HHMD), we now offer the person the
opportunity to be screened by “Consenting to a frisk search”.

Conducting the search

Procedures for Frisk search:
Search of front of person:
• Identify person who require a frisk search in accordance with SOP’S.
• Obtain consent for the frisk search by using the following statement: ‘As part
of the enhanced security procedures at this facility, I am required to conduct
a frisk search which involves me running my hands over your entire person
including sensitive areas such as your chest and groin. You may elect to use a
private room – Do you consent to this search?’.
• Offer to perform search in a private room.
• If the person opts a private room, a person of the same gender should be in
attendance as a witness. A witness of the opposite gender may be used, if
the subject consents.
• If the person opts for a private room, a consent form is required to be signed.
• Have the person check their pockets one last time.
• If shoes haven’t been removed, remove them now.
• If the belt hasn’t been removed and is not required to actually hold up the
trousers, remove it now.
• If bulky jackets haven’t been removed, remove now.
• All divested items need to be searched.
• Have people stand with their feet approx. 300 mm apart and arms raised, so
they are horizontal.
• Select one (1) arm and commencing at the armpit - cup your hands around
the arm, slide your hands down to the point where the clothing stops,
without removing your hands from their person.
• Repeat process for the other arm.
• Run your hands around the collar of the shirt.
• Place your hands on the top of the shoulders and slide from the shoulders to
the neck.

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 • Slowly slide your hands down the torso whilst rubbing from the side to the
middle of the torso, without removing your hands from their person.
• At the belt line, place your hands inside the trouser band to the point where
your fingers can no longer be seen and slide your hands from the side of the
torso to the middle.
• Place your hands on one hip from the side of the torso to the side of the
genitals and slide hands down to just below the genitals.
• Place your hands from the outside of leg to the inside of leg and slide your
hands down to the knee without removing your hands from their person.
• Repeat the process for the other leg.
• Have the person take a seat.
• Have the person raise one leg - cup your hands around the leg from the knee
and slide your hands down to the end of the foot without removing your
hands from their person.
• Repeat the process for the other leg.

Search of rear of person:

• Whilst the person remains still, move to the back area. Never ask a person to
turn around. This is not appropriate customer service and gives the
impression that they are a prisoner, not a person.
• Place your hands on the top of the shoulders and slide from the shoulders to
the neck.

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 • Slowly slide your hands down the torso whilst rubbing from the side to the
middle of the torso, without removing your hands from their person.
• At the belt line, place your hands inside the trouser band to the point where
your fingers can no longer be seen and slide your hands from the side of the
torso to the middle.
• Place your hands on one hip from the side of the torso to the side of the
genitals and slide hands down to just below the genitals.
• Place your hands from the outside of leg to the inside of leg and slide your
hands down to the knee without removing your hands from their person.
• Repeat the process for the other leg.

During the frisk search, if the person decides to withdraw their consent, you must stop
immediately and inform them that they will not be permitted to proceed into the
sterile area.

During the frisk search, if an item such as a mobile phone etc. is located on their person,
stop the frisk search and have them divest themselves of all objects.

Persons must be cleared through primary means where possible.

The private search room is offered when:

I. The person accepts the offer of the private room.
II. The person is displaying signs that they are uncomfortable with the process.
III. Where the person’s clothing is of a nature that the process may
inappropriately expose them.
IV. Where there are concerns that the person may in fact be concealing an item.

locating prohibited or dangerous goods on a person

If it’s a weapon refer it to law enforcement for items other than weapons advise the
person, they can return it to their car and store it elsewhere. Or the person can
surrender the item, for destruction.

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Government and private office buildings
A Security Officer stationed in any office building may be asked to stand or sit at the
main entrance or foyer of a site. Your main tasks could be to:
• Check identification and determine if people are authorised to enter.
• Greet customers and direct them to the appropriate floor or section of the
building.
• Accept delivery of packages to be delivered to persons employed in the
building.
• Screen people and baggage to ensure no weapons are taken into the
building.
• Ensure all visitors sign in before entering the premises, and sign out when
leaving the building (in some cases, the Security Officer may have to call a
staff member to escort the person: any requirements for this would be
documented in the assignment instructions)
It is important, especially for Security Officers that are employed on multiple sites, to
understand each customer’s SOPs as these can vary between sites. Customers will
draft SOPs as guidance for the Security Officers on what is acceptable identification
and procedures for signing in and out visitors etc.
• Personnel recognition - this is often used at small sites. You let in only people
who you recognise.
• Staff will inform you if they are expecting any visitors. You use a special form
to write down information about visitors. This method only works if you know
each person who enters and if you see each person enter. If your attention is
somewhere else or you don’t have time to identify everyone, unauthorised
people may enter.
• ID systems - Many government offices use this method. All employees show
you an ID card before entering. You check each ID card carefully. Things to
look for are:
o a coloured photo and physical description of the holder.
o the full name and signature of the holder.
o the company’s name and an issuing authority’s signature.
o an expiry date; and
o a serial number (for the card itself or an employee number).

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Screening infants and special needs customers
Where security officers are stationed in high security buildings which require all
persons to be screened it is important to refer to the SOP’s for any required
methodology and selection processes, good practice though is to.

Infants and carriages are an ideal concealment area, so must be searched and
remember must offer excellent customer service and communication skills whilst
requesting and conducting the search so that the carer is aware of the process.

Infants
Communicate with the carer and advise them that all persons entering the building
must be searched, including the infant and carriage.

1. Request carers remove infant from carriage.

2. Search carriage, remove blankets, check under and wheels etc.
3. Check infant a quick hand scan with HHMD and / or frisk search.
4. Place infant in carriage, and
5. Then search carer in accordance with established procedures.

Note searching in this order is recommended to prevent transference of items from

carer into carriage.

Special needs customers

Communicate with a carer and the customer if accompanied by a carer, and advise
them of the screening process, and advise them that they cannot enter the premises
unless they are screened, make sure they understand the process.

If the person is accompanied by an assistance animal do not separate the person from
the animal, screen the person in accordance with established procedures, and gently
check collars and harnesses on assistance animal.

Persons in wheelchairs must be screened and the wheelchair inspected ask the person
if they can exit the chair and sit in another chair whilst search is conducted, search the
chair and then the person and place person back in the chair.

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ID Scanning 22- History
Over the past few years there has been increased violence in and around many
nightclub precincts, including one-punch or coward-punch attacks.
Jennifer Pilgrim, a research fellow in Monash University’s Department of Forensic
Medicine and the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, said one-punch assaults
have claimed at least 100 lives across Australia in the past 15 years.
But the toll of the “knockout” blows is likely much higher, with the Victorian
researcher who initially reviewed 90 deaths between 2000 and 2012 able only to
examine closed cases. Coroners had released findings in another 10 deaths when she
updated her data last year but there were more cases before the courts.
Dr Pilgrim said the analysis found most of those killed were young men, punched after
a brief altercation outside a pub or club late at night.
“Arguably every one of these deaths was preventable,” she said.
Many of these incidents happened outside venues where there was CCTV coverage
and no or limited physical crowd controller presence. Clearly something had to be done
about this appalling violence - but what?

• Close at midnight?
• Lockout laws?
• ID Scanning?
• Ban alcohol?

Dr Anthony Lynham is as a maxillofacial surgeon before becoming the

Member for Stafford and Minister for State Development and Minister for
Natural Resources and Mines in Feb 2015. In his medical role, he
encountered the victims of violence on a daily basis and entered politics to
become an advocate for stronger alcohol laws.

22
His section on ID scanning is contextualised to Queensland, where ID scanning is mandatory in other jurisdictions
specific information will be provided.

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Something Had to be Done.
So, what was the problem? The author 23 believes that entertainment precincts are
required, and these precincts need control and services (security, food, first aid and
transportation). Closing nightclubs at 1am or 3am (or any other designated time)
forces thousands of persons onto the street simultaneously, placing stress on available
resources and infrastructure. Taxi ranks become long queues and arguments, disputes
and fights break out as queue jumpers move in.
In February 2016, Qld laws 24 changed the way people could both drink and party in not
only the nightclub precincts, but also at the pub down the street. The laws changed in
two parts:
From 1 July 2016:
• 'Last drinks' in pubs and clubs outside the nightclub precincts: 2am
• 'Last drinks' in Nightclubs: 3am
• Shots were banned after midnight.
• No new approvals for bottle shops to trade past 10pm — though existing
approvals remained.
From 1 February 2017:
• 1am lockout rolled out in 15 Safe Night Out precincts 25 in Queensland.
• Casinos remained exempt.
• Ongoing consultation with respect to the implementation of mandatory ID
scanning
23 January 2017: the Queensland Government voted to scrap the 1am lockout laws
due to start on the 1st of July and replace them with mandatory ID scanning in nightclub
precincts that operated after midnight.

23
Richard Franks has been in the security industry for over 40 years.
24
Tackling Alcohol-Fuelled Violence Legislation Amendment Act 2016
25
Safe night precincts (SNPs) have been prescribed in the following areas: Airlie Beach, Brisbane CBD, Broadbeach CBD,
Bundaberg CBD, Cairns CBD, Fortitude Valley, Gladstone CBD, Inner West, Brisbane (including Caxton Street), Ipswich CBD,
Mackay CBD, Rockhampton CBD, Sunshine Coast (Caloundra, Maroochydore and Mooloolaba), Surfers Paradise CBD,
Toowoomba CBD, Townsville CBD.

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How would ID Scanning Improve Things?
ID Scanning is another tool to be used in licensed venues to assist in managing patron
behaviour. It is not simply a replacement for checking the ID of patrons you reasonably
suspect of being under 18: ID Scanning requires all patrons to produce identification.

Previous System
The previous system of ID Checking was that the Crowd Controllers checked the ID of
all patrons who they reasonably suspected of being under 18 years of age, prior to
those patrons entering the licensed premises. In addition, bar staff and crowd
controllers could randomly check ID inside the premises. No records were maintained
of the person’s name, address or photograph (other than CCTV images). Patrons who
were asked to leave or were evicted were free to try to gain access to other venues.

ID Scanning Systems
ID Scanners are networked to a centralised operator. When persons are banned, these
details are stored in the network scanners by the operators and the person is banned
from all venues linked to that network. The system is designed to encourage good
behaviour and assists law-enforcement in identifying offenders and victims if needed.
ID Scanning Systems are not designed to replace Crowd Controllers in venues and must
be operated 26 by a crowd controller (who is trained in the use of ID Scanners). ID
Scanning is conducted on 100% of patrons entering the venue and some details are
stored for future reference (name, date of birth & photo).

Acceptable ID
There are five (5) forms of ID27 which are acceptable for scanning in licensed venues:
• an adult proof-of-age card
• a recognised proof-of-age card (e.g., Keypass identity card)
• Australian driver licence or learner permit
• foreign driver licence 28
• passport (from any country).

26
An exemption is in place which allows persons (who are trained) other than crowd controllers to operate the ID Scanner
under the supervision of a licenced crowd controller.
27
The ID document must be current and include a photo of the person and their date of birth.
28
Note: Where a foreign driver licence is not written in English, an international driver permit issued in the foreign country
of origin (and including a photo of the licence holder and translation) should be presented with the foreign driver licence.

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How to Physically Check ID
When checking ID for fraudulent, fake or defaced cards, you and your staff should:
• examine the ID in well-lit areas where alterations are more obvious (have an
initial checkpoint at the front door)
• ask patrons to remove ID from wallets and purses for inspection.
• hold the ID in your own hands and take your time examining it.
• feel around the photo, birth date and edges of the card, especially with cards
enclosed in plastic (wrinkles, bumps and air bubbles could mean the ID has been
tampered with)
• compare the photo with the patron presenting the ID (pay particular attention
to distinguishing facial features - do they match?)
• check that the date of birth on the ID confirms the patron is over 18 years
(licences and some other forms of ID can be issued to minors)
• ensure the ID includes a hologram or other security feature.

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Refuse service to any person who appears under-age and does not have acceptable ID.
Your staff should not assume that another person has checked a patron's ID (the
person may have snuck onto the licensed premises). All staff should be able to identify
the security features of each type of ID. If 'stamp outs' are used on exit, closely screen
anyone trying to re-enter the premises; stamp outs are easily transferred.
Be Alert for Fake ID’s
As ID Scanning Systems improve, so too will the manufacture of fake ID’s. 29 There are
several novelty websites selling these products, so remain vigilant and alert.
ID Scanning Procedures in Licensed Venues - Requirements for ID Scanning Systems
Venue operators (licensees) may be required to install and operate ID Scanning
Systems. These requirements will vary depending on their location and type of venue.
ID Scanning Systems 30 must be supplied by approved operators 31.
• 'ID scanner' means a device capable of interpreting a photo ID and processing
the information contained in or on it.
• 'ID scanning system' means an integrated database system comprising:
(a) the following data —
(i) information about persons scanned and recorded by ID scanners linked
to the system.
(ii) information about persons who are subject to banning orders or
licensee bans, where that information has been entered into the
system; and
(b) the equipment used to scan, record, transmit, store or otherwise deal with
information mentioned in paragraph (a).

Privacy and Information Security

An ID scanner will only capture the following information from a person’s ID:
• Name and Date of birth
• Photo

29
http://www.fakies.com.au/
30
The ID scanning systems of the following companies are approved as of 6 April 2017: Scantek Solutions Pty Ltd
31
As of 28 January 2016, the Commissioner has approved the following companies as approved operators: QikID Pty Ltd
and Scantek Solutions Pty Ltd

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Approved operators and licensed venues will be required to comply with the
Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 to safeguard the handling of personal information
obtained through scanning of ID.

Individuals permitted to scan IDs.

Individuals responsible for scanning IDs at a venue are required to be licensed crowd
controllers as per the Security Providers Act 1993. A person scanning an ID will not
need to be licensed as a crowd controller if all of the following conditions are met:
• ID scanning is mandatory for the venue.
• The person scanning ID is accompanied and directly supervised by a licensed
crowd controller at all times while performing ID scanning.
• A licensed crowd controller independently assesses both the ID and the patron,
and appropriately screens the entry of the patron.
• If the ID scan identifies a banned patron, only a licensed crowd controller may
remove that person from, on or around the premises.
• In any physical interaction between a licensed crowd controller and a patron, a
person merely scanning a patron’s ID must avoid all involvement.
• The person scanning ID must be appropriately trained to operate the scanning
system.

A practical example
When a patron seeks entry to a venue, their entry must still be screened by a crowd
controller. A host or hostess may perform the actual scanning of the patron’s ID into
the ID scanner but must have no further role.
The crowd controller will:
• request ID from the person seeking entry.
• visually assess the authenticity and currency of the ID
• ensure the ID matches the person presenting the ID.
• hand the ID to the person operating the ID scanner.
• determine the person is not unduly intoxicated, disruptive, inappropriately
attired or presented, and conforms to any other admission criteria stipulated.
• receive the ID back from the person operating the scanner, along with a ‘clean’
or ‘banned’ result from the scan.
• refuse entry to the banned or otherwise unsuitable person in a firm, polite, non-
confrontational and professional way.
• manage any resultant direct interaction with unsuccessful entrants.

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© 2018 NSTA Limited 144 Version 2023.1
The host or hostess may only:
• receive the ID from the crowd controller.
• scan the ID using the ID scanner, to ensure the person is not banned.
• return the ID to the crowd controller.

Approved Operators of ID Scanning Systems

Prior to commencing duty on any premises where alcohol is sold or consumed, Security
Officers should make sure they understand which legislation32 is applicable and ensure
they are fully conversant with the requirements of:
• The Act
• The Regulations
• House Policy
• Liquor Licence and any conditions
• Training requirements (RSA etc.)
• Codes of Practice (if any)
This includes being aware of when and where minors are permitted on the premises
(if they are permitted). Security Officers should read the House Policy for information
on all aspects of the venue’s liquor licensing conditions prior to commencing duty.
Communication strategies for dealing with and screening of patrons attending licensed
premises are covered in the manual on Communication33.

32
NSW Liquor Act 2007 and Liquor Regulation 2008
SA Liquor Licensing Act 1997 and Liquor Licensing (General) Regulations 1997
VIC Liquor Control Reform Act 1998 and Liquor Control Reform Regulations 2009
WA Liquor Control Act 1988 and Liquor Control Regulations 1989
QLD Liquor Act 1992 Sections 173EF, 173EG, 173EJ & 173EM & Liquor Regulation 2002
NT Liquor Act and Liquor Regulations
TAS Liquor Licensing Act 1990 and Liquor Licensing Regulations 2003
ACT Liquor Act 2010 and Liquor Regulations 2010
NZ The Sale of Liquor Act, 1989, Sale of Liquor Amendment Act 1999 and Sale of Liquor Regulations 1990

33
Crowd controllers are required to complete the appropriate training to obtain their licence, this publication is designed
to upskill past students who have previously completed training, and will be integrated into the full course effective 20th
April 2017

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House Policy
Licensed venues will have developed a House Policy as a prerequisite of their licensing
process. This allows for each licensee to identify local conditions and risks and
demonstrate how their business is meeting the Act’s first objective of harm
minimisation.
The requirements for a House Policy include the following matters:
• responsible service of liquor at the premises.
• matters addressed in a liquor accord to which the licensee (or permit holder)
for the premises is a party.
• arrangements for the following at the premises—
o lighting
o noise mitigation
o security
o transport provided for the use of patrons of the premises.
• provision of food at the premises.
• training staff of the premises.
• dealing with minors on the premises.
• dealing with unduly intoxicated and disorderly patrons of the premises.
• mitigation of any impact the business conducted at the premises has on the
amenity of the surrounding area.
• consultation with community and liquor industry groups about the conduct
of business at the premises.
• ensuring the conduct of business at the premises complies with the Act and
other laws.
The House Policy should be consulted by all Security Officers PRIOR to commencing
duties so that you are aware of the local requirements of each premise. The House
Policy will be based upon the Act and Regulations and incorporate any additional
requirements of applicable Codes of Practice, Licence Conditions, Fire Regulations etc.
Unless you have read and fully understand the House Policy, you cannot do your job
professionally and protect both your client’s interests and the safety of the patrons.

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So How Do Linked Scanners Work34?
ID Scanning Systems are networked or linked to gather information from the Courts,
Queensland Police and OLGR and pass this information on to approved operators.

Ban Checking

Ban Checking
A Ban check can only be performed using the following information (which is scanned
from the produced ID):
• Surname
• Given Names
• Date of Birth
• Photograph

34
Image reproduced from the Office of Liquor and gaming Regulation (OLGR) Identification Scanning System Minimum
Technical Requirements Publication (Version 1.4)

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The ban list is propagated to LVHs (local venue host) from an approved operator’s CH
(central host). The ban list is capable of processing official bans even when a
photograph is not available.

Ban Check Process

The IST (ID scanner terminal) captures the surname, given names and date of birth
then, following any terminal operator corrections, sends this to the LVH along with the
type of ID presented. The LVH performs an analysis on the information and provides a
response to the IST. The responses the LVH provides are as follows:
• The patron has not been detected as being banned.
• The patron has been detected as being subject to an Official Ban applicable
to this venue and must be refused entry. The LVH must provide a photo of
the banned person (when available) to the IST so that the terminal operator
can verify and confirm that a false positive match has not occurred. The ban
type along with duration and location must also be displayed to the IST
operator. If the terminal operator confirms the match, an email notification
to QPS must be made.
• The patron has been detected as being subject to an Official Ban not
applicable to this venue. Entry is at the discretion of the venue. The LVH must
return the ban type, duration and location(s) where the ban applies and
provide a photo of the banned person (when available) to the IST so that the
terminal operator can verify and confirm that a false positive match has not
occurred.
• The patron has been detected as being subject to a Licensee Ban applicable
to this venue and should be refused entry. The LVH must return the ban type
and duration and provide a photo of the banned person (when available) to
the IST so that the terminal operator can verify and confirm that a false
positive match has not occurred.
• The patron has been detected as being subject to a Licensee Ban not
applicable to this venue. Entry is at the discretion of the venue. The LVH must
return the ban type, duration and location(s) where the ban applies and
provide a photo of the banned person (when available) to the IST so that the
terminal operator can verify that a false positive match has not occurred.

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 • An error has occurred while attempting to perform a Ban Check. In this
situation, the terminal operator must attempt to rescan, perform a manual
check or try a different IST.

Identification Scanning Terminal (IST)

IST's are required to have two factor authentications for operators to access them.
Operators should logout of the terminal once they have ceased operations. After a
period of 3 minutes has elapsed with no user input, the user must be prompted to
remain logged into the system. Failure to respond to the prompt after 30 seconds must
result in the logged-in user being logged off the IST. Each IST has four (4) access control
modes, as follows:

Image: Security officer operating an ID scanner

Terminal Operator Mode

Is used to:
• scan IDs at the point of entry
• verify that the scanned result of the ID matches the physical ID and amend
any incorrectly scanned data where necessary.
• check if the person has been banned.
• confirm if a positive Ban Check is accurate
All terminal operator accounts must be set up with:
• the full name of the operator, and
• a method of logging on to an IST using two-factor authentication.

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Manager Mode
Is used to:
• Create/amend/remove a licensee ban record. This must also include the
ability to associate a statement with the data that the patron believes to be
inaccurate, out-of-date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading when the
manager determines not to amend the data kept on file.
• Add/remove Operators and Managers.
• Retrieve and export patron scan data upon request from a law enforcement
agency, including the capacity to request date and time periods.
• Retrieve and export the current Official Ban list data upon request from a law
enforcement agency.
• Retrieve and amend a patron’s scan data upon request from the patron. This
must also include the ability to associate a statement with the data that the
patron believes to be inaccurate, out-of-date, incomplete, irrelevant or
misleading when the manager determines not to amend the data kept on file.
• Request a SHA-1 of the software on the ISS.
All Manager accounts must be set up with:
• the full name of the Manager; and
• a method of logging on to an IST using two-factor authentication.

Service Mode
Is used to:
• faults find/fix IST/LVH.
• access log file
• perform IST/LVH software updates.
• request a SHA-1 of the software on the ISS.

Administrator Mode (Reserved for approved operator)

Is used to:
• remotely access the LVH
• remotely request log files
• add/remove Managers.
• perform system updates to IST/LVH.
• request a SHA-1 of the software on the ISS.

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Identification Scanners
1. The IST must be able to recognise different forms of ID including the following:
• all Australian Drivers Licenses.
• all Adult Proof of Age cards and interstate equivalents.
• Australian and International Passports.
• Australia Post Keypass Identity Card and
• foreign driver’s licences - must display name, photo and date of birth of the
licence holder. Where a foreign driver licence is not written in English, an
international driver permit issued in the foreign country of origin (and
including a photo of the licence holder and translation) must be presented
with the foreign driver licence.
2. The Identification Scanning component of the IST must be able to extract and
capture the following information from the approved IDs:
• Name (i.e., surname and given names)
• Date of Birth
• Photo
• Gender (to be used for reporting purposes only)
3. No other personal information is to be recorded from the scanned ID.
4. The IST must not store or transmit an image of the entire ID.
5. The Identification Scanner component must meet a minimum of 95% scan accuracy
under laboratory test conditions. This includes all types of scannable IDs.
6. The IST must perform a check on the date of birth to ensure the patron is at least
18 years of age. A clear indication must be made to the terminal operator if the
patron is younger than 18.
7. The IST must have a manual input method for ID that cannot be recognised by the
scanner.

Cameras
1. The IST must be fitted with a camera.
2. The camera must be adjustable to accommodate for patrons of varying height.
3. The camera must be capable of taking photos under various lighting conditions.

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Local Venue Hosts (LVH)
1. Upon power up or upon an ID scanning session commencement, the LVH should
initiate a check of all current ban data with the CH and propagate this data across
venue ID scanner equipment.
2. The LVH must cache patron scan data locally (including the photo taken by the
IST) for 30 days.
3. The LVH must transmit the cached patron records (including the photo taken by
the IST) to the CH at least every 24 hours.
4. The LVH must store ban records locally.
5. The LVH must have the ability to request from the CH photos which are not
currently stored locally.
6. The LVH must refresh (add/remove records) the ban list upon receiving a new
list from the CH.
7. The LVH must be capable of processing a request from a Manager to
create/amend/remove a Licensee Ban record and forward this to the CH.
8. The information required to create a Licensee Ban record is:
• Surname
• Given names.
• Date of Birth
• Photo
• Ban duration (start and end date)
• Ban reason.
9. The LVH must add the Venue Name and Precinct to the Licensee Ban record
before transmitting to the CH.
10.All data from scanned patron IDs and associated photos captured must be
automatically deleted from the LVH after 30 days. The deleted data must be
permanently destroyed so that it is no longer retrievable.
11.All actions performed on the LVH must be logged.
12.Functions offered on the LVH must be restricted based on the group the user is
a member of (Refer 3.6 Access Control Modes).
13.The LVH must be capable of displaying its version number.
14.The LVH must send a notification to QPS when a positive Ban Check has been
made by a terminal operator.

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 15.The format of the email is:
• To: [email protected]
• Subject: Contravention of a banning order detected
• Body:
• Date/Time of detection (ISO 8601 Combined date and time in UTC)
• PersonId (Unique identifier supplied from the official ban list)
• NicheId (Unique identifier supplied from the official ban list)
• Venue (Venue name as per OLGR site list)
Physical Security – Seals35
1. Any venue-based ID scanner equipment that contains confidential data must
be secured via one or more seals.
2. Access to the interior of such equipment must only be possible by breaking a
seal. Particular attention must be given to PC based LVHs for this
requirement. Often easy access can be obtained by removing spare drive bay
covers, or by unscrewing the power supply, or removing other panels.
Exposed ports must be electrically disconnected or capped if not in use to
prevent unauthorised access. Disablement of ports via firmware may also be
considered acceptable if it can be proven that the firmware is sufficiently
locked down.

Image: Security officer operating a free-standing ID scanner

OLGR Approved Seals Version 1.7

35

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 ID Scanner Privacy Policy (Sample)
Scope
This Privacy Policy applies to personal information collected by [Venue name] as part
of the ID Scanner System operating at this venue.
We must comply with the Australian Government’s privacy laws and the Australian
Privacy Principles. Personal information is defined in these laws and, for the purposes
of this policy, the information scanned from your photo ID includes personal
information.
This policy describes how we will meet our obligations under the privacy laws and sets
out our commitment to protect your personal information collected as part of the ID
scanner process.

Consideration of personal information privacy

1. Open and transparent management of personal information

When scanning your ID, we collect your personal information to meet our obligations
under the Queensland liquor laws. This personal information consists of, and is limited
to:
• your name
• your date of birth
• the photograph appearing on your photo ID.
All personal information is securely held and managed at this venue and by our
approved operator <approved operator>. Our approved operator is also subject to the
Australian Government’s privacy laws.
2. Anonymity and pseudonymity

By law, we must operate our ID scanners from 10pm on days that we are approved to
permanently trade past 12 midnight.
During these times, you cannot enter our venue without your identification being
scanned. An exception applies if you are exempted under the Liquor Act from this
requirement.
The only identification accepted is current photo ID as follows:
• an Australian driver licence or learner permit

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 • an adult proof of age card
• a recognised proof of age card (e.g., Keypass identity card)
• a passport (from any country)
• a foreign driver licence (displaying the name, photo and date of birth of the
licence holder). Note: Where a foreign driver licence is not written in English, an
international driver permit issued in the foreign country of origin (and including
a photo of the licence holder and translation) should be presented with the
foreign driver licence.
It is an offence for a person to use false ID to enter our venue. The maximum penalty
of 40 penalty units applies.

Collection of personal information

3. Collection of solicited personal information

We are required by law to scan your photo ID prior to letting you into our venue, unless
you are exempt under the Liquor Act. We must refuse entry if you choose not to
produce your photo ID, or if you have been issued with a banning order that applies to
this premise.
The information collected by us is used strictly for safety and security purposes to
identify if you have been issued with a current banning order or licensee ban. The
information may also be used to create a licensee ban from this venue.
4. Dealing with unsolicited personal information

The ID scanner system does not collect or use unsolicited personal information.
5. Notification of the collection of personal information

Our staff will alert you to the ID scanner requirements prior to scanning your photo ID.
Your personal information will only be scanned in your presence.
We must also:
• make this privacy policy publicly available and provide you with a copy if you
request to see it.
• display notification of the personal information to be collected under the ID
scanner requirements at each public entrance to our venue, and the conditions
and requirements related to such (referred to as a ‘Collection Notice’).

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All of our staff operating ID scanners can answer your questions about our venue’s
privacy policy.

Dealing with personal information

6. Use or disclosure of personal information
Your personal information will be stored at our venue and by our approved operator
in a way that protects it from unauthorised access, modification and disclosure.
The venue and our approved operator have access to your personal information for
the purpose of maintaining the system and responding to lawful requests from a law
enforcement agency.
If you have been issued with a banning order or licensee ban, the approved operator
will alert us to these bans. If you are subject to a police or court ordered ban for this
venue, we cannot allow you to enter the premises.
7. Direct marketing
The personal information held by this venue is not used or disclosed for the purpose
of direct marketing.
8. Cross-border disclosure of personal information
Your personal information is securely managed and held by <venue name> and our
system provider, <approved operator>. This information will not be transferred in a
readable format outside of Australia.
9. Adoption use or disclosure of government related identifiers
Government issued identifiers such as passport numbers are not collected or used as
part of the ID scanner system.

Integrity of personal information

10. Quality of personal information
We rely on the information provided by you to us to be accurate and current.
When we scan your photo ID, our staff will ensure the accuracy of the scanned
information by comparing it with the information contained on your photo ID.
11. Security of personal information
We take steps to ensure that your personal information is not misused. Data is stored
in a secure environment and all data communications are encrypted.

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Your personal information is automatically and permanently deleted from the ID
scanner system 30 days after it was collected. However, information on banned
persons will be held in the system for the period of the ban, which may exceed 30 days.

Access to, and correction of, personal information

12. Access to personal information

You have the right to request access to what personal information is held about you.
You can contact us or our approved operator to request this information.

You will need to provide photo ID before any information can be released. Some
exceptions apply, such as where access would be likely to interfere with criminal
matters, or other breaches of the law.

13. Correction of personal information

You can contact us and ask to correct the personal information that is held about you.

We will require satisfactory proof and/or explanation of the inaccuracy before we

consider correcting your personal information.

Contacts and complaints

If you believe we have breached your privacy, or if you want to raise any issues you
may have about privacy at our venue, please contact us by the following methods:

<Venue Name>

Address:

Phone:

Email:

<Name of Approved Operator>

Address:

Phone:

Email:

In making a complaint to us about privacy, please give us enough details to be able to

identify your concerns and respond appropriately. You must provide us with your

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name and contact details and a description of your complaint. We will respond to you
in a reasonable time frame (usually not more than 30 days).

We are also required by law to notify the Queensland Office of Liquor and Gaming
Regulation, within 14 days of any written complaint by you about a breach of privacy.

If you are unhappy with how we handle the complaint or do not receive a response
within 30 days, you have a right to take the complaint to the Office of the Australian
Information Commissioner.

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner

Phone: 1300 363 992

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.oaic.gov.au

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 Collection Notice (Sample)
<Venue's Name>

In accordance with the Liquor Act 1992, we are required to scan your photo identification
before you enter the premises after 10pm on <insert days> to check if you have been issued
with a banning order that applies to this premise.
You may also be prevented from entering if you are subject to a ban initiated by this venue
or you are subject to a banning order or venue ban for another venue.
If we do not scan your identification as required by the Liquor Act, then we must not allow
you to enter the premises.
The Liquor Act exempts certain persons from having their ID scanned, such as temporary or
permanent residents of the regulated premises. The full list of exemptions is outlined in
section 173 EH (7) of the Liquor Act.
The personal information we collect when scanning your ID is limited to name, date of birth
and photo. It may only be used to:
• identify if you have been issued with a current banning order or licensee ban.
• create a venue ban.
All personal information is stored at the venue and by the approved operator in a way that
protects it from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Your personal information
is automatically and permanently deleted from the ID scanner system 30 days after it is first
entered into the system. However, information on banned people will be held in the system
for the period of the ban, which may exceed 30 days.
You may request access to the personal information that is held about you. You can contact
us or our approved operator to request this information. You will need to provide photo ID
before any information can be released. Some exceptions apply.
You can also ask us to correct the personal information that is held about you. We will require
satisfactory proof of any reported inaccuracy before we consider correcting your personal
information.
Further information is available in our ID Scanner Privacy Policy which is publicly available on
our website at <website address> or please ask us for a copy.
To make a complaint or raise privacy concerns, contact this venue’s privacy officer at <contact
details for venue> or our approved operator <contact details for approved operator>.

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© 2018 NSTA Limited 160 Version 2023.1
 Chapter 21
Monitor and control access and exit of persons and vehicles from premises.
Security Officers are often tasked with controlling access to a customer’s premises; this
includes who can enter a customer’s premises and what they can take into or out of
the premises.

Some types of premises are:36

Table: Secure sites

Some types of persons are:

Table: Types of persons

36
Screening People and Items and controlling entry and entry into airports, maritime facilities and court houses is covered
other courses, Aviation Protection Officer (Passenger Screener / Checked Baggage Screener,) APO Maritime Screening
Officer, MSO & Court House Screening Officer CSO

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Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s)37
The customer’s SOP’s will provide guidance to Security Officers about site-specific
requirements. Security Officers will be required to identify dangerous and prohibited
items (as defined in the SOP’s) and take appropriate action to identify dangerous and
prohibited items.

Relationship of SOPs to legislation and industrial relations

SOPs are developed by (or on behalf of) the client in consultation with the security firm
/ company and others and must be constantly reviewed to ensure they remain current.

Example
The client needs a procedure developed to search vehicles entering and exiting a
factory site to minimise theft. The following steps should be followed:

Legislation
Identify legislation that may apply to the client’s premises, including the following:
• Work Health & Safety Act and Regulations (control entry for safety reasons).
• Identify site-specific legislation that applies (financial institutions, casinos etc.
cannot allow people into secure areas, while airports and maritime facilities
have rigorous rules and procedures controlling entry and exit).

37
Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) are defined in Australian Standard AS/NZS 4421:2011 Guard and Security Patrol
Services as Operational document detailing the specific duties to be performed under the contract. These are sometimes
referred to by clients and others as Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s)

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 • Identify industry codes of practice (If there is already a code of practice38 for
searching people and or items, use this or adapt it to make one that is relevant
for the task).

Industrial relations
It is wise to consult unions or industry associations when developing procedures for
searching staff entering or leaving a client’s premises, to ensure that objections are
managed, and policies and procedures implemented to address any concerns.
What should the procedures cover?
The procedures should cover all legislative and IR concerns by:
1. Including in the staff terms and conditions of employment a clause that all
employees consent to a vehicle, bag or physical search and what happens if they
refuse.
2. Placing appropriate signage so that all staff and visitors are reminded of the
requirements.
3. Training Security Officers on how to conduct the search in accordance with the
procedures.
4. Process of dealing with persons who refuse.
5. Passes for staff and visitors and what to do with lost / forgotten passes.
Security Officers may be required to search persons, vehicles* and physical effects. To
undertake these tasks, Security Officers will be required to demonstrate an
understanding of appropriate legislation and SOP’s and maintain excellent customer
service skills, whilst performing these tasks. As there are differences between sites,
Security Officers who rotate between sites should ensure they are familiar with the
site-specific requirements for each.
Vehicles* include: Bicycles, buses, cars, motorcycles, personal transporters, ride-on
lawn mowers, trolleys, trucks etc.

38
Australian Retailers Association - Guidelines for the checking of bags and parcels in retail stores

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Staff and Visitor's ID / Passes
Staff may be required to wear photo ID cards to gain access to the workplace. These
can simply be a card with their name, photo and employer's logo, or they could
incorporate electronic access control systems.
The Security Officer needs to meet and greet staff and assist any staff experiencing
difficulties (for example access card does not work or was forgotten etc).
The work instructions would list the requirements for these situations, and could be:

Lost card (sample procedure)

1.1 Where staff present for duty without a valid staff ID, they should be escorted to
HR who will validate their employment against staff files.
1.2 Have staff member complete a lost ID form.
1.3 Issue staff member a new Staff ID card.

Forgotten card (sample procedure)

1.1 Where staff members have forgotten their staff ID card, but it is not lost, they
should be escorted to HR who will validate their employment against staff files.
1.2 Have staff member sign visitor's register.
1.3 Issue staff member a visitor pass or temporary staff ID.

Government and private office buildings

A Security Officer stationed in any office building may be asked to stand or sit at the
main entrance or foyer of a site. Your main tasks could be to:
• Check identification and determine if people are authorised to enter.
• Greet customers and direct them to the appropriate floor or section of the
building.
• Accept delivery of packages to be delivered to persons employed in the building.
• Screen people and baggage to ensure no weapons are taken into the building.
• Ensure all visitors sign in before entering the premises, and sign out when
leaving the building (in some cases, the Security Officer may have to call a
staff member to escort the person: any requirements for this would be
documented in the assignment instructions)
It is important, especially for Security Officers that are employed on multiple sites, to
understand each customer’s Assignment Instructions as these can vary between sites.

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Customers will draft Assignment Instructions or post orders as guidance for the
Security Officers on what is acceptable identification and procedures for signing in and
out visitors etc.
• Personnel recognition - this is often used at small sites. You let in only people
who you recognise.
• Staff will inform you if they are expecting any visitors. You use a special form
to write down information about visitors. This method only works if you know
each person who enters and if you see each person enter. If your attention is
somewhere else or you don’t have time to identify everyone, unauthorised
people may enter.
• ID systems - Many government offices use this method. All employees show
you an ID card before entering. You check each ID card carefully. Things to
look for are:
• a coloured photo and physical description of the holder.
• the full name and signature of the holder.
• the company’s name and an issuing authority’s signature.
• an expiry date; and
• a serial number (for the card itself or an employee number).

Managing vehicular traffic

Security Officers managing the flow of vehicles into and out of a customer’s premises
may be stationed in a small security post, this could be at a refuse station, hospital car
park, factory car park or any range of transportation depots where goods are delivered
and / or picked up. Security posts may be equipped with CCTV systems and
communications equipment or be basic empty stations.

Image: Security officer operating boom gates

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Vehicle types
Vehicles can include a diverse range of equipment, including.
• bicycles
• buses
• cars
• motorcycles
• personal transporters
• ride-on lawnmowers
• trolleys
• trucks

Access validations
The Security Officer will check the bona fides of all transport entering and departing
the premises in accordance with the organisations SOP’s. This may be by issuing a
visitor pass on arrival and collecting this on departure.
Arriving trucks may be making deliveries, and the Security Officer would check the
bona fides of the transport against the list supplied and direct the driver to the
appropriate delivery area. Truck’s departing may be subject to checking their
consignment against their manifest to ensure the truck is removing materials within its
scope of authority.
Security Officers must not only record the details of each vehicle entering the site,
(registration number, date and time etc.) but should also check the manifest and
inspect the load to see if it matches. An observant Security Officer would be alert for
things that are not normal on the site. It only takes a small amount of explosive to
compromise the security of any installation, so be alert.
As well as the security of each site, couriers and delivery drivers could also be involved
in stealing. Make sure you check manifests and that if a discrepancy is noticed (such as
changing a number from 1 to a 10), double check the manifest in accordance with your
SOPs to ensure that the driver is authorised to remove the load.

Record keeping requirements.

Security Officers will be required to maintain records of:
• Vehicles entering and leaving the site (date, time registration number etc)
• Consignments that have been checked and verified against delivery dockets or
invoices.

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Weights of vehicles may be required to be recorded from a weighbridge.
Refuse stations and sites where drivers carry loads of sand and soil may require the
trucks to be weighed by Security Officers, both on arrival and departure. The Security
Officer records the loads so that the company can either pay for the amount of waste
dumped at a refuse station or the amount of soil, gravel etc. removed from the site.

Record keeping

Access control
Access control usually happens in one of two ways: entry under the Security Officer's
control or entry through a mechanical or electronic device.
Special passes - in high security areas, you may allow only people with special passes
or badges to enter. You must be very familiar with this type of access control so that
you know what to look for. If visitors and short-term workers want a pass to enter the
area, they may have to give you a piece of ID such as their driver’s licence.
Their names must be entered in a logbook. You return their ID when they give back the
pass as they are leaving. In sites with maximum access control, visitors may have their
picture taken and be given a temporary ID card that they must wear until they leave
the property.
Access control doesn’t work unless you follow the rules carefully for everyone. Some
people, especially employees who have worked at a site for many years, may become
angry or frustrated if they have to show their ID every day. If you are new to a site, you
will not be able to recognise all employees. Check ID cards even if you know the person.
The card may no longer be good. If someone challenges you, remain calm, explain the

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reason for security, record information in a logbook or report sheet, and follow your
post orders.
Security Officers are sometimes expected to receive, store or deliver mail, messages
or parcels. This is not usually a Security Officer's responsibility, and you should only do
these duties if you have clear instructions in your post orders to do so. Postal or special
delivery messengers should wear special badges and have proper identification. Your
duty is to check their ID, record their entry and give them directions so that they can
make their delivery.

Security of equipment
Where bollards are used to control access, the bollard should be secured when not in
use to prevent unauthorised use; the bollard could be stolen or used as a weapon for
assault and/or break and entry purposes.
Care should be taken to ensure keys are not lost.

Access control systems

There are various types of access control systems in use. Some, such as pin codes and
proximity cards, can be used by anyone with access to the cards, whilst higher security
biometric systems are becoming more common.

Limitations on access control mechanisms and techniques

Human error or negligence can result in access being provided to unauthorised
persons, just like losing the pin number of your personal bank account can give
unauthorised access to unauthorised persons to your bank account. You do not want
to share access codes with others. Have you ever gone to an ATM and had your young
child or sibling tell you your pin number? They learnt this by watching you!
Biometric technology is far more secure than keys and/or pin codes.
Padlocks left unsecured on gates or padlocks left with keys in them allows an offender
the opportunity to gain access to the keys to copy them, or the padlock to take to a
locksmith and have keys cut for it. Security Officers must protect pin numbers and keys
issued to them and report any suspected breaches of security immediately.

Avoidance procedures
The Security Officers and all team members involved in the restraint of the subject
must ensure that:
• the Subject has a clear, unobstructed airway.

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 • no pressure is applied to the nose, mouth, neck, chest or abdomen of the
subject.
• the use of supine or sitting positions is used as a priority and attention is paid
for any signs of distressed breathing; and
• close observations are maintained for signs of fainting, drowsiness, collapse
or shock.
Searching a vehicle for contraband
When checking vehicles, it is important to understand what you are checking for, the
SOPs will provide guidance on this, there are different considerations on vehicles
entering and departing premises.

Entering premises
Vehicles entering could contain explosives (terrorist activity), firearms or drugs. The
range of possible illegal substances or contraband is unlimited.

Exiting premises
Vehicles exiting may contain stolen goods / property, so it is important to verify all
consignments with the presented paperwork.

Preparing for a search

You will require PPE, this could include Traffic cones, Retro reflective vest, face mask
(substances may become airborne during the search) slash / cut resistant gloves, as
during the search you may encounter syringes, broken glass / bottles or edged
weapons.

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Other tools should include a flashlight and a small mirror to assist in searching under
the dash or other hard to reach places, and a smart phone with camera to record any
contraband or suspicious goods.

Position vehicle
A designated area should be available for vehicle searches, if this is not available then
traffic cones should be placed around vehicle so other vehicles do not run into it whilst
search is being undertaken.

The designated area should be well lit (will assist in searching and minimise the
requirement for use of a torch) and have good ventilation to prevent a build-up of
fumes.

Procedure for stopping a vehicle.

Stop the vehicle by using appropriate hand-and-arm signals or boom gates (if
available). Remember to always position yourself so that you are visible to traffic at a
good distance and wear reflective vests so that the approaching vehicle driver can
easily see you. Never step into the path of an approaching vehicle to direct movement
or stop the vehicle.

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Direct the driver to turn the engine off and apply the parking brake. Interview the
driver and vehicle occupants.
a. Identify yourself to the driver and occupants.
b. Inform the driver that the vehicle must be searched as a condition for
entry into the facility.
c. Identify each occupant by physically taking possession of and looking at
their (ID) card, state driver's license or another form of a state or federal
government-issued ID photo and comparing the photo to the person.
Notify your supervisor immediately if you feel that the photo does not
match the person being identified or if the ID has been tampered with.
d. Request to see the following documentation (as per SOP’s):
• Vehicle registration.
• Proof of vehicle insurance.
e. Determine the specific reason why access to the site is needed by asking
questions such as-
• Where are you going?
• Who are you going to meet?
• Do you drive this vehicle most of the time?
• Would there be any contraband or prohibited items in this vehicle?
• Has this vehicle had any repairs recently? If so, what?
f. Maintain eye contact with the driver throughout the interview and
report suspicious behaviour to the supervisor.
g. Notify the supervisor if the driver appears to be under the influence of
alcohol or drugs and if any suspected prohibited items are in plain view
during the interview.
Note: Notify your supervisor if you feel that the documentation you are being shown
is not valid.
Direct the occupants to exit the vehicle:
a. Direct the driver to open all interior compartment doors, the hood,
the trunk and rear doors (if applicable) of the vehicle, while maintaining
constant observation.
b. Direct the occupants to move to a designated safe area (about 5
meters from the vehicle and/or out of the flow of traffic) where they can
be observed.

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Create search zones.
The search zones should include:

• Inside the vehicle

• Outside the vehicle
• The area surrounding the vehicle.

Search inside the Vehicle.

All searches should be conducted systematically (same way each time) to ensure all
areas are thoroughly searched.

Search compartments (glove boxes, consoles CD trays, cup holders, areas for
sunglasses etc) place removed items in a tray for easy identification and retrieval. Use
the torch to look at the compartments and check for tool marks etc that may indicate
tampering. Remove rubber mats in consoles and cupholders as contraband may be
concealed underneath or within the cup holders etc.

Use the torch and mirror to check under the:

• Steering column (drivers’ side)

• Glovebox (passenger side)

Be alert for airbags to avoid triggering these yet be alert for signs of tampering that
could indicate airbags have been removed and replaced with contraband.

Check under and around the seats using a mirror and or flashlight, check under the
seats on the floor and up under the lining.

Check the carpets and upholstery. This part is the most dangerous, as there may be
needles or other sharp objects hidden in the upholstery.

Run your hands - while wearing gloves - along the edges of every seat. Get in between
the cushions and run your hands back and forth slowly.

Lift up any floor mats, and if there is any part of the carpet that appears to have been
lifted from the floor, check underneath.

Search the boot.

Finally, you can search the boot. The boot is probably the most likely place to find
contraband in the whole car, so you need to proceed slowly and carefully during the

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search. Remove any spare tyres, tools, and covers to any compartments that may be
located in the boot area. Use the flashlight and mirror to look at the corners and top
of the boot space.

Check underneath the vehicle.

This last step includes looking both under the actual vehicle and looking under the
hood/bonnet. When looking under the hood/bonnet, check the air filter compartment
and use the flashlight to thoroughly look around the engine compartment for anything
that looks suspicious.

Using a mirror and a flashlight, (a mirror or smartphone on a selfie stick can suffice)
look up underneath the vehicle. You may need to lay on the ground to do this, so lay
out some cardboard or a piece of fabric to protect your body from the ground. Look
for anything that seems haphazardly secured to the bottom of the vehicle.

Search the exterior of the vehicle.

Check for general indicators of explosive devices or prohibited items while searching
the exterior of the vehicle. Check for the following:
• Anything unusual in factory-built compartments.
• New or shiny bolts and/or screws.
• Unusual scratches, possibly made by screwdrivers, wrenches, or similar
tools.
• Signs of tampering, such as broken parts or bent sheet metal.
• Unusually clean or dirty components and areas.
• Wire and tape stored in the vehicle.
• New or broken welds.
• Unusual fingerprints of grease and/or oil in otherwise clean areas.

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 • Fresh bodywork (fresh fibre glassing, fresh paint, and so forth).
• Fresh wiring and electrical tape.
• New caulking.
• Missing or altered vehicle identification number.
• False compartments that are not part of vehicle design.
Check the exterior front, including-
• Headlights that are not working.
• A modified front grill or false compartment.
• No access to the front bumper cavity.
Check the exterior sides, including-
• Compartments, new welds, taped items or fresh paint in the front
fender wells.
• Doors that feel heavy when swung.
• Foreign items in the gas tank tube (driver opens the gas tank for
inspection).
Danger: death or serious injury may occur if you breathe toxic agents whilst searching
gas tank tubes of vehicles.
Check the tyres.
Check the exterior rear, including-
• Taillights that are not working.
• No access to the rear bumper cavity.
Check the tailgate (if applicable), including an unusually heavy tailgate.
• Fresh paint or body filler.
• Inconsistent or non-hollow sounds when tapped.
Check the pickup bed (if applicable), including-
• Inconsistent or non-hollow sounds when tapped.
• Fresh paint or body filler.
• An unusually thick floor.
• Unusual welds and/or seams.
• Any caulking.

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 Check the cargo area (if applicable), including-
• A false ceiling.
• Any caulk and/or glue.
• Any strange smell.
Search the engine compartment.
• Look for a large battery box or extra battery.
• Look for odd and/or clean wires.
• Look for larger components (air cleaner and fan blade shrouds). WARNING:
• Identify any unusual odour indicating containers that may contain fuel.
• Look for foreign objects in the air filter cavity.
• Look for the cold air filter.
• Look for freshly painted areas, new welds, shiny bolts, or sheet metal work
on firewalls.
• Check for a clean engine in a dirty car.
• Check the hood to see if it feels heavy when opened and closed.
• Have the driver open the hood but move the hood up and down yourself.
• Look for a false wall or modified fender compartment.
• Identify any clean or wiped areas.

Search surrounding areas.

It is possible that unauthorised persons may plant contraband for pick up by others in
strategic locations be aware of where vehicles are parked and where they should be
parked.

When vehicle searches are being conducted on staff or contractors departing

premises, it is possible that as soon as it is known that vehicle checks will be occurring
that people will drop contraband from their vehicles onto the carpark.

Consent
Clearly marked signage should be available that says “It is a condition of entry that all
vehicles may be searched prior to entry” the driver can choose to be searched or leave
and not be searched. Whilst similar sign is advisable for those departing it is possible
that people withdraw their consent, in these cases (as in all) it is important you are
aware of the organisation’s SOPs of vehicle searches and the procedures to follow in
event of a refusal to be searched.

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Unattended vehicles
The first thing to realise is that each day there will be unattended vehicles in our
workplace (shopping centre, office, hospital, airport carparks etc) and in most cases
they are not suspicious.

They can become suspicious for various reasons, including:

• Number plates missing

• Being parked for an excessive period of time

They could be stolen or dumped.

Suspicious vehicles near significant buildings or in busy public places

Terrorists use vehicles for many different purposes, from surveillance to planting
bombs, as in Bali in 2002. Vehicles may be parked for an unusually long time,
sometimes in no-parking areas. Explosives can be heavy, so cars and vans may sit
abnormally low on their suspension. They may be out of registration or have false or
missing number plates. Overseas, a terrorist attack was foiled after police became
suspicious of a car with front and rear number plates that didn’t match.

What to do in the event of location of a suspicious vehicle

Security officers must locate and follow the sites SOPs and follow the instructions
contained within, but these could include:

• Contact local Council.

• Contact local police.

Where terrorist activity is suspected contact:

• National Security Hotline 1800 123 400

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 Chapter 22
Monitor and control individual and crowd behaviour to maintain security.
Crowd control is a difficult assignment and involves understanding of conflict
negotiation techniques, evacuation procedures and individual and crowd behaviour. It
covers the monitoring of people in a range of venues and premises and ensuring the
safety of people and property. The professional Security Officer must possess a
thorough understanding of the crowd structure and culture of licensed premises.
There are many ways that people can become a potential threat to the client’s safe
operation of a venue. They include:
• Intoxicated and underage persons.
• Persons under the influence of prohibited substances.
• Persons causing a public nuisance.
Indications of disruptive or potentially disruptive behaviour may include:
• Excessive noise.
• Greater concentration of crowds.
• Crowds or individuals under the influence of alcohol/drugs.
• Individuals in an unsuitable location.
Potential hazards may include:
• Conflict between members of the crowd.
• Conflict between security staff and members of the crowd.
• Demonstrations, use of alcohol/drugs.
• Failure to comply with direction/request from authorised person.
• Noise, light, heat, limited space, fatigue, glass, furniture and fittings,
stairways,
• Smoke, weapons, clothing, equipment, lack of facilities (e.g., toilets),
decorations and utilities.
Prior to undertaking any crowd control duties, Security Officers must ensure they
participate in a team meeting to ensure that all Security Officers are prepared to
monitor the venue in accordance with assignment instructions.

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Preparing for monitoring
Security Officers performing crowd control duties must be aware of their role within
their team. The best way to do this is for all staff to participate in a team briefing
session prior to commencement of duty. The supervisor should instruct all team
members in their specific roles for the shifts ahead, and in any particular legislative
provisions that apply to this venue. These could include conditions endorsed on the
liquor licence such as areas where alcohol is allowed, smoking areas, any council
restrictions on noise of patrons, and house policies on dress standards and removing
intoxicated persons. These will vary between venues, so all staff should receive
instructions.
Equipment to be used (radios, counters etc.) should be checked for operational
capability and all staff members should understand when their breaks are to be taken
and to whom they report within the venue.
Prior to commencing duty, supervisors should inspect all staff to ensure that dress
standards meet the requirements of the SOP’s and issue any PPE to those Security
Officers who require it. Each venue will attract a different type of crowd which will act
and react in different ways. It is important that all Security Officers are aware of the
venue’s marketing strategies (i.e., what type of customers are they trying to attract).
Clubs try to target specific audiences, for example sports bars, LGBT friendly bars, adult
venues, pole dancing etc.
Each venue should clearly display their conditions of entry
so that these can be pointed out to all patrons. The
conditions should be fair and reasonable.
Many venues do not allow hats, hoodies etc. because
they hide faces from the CCTV systems. Adult venues do
not allow cameras (what about smartphones?), so staff
should be aware of these requirements. At the end of
each shift, Security Officers should also participate in a
debrief and one area to consider during the debrief are
the conditions of entry. Are they reasonable? Are they Image: Conditions of entry signs
should be prominently displayed.
causing problems at the door? Offer suggestions, if you
have any, on ways that you can improve the customer
service experience for patrons.

What is a crowd?
A crowd is essentially a large number of people gathered together to attend a function,
a game, an entertainment event or a specific gathering such as a political rally. Crowds
can be broken up into three groups: - conventional, expressive and spectator crowds.

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Conventional Crowds
A conventional crowd gathers for a deliberate and designated purpose or event. The
members within this type of crowd have no dependence upon each other, although
they do have a common interest, being the event or whatever, it was they came to see.

Image: Crowds at a concert

It is important that Security Officers review how crowds have reacted to previous
functions / events of a similar nature. This will provide valuable insight into how to
prepare for the tasks that have to be completed. When conducting risk assessments,
supervisors should review past events and provide feedback to the team at the briefing
sessions as to how those previous events went.

Expressive Crowds
Members of an expressive crowd can be involved in activities such as dancing, singing
and other types of group entertainment including promotions for sporting or film stars.
This type of crowd will normally remain docile unless something occurs to change its
mood, such as a person or group of persons creating a disturbance by heckling a sports
star for example.

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Spectator Crowds
These crowds gather almost spontaneously at the scene of a fire or accident or other
events such as arrests or conflicts between members of the public. They are usually
curious, cooperative and willing to aid. They are also equally willing to stand and stare
vacant eyed at the particular event. This crowd, when they try to help, tend to be over-
zealous and interfere with professional operations.

Crowd knowledge
To be effective in controlling a crowd, you need to know four basic things about that
crowd: the reasons for the gathering; the area occupied; the common traits of the
people comprising the crowd; and finally, the identity of potential troublemakers.
Usually, the first three elements present no problem. A risk assessment should be
conducted on each event to determine the security requirements and should include
feedback on past events of a similar nature. The fourth element, however, may be hard
to identify. Each event will have its own culture and will attract certain types of
behaviour.
For example, let us consider the annual Schoolies event on the Gold Coast, where kids
celebrate the end of their school years. Common problems are:
• Toolies (people who are too old to be schoolies, but who go to the event
anyway)
• Underage drinking (both in licensed venues and with respect to alcohol
supplied in bulk to be consumed in hotel rooms etc.)
• Drugs
• Fights
Keeping detailed records of incidents and conducting debriefing sessions at the end of
the event will assist in the planning of future events and allocation of resources.

Types of venues that employ crowd controllers.

The range of venues that hire Security Officers as crowd controllers is very diverse.
However, crowd controllers are commonly hired where alcohol is sold, served or
consumed. Many jurisdictions require Security Officers to wear ID if performing crowd
control duties, so be aware of what tasks you are performing. Some examples are:

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Establishing a security post
A security post is the locality of a fixed point from which crowd control operations are
conducted. Each Security Officer will be allocated a security post during a team briefing
session prior to the assignment. In a nightclub environment, this could include the
following:

Image: Security officer vetting persons entering the premises

The door Security Officer is ideally placed to monitor the number of persons who are
in the venue by using a counter to record the number of persons entering (and leaving
the venue). This ensures the venue complies with regulations imposed by licensing,
council or fire brigade.
Head counts may be undertaken randomly by the roving Security Officers to ensure
compliance. A professional Security Officer would also be able to estimate the number
of patrons in a venue based upon experience.

Requesting proof of age

The door Security Officer must also monitor the people attending, to ensure that they
are of legal age to enter the venue. They do this by requesting acceptable proof of age.
In Australia there is a publication called “The Australian ID checking guide” which

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provides details of all acceptable identification. Security Officers should have a copy of
this publication with them when requesting ID, so that if a customer argues with them
about the acceptability of their ID, they can refer to the guide.
Crowd control has changed a lot since the 1970’s and is now a recognised part of the
security industry. Security Officers play an important role in managing compliance with
the liquor legislation and maintaining crowd safety.
The door Security Officer is a member of a security team. The overall team is comprised
of the bar staff (who monitor the behaviour of persons in the event and randomly
requesting proof of age and monitoring for undue intoxication); CCTV staff (who
monitor the CCTV system and communicate with other team members); and roving
Security Officers (who patrol outside and ensure customers do not exceed noise
levels). Roving Security Officers can also be allocated to assist with cash escorts, or to
assist other Security Officers as required.
Whilst a nightclub may have anywhere between 2 to 12 Security Officers, major events
could have up to 400 Security Officers strategically placed throughout the venue. There
were over 10,000 Security Officers employed at the 2012 London Olympics.
When you take up your security post, ensure that:
• The area is clear of obstructions to allow free movement by personnel.
• Communications are serviceable.
• There is access to entrances, exits and trouble spots.
• That you have easy access to a first aid kit.
A site card or map will help you locate the nearest firefighting equipment, fire exits,
electrical switchboards and areas of responsibility, telephones and any obstacles near
the post. The site card is generally drawn in relation to the post and is either laminated
or kept in a plastic cover for protection. During the assignment, security posts are not
to be deserted without notifying another officer that you will be absent. Arrangements
can then be made to cover the post either visually or physically. You must never leave
your post without a justifiable reason. Should an incident take place near your post
that is being handled by another member of the team, do not leave the post unless
you are needed. Do not allow the stress of the situation to affect the supervision of
your post.

Control Basics
The main objectives of crowd control at special events are no different from that at
other functions or even nightclubs. That is, the primary aim is to maintain order and

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safety. Security measures vary according to the size and nature of the gathering. A rock
festival usually presents more problems than a symphony concert. The throng packed
into a football stadium is not spread out as loosely as the general public at an exhibition
and the crowd attending a pub, club or entertainment venue can be disjointed and
hard to monitor.
Effective crowd control is often said to be at least 80% good public relations. When
you talk with a member of the public, that person’s response depends on how you
react to them. Politeness is your best asset. Being a good listener and listening to a
customer’s problems is an important first step.
A patient explanation will often resolve a complaint. If the reason for a rule is explained
to a customer, such as limited numbers of people allowed in the building, the average
person usually accepts it. At other times, you may have to respond by saying you are
sorry, but these are the rules and exceptions cannot be made. You must be both
diplomatic and firm, particularly when safety is the issue.
Crowds are much easier to manage if you use the soft approach rather than coming on
like a ‘steamroller’.

Managing Queues
Failing to manage queues at licensed venues can lead to aggressive behaviour in
patrons resulting from impatience, boredom, people bumping into each other, etc.
Venues with strict house policies should ensure that, when queues are long and exceed
5 minutes of queue time, crowd control staff are allocated to walk the queue and
address breaches of house policy.
Some examples:
Where a venue has rules that state, “No Visible Tattoos”, staff should walk the queue
and inform patrons who breach this house policy of the issue, so that they can either
manage compliance or leave the queue. When someone in this situation has queued
for 30 minutes and is only informed of the house policy when they reach the front of
the queue, they can become aggressive.
Where queue jumpers are identified, they should be despatched to the back of the
queue or denied entry.
Another strategy is to generally walk the queue and meet and greet patrons, especially
regulars. Be alert for disorderly conduct - if people cannot behave in the queue,
consider how they will behave once inside. Patrons who are intoxicated may have been
denied access to or removed from other venues and are bar hopping, hoping to get in.

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Taxi ranks are another area of concern especially after closing when a large group of
patrons exit venues at the same time, placing stress on the queues at the taxi ranks.
Stationing Security Officers at taxi ranks to maintain an orderly queue system will
prevent or minimise aggressive or other unfortunate behaviour.
Another area or concern is inside the venue where patrons queue for a drink and wait
for service at a long bar. A good bartender should understand who is next as patrons
who are left unserved when others get served before them may become annoyed and
aggressive. Manage the bar queue fairly to ensure all patrons are served in order, as
much as possible.

Managing Crowds
Licensed venues and other places of mass gathering create security risks by filling
limited spaces with large numbers of people.
These risks include assault, sexual assault, stealing, transmission of airborne diseases,
heat stroke and crushing (leading to restriction of breathing). To assist in maintaining
safety in venues, crowd controllers should monitor the number of people in the venue.
Fire departments and or liquor licencing will place conditions on the building or licence,
restricting the number of patrons who are allowed at any one time.
To prevent crushing, simply monitor the numbers of people who enter a venue. Once
the maximum number has been reached, only let a person in only as another exits the
venue.
The FIST model of crowd disasters 39
The primary elements involved in crowd disasters have been determined from
personal experiences, analysis of major crowd incidents and basic traffic flow
principles. The elements provide a model for understanding the causes of crowd
disasters, means of prevention and possible mitigation of an ongoing crowd incident.
The elements of the model form the acronym "FIST", which is a useful reminder that
any crowd situation can quickly become threatening and potentially lethal. The
acronym is defined as follows:
• FORCE (F) of the crowd, or crowd pressure.
• INFORMATION (I) upon which the crowd acts or reacts, real or perceived, true
or false.

39
The causes and prevention of crowd disasters by John J. Fruin, Ph.D., P.E. United States of America

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 • SPACE (S) involved in the crowd incident, standing area, physical facilities - stairs,
corridors, escalators.
• TIME (T) duration of incident, event scheduling, facility processing rates.

Force
Crowd forces can reach levels that are almost impossible to resist or control. Virtually
all crowd deaths are due to compressive asphyxia and not the "trampling" reported by
the news media. Evidence of bent steel railings after several fatal crowd incidents show
that forces of more than 4500 N (1,000 lbs.) occurred. Forces are due to pushing, and
the domino effect of people leaning against each other.
Compressive asphyxia occurs as a result of people being stacked up vertically, one on
top of the other, or due to horizontal pushing and leaning forces. In the Ibrox Park
soccer stadium incident, police reported that the pile of bodies was 3 m (10 feet) high.
At this height, people on the bottom would experience chest pressures of 3600-4000
N (800-900 lbs.), assuming half the weight of those above was concentrated in the
upper body area.
Horizontal forces sufficient to cause compressive asphyxia would be more dynamic as
people push against each other in an attempt to obtain breathing space. In the
Cincinnati rock concert incident, a line of bodies was found approximately 9 m (30 ft)
from a wall near the entrance. This indicates that crowd pressures probably came from
both directions as rear ranks pressed forward and front ranks pushed off the wall.
Experiments to determine concentrated forces on guardrails due to leaning and
pushing have shown that force of 30% to 75% of participant weight can occur. In a US
National Bureau of Standards study of guardrails, three persons exerted a leaning force
of 792 N (178 lbs.) and 609 N (137 lbs.) pushing. In a similar Australian Building
Technology Centre study, three persons in a combined leaning and pushing posture
developed a force of 1370 N (306 lbs.). This study showed that under a simulated
"panic", 5 persons were capable of developing a force of 3430 N (766 lbs.).

Information
In the broad systems sense, information has many forms. It includes all means of
communication, the sights and sounds affecting group perceptions, public address
announcements, training and actions of personnel, signs, and even ticketing.

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Space
The configuration, capacity and traffic processing capabilities of assembly facilities
determine degrees of crowding. Space includes standing and seating areas, projected
occupancies, and the practical working capacities of corridors, ramps, stairs, doors,
escalators and elevators.

Time
A simple illustration of timing is the more gradual and lighter density arrival process
before an event, compared to the rapid egress and heavy crowd densities after the end
of an event.
Prevention of crowd disasters by crowd management
Most major crowd disasters can be prevented by simple crowd management
strategies. The primary crowd management objectives are the avoidance of critical
crowd densities and the triggering of rapid group movement.

Terminology
Although the terms "crowd management" and "crowd control" are often used
interchangeably, there are important differences. Crowd management is defined as
the systematic planning for, and supervision of, the orderly movement and assembly
of people. Crowd control is the restriction or limitation of group behaviour. Crowd
management involves the assessment of the people handling capabilities of a space
prior to use. It includes evaluation of projected levels of occupancy, adequacy of means
of ingress and egress, processing procedures such as ticket collection, and expected
types of activities and group behaviour.
Crowd control may be part of a crowd management plan or occur as an unplanned
reaction to a group problem. It can include extreme measures to enforce order, such
as the use of force, arrest or threat of personal injury. It may employ barriers that alter
the space available for occupancy and patterns of group movement. Inappropriate or
poorly managed control procedures have precipitated crowd incidents rather than
preventing them. For example, police reacting to a group of unruly persons at a rock
concert, herded spectators into areas where there were no means of egress.

Information
Crowd managers must process a wide range of information about a venue and the
people occupying it before a group assembly occurs. Included is an assessment of the
nature of the group, experience with similar groups, potential behaviour patterns,

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projected occupancy, facility processing rates, staffing, and means of communication
between staff and with the crowd.

Nature of Crowd
Crowds can attract others who come to observe and to peacefully enjoy the event,
predators in search of victims, and people with other psychological or social agenda to
pursue. Constant monitoring of crowd behaviour is necessary for good crowd
management. A proactive type of management is required that anticipates and
resolves problems before they occur, rather than reacting when it could be too late.

Crowd management centre

Real time information about the status of crowd conditions in large assembly spaces is
critical. A centralized crowd management and communications centre should be set
up for this purpose. The ideal centre would provide a maximum view of the venue,
supplemented by video camera access to blind spaces, pressure points and major
movement pathways. Full communications coordination should be provided between
all venue staff, local police, fire, and emergency medical services, and any on-site radio
or television media. Radio frequencies, telephone numbers, and similar
communications information and related procedures should be distributed to all staff
in a printed form.

Staff training
The training of crowd management personnel is of vital concern. Often casual labour
is employed at large events. These employees may only receive vague instructions,
usually about controlling certain crowd behaviours. Even permanent staff may have
limited training in crowd management, recognition of potentially dangerous crowd
problems, and the handling of accidents and other emergencies. Training should
include instructions on the basics of normal and emergency crowd movement and
assembly; initial handling of accident victims, altercations and other crowd incidents;
communications procedures and use of communications equipment; avoidance of
actions that may incite or trigger dangerous crowd behaviours; and conduct and
demeanour during an emergency. All personnel should be provided with a quick
reference pocket guide to reinforce training guidelines and communications
procedures.

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Emergency response
Response to crowd incidents must be rapid, authoritative and provide clear and
unambiguous information about the emergency and required group actions.
Dispersion by multiple routes away from the cause of a crowd incident is preferred
over concentrated paths of movement. The summoning of emergency services must
be initiated immediately and not left until the scope of the incident is determined.
Victims of compression asphyxia can be revived only if resuscitation begins quickly.

Responsibilities of performers
Actions by performers such as late cancellation, walking off stage, encouraging fans to
move closer, throwing souvenirs to the audience or other actions have precipitated
inappropriate or hazardous group reactions. Entertainers should be fully informed of
their own responsibilities for maintaining order, and the problems associated with
inciting potentially dangerous group behaviours. Performers must provide advance
notice of cancellation, before patrons begin entering the venue. Communication with
the crowd should not be delayed if cancellation occurs after entry. Announcements
should clearly establish refund policies, exit routes, and need for orderly movement.

Ticketing
Tickets are an important crowd management information factor. Reserved section and
seat tickets determine specific area occupancy, and routes of entry and egress. Tickets
also provide a means of instructing patrons on rules of conduct expected within the
venue. Major art exhibitions have managed crowding by arrival time ticketing, valid
only during a specific time period.

The duty to warn.

A legal view of crowd management responsibilities requires that crowd participants be
informed of foreseeable dangers associated with crowd behaviours and/or assembly
facilities.
Litigation proceedings have shown that concert managers are aware that festival
seating events cause some to faint from heat exhaustion and, furthermore, that these
persons are virtually inaccessible within the crowd. This knowledge requires that
crowd participants be warned of crowding hazards and be instructed in aid procedures.

Space
Architects and engineers typically give minimal attention to the movement of people
in initial building design, beyond compliance with local building codes. Code

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compliance does not guarantee that a building will function well during normal
assembly use or emergency egress. Designing for crowd management requires that
projected maximum occupancy levels of a space be correlated with the movement
capabilities of all corridors, stairs, ramps, escalators and other facilities. Designers have
the responsibility of preparing the initial crowd management plan as part of the life
safety evaluation of a new venue. The plan should establish the assembly and people
movement capabilities of all aspects of the venue, movement patterns, identify
possible problem areas, and generally describe how the design will accommodate
normal and emergency crowd movement. Traffic capacities of corridors, stairs,
passenger conveyors and waiting spaces have been established by a number of
sources.

Movement pathways
Access tree diagrams, or schematic line illustrations of pathway configuration,
pedestrian volume and direction, are useful planning tools. The tree diagrams show
the capacities of doors, corridors, stairs, escalators, landings, and identify pressure and
conflict points. Pathway alignments should be simple and direct, and not circuitous or
offset from the normal straight line of sight. Arrangements that result in unbalanced
use of egress or ingress routes, dead ends, or similar confusing and irregular pathway
choices, are not acceptable.
Dispersed and equally balanced ingress and egress points are preferred over a single
centralized location. The influence of external facilities on the volume and direction of
movement must be considered. Concentration of parking or transit on one side of a
venue will focus internal movement towards that side, resulting in unbalanced traffic
demands. Architectural statements, aided by directional graphics, should be used to
visually define and clarify what processing functions are taking place. Ticketing should
be separated from admissions, and the flow between them sequential, uni-directional,
and without crossing conflicts.

Pressure points
Pressure points are locations where a change in pathway processing capacity, normal
directions of movement, or a confluence of traffic streams, results in conflicts or
accident exposure. Examples include directional changes where there are
inadequately guarded openings to lower levels, at stair approaches, and landings at
the discharge or outlet ends of escalators. Crowd pressures at such locations have
resulted in people being pushed over guardrails, downstairs, or in structural failure of
guardrails.

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Back-up standby power
Alternative power sources for lighting and communications are required. The New
Delhi tower museum crowd incident is an example of the confusion resulting from a
combined lighting and communications failure. A public-address system tied to only
one source could be lost when most needed.

Emergency medical facilities

Emergency room space and equipment sufficient to handle routine accidents and
larger crowd incidents is required. Lives have been unnecessarily lost in large crowd
incidents by the lack of simple equipment such as stretchers and oxygen. Many venues
accommodate the population equivalent of a medium sized city, requiring that the
medical centre be equipped to provide skilled response to cardiac, spinal injury cases
and other emergencies. Means of communication with local emergency medical
services, their response times and ability to handle a mass crowd disaster should be
established as part of the crowd management plan.

Time
The rationale for time-based crowd management strategies is the control of pedestrian
demand rates so that traffic flow does not exceed the capacity of any element of the
venue. The objective of temporal strategies is to keep pedestrian densities below
critical levels. Restaurant reservations and the arrival time ticketing method used for
museum exhibits are familiar examples of time-based crowd management.

Metering
It may be necessary to meter or throttle the arrival rate demand at facilities with
limited processing capacity. Examples could include stairs, narrow corridors,
escalators, ticket gates, pressure points, or other locations where excessive arrivals will
cause hazardous overcrowding. Metering must be carefully applied because it will
cause waiting lines and crowding on the approaches to the metered facility. The
approach area should be large enough to accommodate expected demands and to
establish formal queue lines. Communication is a critical aspect of metering control.
Personnel involved in the metering operation should be in constant communication
with each other and alert to any interruptions in flow.

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Early opening and delayed closing
Early opening of a venue to extend the ingress arrival process, and post event
entertainment or other strategies to lengthen the egress process, reduces crowding
within the venue and traffic pressures on external transit, road, and parking facilities.

Conclusions
The crowd incident model and its derivative guidelines show that many crowd disasters
could have been avoided by simple advance planning and management techniques.
Reliable real-time communication between those responsible for crowd management,
and authoritative communication with the crowd, are also critical elements in defusing
a potentially lethal crowd incident. These strategies are also the least costly means of
preventing crowd disasters.

The certified crowd manager

Crowd managers have an awesome responsibility for the safety of large numbers of
people. Yet there is little formalised training in crowd management principles and
techniques.
Police training focuses on crowd control, and not generally on crowd management. It
is recommended that every venue accommodating more than 500 persons be required
by law to have a certified crowd manager on staff.
In order to become certified, the candidate would undergo formalised testing on the
basics of crowd management and handling of emergencies.
Some regulatory authorities require owners of security firms to possess qualifications
in security & risk management or be members of an approved association (such as
ASIAL)
Whilst qualified people should undertake risk assessments, Security Officers and crowd
controllers must be able to read, understand and interpret risk assessments and safe
work procedures.

Crowd behaviour, dynamics and movement patterns that can threaten security.
Remember it is important to understand the behaviour of crowds at the event you are
working at, crowds will behave differently based upon the event, i.e., a football crowd
will behave differently to a crowd at car racing, boxing, rock concert or the opera.

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Once you understand how a crowd and the individuals who form part of the crowd
behave you should be able to identify behaviour and dynamic that are outside of the
normal.

Some activity may cause inconvenience whilst others can threaten the security of the
venue, activities that can threaten security include:

Activity Possible threat / action required

Crowding Crowding can lead to crushing and fights which can
lead to injury and / or death.
Crowding occurs during breaks at food and drink stalls,
toilets etc, and is not usually a major threat however
near exits and entrances can be a threat.
Action could be to open more exits, divert crowds to
exits that are not crowded etc.
Racial slurs / sledging Allowing people to racially slur players or others may
incite a crowd to take action, action should be taken
to immediately identify the source, ask them to stop
(if not leave) or call police to assist.
Taking no action is waiting for a disaster.
Sexual assaults Sexual assaults can occur within crowd areas such as
queues to a toilet, exit from a venue or watching an
event. Even on public transport top and from venues.
Where alcohol is involved be alert for persons who are
vulnerable due to their level of intoxication.
Security officers should maintain surveillance of their
work area for possible signs of sexual assault.
Unduly intoxicated Monitoring patrons at any venue is important,
prevention is better than a cure. Where unduly
intoxicated persons are causing problems, they should
be immediately removed in accordance with House
Policy

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 Chapter 23
Apply security procedures to manage intoxicated persons.

Interpret and comply with procedures and legal requirements.

Security Officers employed on premises licensed under the liquor act may be required
to undertake a course commonly referred to as RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol).
RSA is principally designed for management, bar staff and service personnel and is
specifically designed to provide instruction in managing intoxicated persons,
Example of interpreting an Act, House Policy and Work Instructions:

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Working at licensed premises
Prior to commencing duty on any premises where alcohol is sold or consumed, Security
Officers should make sure they understand which legislation40 is applicable and ensure
they are fully conversant with the requirements:
• The Act and Regulations
• House Policy / Work Instructions
• Liquor Licence and any conditions (including map of licensed area)
• Training requirements (RSA etc.)
• Codes of Practice (if any)
This includes being aware of when and where minors are permitted on the premises
(if they are permitted). Security Officers should read the house policy for information
on all aspects of the venue’s liquor licensing conditions prior to commencing duty.
Communication strategies for dealing with and screening of patrons attending licensed
premises are covered in the manual on Communication.
Security staff for licensed venues
Licensees must provide a safe environment for patrons and staff. Employing licensed
security staff may be necessary to screen patrons entering and exiting the premises,
and to control patron behaviour in and around the premises.

Acceptable proof of age

The following types of ID are acceptable to prove age:
• adult proof of age card
• recognised proof of age card (e.g., Australia Post Keypass identity card)
• Australian driver’s licence
• foreign driver’s licences (in English)
• a current Australian or foreign passport

40
NSW Liquor Act 2007 and Liquor Regulation 2008
SA Liquor Licensing Act 1997 and Liquor Licensing (General) Regulations 1997
VIC Liquor Control Reform Act 1998 and Liquor Control Reform Regulations 2009
WA Liquor Control Act 1988 and Liquor Control Regulations 1989
NT Liquor Act and Liquor Regulations
TAS Liquor Licensing Act 1990 and Liquor Licensing Regulations 2003
ACT Liquor Act 2010 and Liquor Regulations 2010
NZ The Sale of Liquor Act, 1989, Sale of Liquor Amendment Act 1999 and Sale of Liquor Regulations 1990

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Foreign driver licences not in English
Where a foreign driver licence is not written in English, an international driver permit
issued in the foreign country of origin (and including a photo of the licence holder and
translation) should be presented with the foreign driver licence.
Security Officers checking ID should be aware of the security features of each
identification type to assist in identifying fraudulent documents. NSW stopped
accepting proof of age cards in 2008 as acceptable identification and now only accept
Photo Cards.
The RAMP / House Policy should provide guidance for Security Officers on the
acceptable evidence of age requirements and include samples of acceptable ID.

Definition of liquor
The definition of liquor is:
• (1) “Liquor” is a spiritous or fermented fluid of an intoxicating nature
intended for human consumption.
• (2) “Liquor” also includes any other substance intended for human
consumption in which the level of ethyl alcohol (ethanol) is more than 5 ml/L
(0.5%) at 20ºC.
• (3) “Liquor” also includes any other substance containing ethyl alcohol
(ethanol) which substance is prescribed under a regulation as liquor.
• (4) However, “liquor” does not include a fluid that would otherwise be liquor,
if it is used merely as a preservative or medium in which fruit is offered for
sale to the public in sealed containers and with the contents visible.
Methylated spirits are not liquor for two reasons:
• it is not intended for human consumption.
• it is methyl alcohol, not ethyl alcohol.
Intoxication commences when the first drink of alcohol enters the body. It can affect a
person’s behaviour within minutes of the first drink. Drinking heavily over a short
period of time usually results in a “hangover” – headache, nausea, shaking and
sometimes vomiting. A hangover is due partly to poisoning by alcohol and other
components of the drink, and partly to the body’s reaction to withdrawal from alcohol.
There are dozens of home remedies, but there is currently no known effective cure.

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House Policy / Risk Assessed Management Plan (RAMP)
Licensed venues will have developed a House Policy as a prerequisite of their licensing
process. This plan has replaced with a document known as a house policy and allows
for each licensee to identify local conditions and risks and demonstrate how their
business is meeting the Act’s first objective of harm minimisation.
The requirements for a House Policy include the following considerations:
• responsible service of liquor at the premises.
• matters addressed in a liquor accord to which the licensee (or permit holder) for
the premises is a party.
• arrangements for the following at the premises—
o lighting.
o noise mitigation.
o security.
o transport provided for the use of patrons of the premises.
• provision of food at the premises.
• training staff of the premises.
• dealing with minors on the premises.
• dealing with unduly intoxicated and disorderly patrons of the premises.
• mitigation of any impact that the business conducted at the premises may have
on the amenity of the surrounding area.
• consultation with community and liquor industry groups about the conduct of
business at the premises.
• ensuring that the conduct of business at the premises complies with the Act and
other laws.
The House Policy should be studied by all Security Officers PRIOR to commencing
duties so that you are aware of the local requirements of each premise. The House
Policy will be based upon the Act and Regulations and incorporate any additional
requirements of applicable Codes of Practice, Licence Conditions, Fire Regulations etc.
Unless you have read and fully understand the House Policy, you cannot do your job
professionally and protect both your client’s interests and the safety of patrons.

Methods for assessing intoxication level of persons.

“Unduly intoxicated” means a state of being in which a person’s mental and physical
faculties are impaired because of consumption of liquor so as to diminish the person’s

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ability to think and act in a way in which an ordinary prudent person in full possession
of his or her faculties, and using reasonable care, would act under like circumstances.
It is an offence under the liquor legislation to serve alcohol to a person who is unduly
intoxicated. The house policy will usually state that the following persons are not
permitted to access the venue: underage, unduly intoxicated or disorderly. Prior to a
patron reaching a state of undue intoxication is when staff and licensees should be
refusing service of liquor.

Table 1: Stages of undue intoxication

Effects of alcohol
Most people consume alcohol in a responsible manner which does not jeopardise their
health. However, activities such as binge drinking, drink driving or drinking whilst
operating machinery can be disastrous. Short-term effects of unhealthy drinking
patterns include headaches, nausea, sleeping difficulties and depression. Longer-term

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effects can result in severe impairment of most organs (brain, liver, intestines etc.).
Alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream through the walls of the stomach and
intestines. It is then carried by the bloodstream to the brain and other organs. Even
small amounts of alcohol affect the normal functioning of the brain. When alcohol
builds up in a person’s bloodstream it affects behaviour. At some stage the loss of
control becomes so great that the person is considered to be ‘unduly intoxicated’. The
time taken will vary from person to person as there are several factors that can also
affect timing:

Factors affecting BAC

Some behavioural signs of undue intoxication can be similar to those of persons on
medication or who have a physical impairment, for example, slurring of speech as a
result of a stroke. This is why it is suggested to look for more than one “sign” of undue
intoxication; however, the following will act as a good guide.
 Gender - Women have a higher percentage of body fat than men. They may
absorb more alcohol than men of similar weight, and therefore display signs
of undue intoxication more quickly than men
 Size - It may take longer for a large person to display signs of undue
intoxication than a small person. The larger person has more body fluids and
alcohol will be diluted further even though the same number of drinks have
been consumed
 Fitness - A fit person has more muscle and less fat. The absorption rate of
alcohol may therefore be slower, and it may take longer for behaviour to be
affected
 Health - Being tired, ill or stressed may affect a patron’s reaction to alcohol.
 State of Mind - Unhappy or depressed patrons may be affected more quickly
than usual
 Rate of Drinking - If patrons are drinking rapidly, the alcohol may have a
greater effect as they are absorbing alcohol faster than the body can remove
it
 Food - Food slows the rate at which alcohol is absorbed into the body, giving
the body more time to remove it.
 Medication - Many medications interact with alcohol. This may increase the
loss of control.

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It is important for liquor servers to understand how much alcohol they are providing
to their customers. Different drinks contain different amounts of alcohol. If you
examine the labels on containers of beer, wine and spirits you will notice they state
the concentration of alcohol as a percentage per volume, for example 4.8%
alcohol/volume for regular beer.
Signs of undue intoxication
The following guidance may assist you in determining if a person is unduly intoxicated.
These signs may be considered when assessing for undue intoxication, but do not
represent an exhaustive or conclusive list of the types of indications that may amount
to a person being unduly intoxicated.

Speech
• Incoherent or muddled speech
• Loss of train of thought
• Rambling or unintelligible conversation
• Slurring words

Balance
• Bumping into or knocking over furniture or people
• Falling down or cannot stand.
• Difficulty walking straight.
• Staggering or stumbling
• Swaying uncontrollably
• Unsteady on feet.

Coordination
• Difficulty counting or paying money and fumbling change.
• Difficulty opening or closing doors.
• Dropping drinks
• Inability to find mouth with a glass.
• Spilling drinks

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Behaviour
• Aggressive • Exuberant
• Annoying/pestering others • Inappropriate sexual advances
• Argumentative • Loss of inhibition
• Bad tempered • Loud/boisterous
• Belligerent • Offensive
• Confused • Overly friendly
• Difficulty paying attention. • Physically violent
• Not understanding normal • Rude
conversation • Using offensive language
• Disorderly • Vomiting
• Drowsiness or sleeping at a
bar/table

Reasonable belief for undue intoxication

A person may be considered to be unduly intoxicated if they show signs of undue
intoxication and there are reasonable grounds for believing this is the result of
consuming liquor, drugs or another intoxicating substance. 'Reasonable grounds for
belief' are what a reasonable person would believe in the given situation.
If other causes for the signs of undue intoxication (known or stated) are absent, the
Commissioner (Qld) considers that a person's attendance at the licensed premises -
seeking to purchase or consume liquor - is reasonable grounds for believing that their
signs of undue intoxication are the result of consuming liquor, drugs or another
intoxicating substance. Speaking to a person about the possible causes for their signs
of intoxication is important in meeting your obligations under the Liquor Act. It also
ensures that you do not unlawfully discriminate against a person with mental or
physical impairment/s.

Other considerations in assessing undue intoxication.

Your observations of the quantity, rate and type of liquor consumed by a patron on
the premises can help inform your assessment of undue intoxication when you observe
them showing signs of intoxication. However, a patron may arrive at the premises
having already consumed liquor (or other intoxicating substances) or you may not have
seen their previous consumption at the premises. Therefore, the fact that they have
been seen consuming little or no liquor at the premises may not be relevant to your
assessment of undue intoxication. Also consider that the amount of liquor that each
person consumes before becoming unduly intoxicated varies.

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How Alcohol Enters and Leaves the Body
Alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream through the stomach walls and small
intestines, and then reaches the brain via the bloodstream.

Respiratory System Digestive System

Liver
Liver
Lungs

Sweat glands

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Standard Drinks 41
The concept of a ‘standard drink’ is a measure not of how much liquid has been
consumed, but how much pure alcohol has entered the system. The National Health
and Medical Research Council define a standard drink as one that contains 10 grams
of pure alcohol. How much is 10 grams?
• 1 pot of full-strength beer (285 mls).
• 100mls of sparkling wine.
• 100mls of red or white wine.
• 60mls of port (fortified wine); or
• 30mls of spirits.
Even though drinking glasses may comply with Trade Measurement guidelines, DON’T
assume they hold 1 standard drink. For example, many wine glasses hold amounts
other than 100mls and may NOT constitute a standard drink. Be aware of external
influences outside of licensed premises, for example the alcohol content of home brew
is not known, and in private functions where bottles are placed in ice, be aware that
labels may peel off and make it hard to identify contents. Also remember that the
states and territories may use different terminology.

Guide to Standard Drinks – Beer

41
Source National Health and Medical Research Council

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Guide to Standard Drinks – Wine

Guide to Standard Drinks – Spirits & RTD

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Mixing drinks
Mixing drinks does not get you drunk faster. It is the alcohol content of the drink which
affects people, not the type of drink. However, mixing drinks may make the patron feel
sick rather than more unduly intoxicated.
Topping up drinks
Many people think they are being good hosts by ‘topping up’ a half empty glass. In
doing so they are inadvertently preventing the patron from keeping a check on the
amount of alcohol they are consuming. Liquor servers should avoid topping up
unfinished drinks.
Some facts:
There is a difference between being over the legal BAC of .05% and feeling the effects
of alcohol.
• Some people will swear they are OK yet be over the limit, whilst others who
show signs of intoxication will still be under the legal BAC of .05%
• Fresh air, exercise and cold showers will not make a person sober.
• Coffee will not make a person sober.
• Vomiting will not make a person sober.

Signs of undue intoxication

Images: patrons demonstrating a sign of undue intoxication

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How to help an intoxicated person
There are little steps that can be taken to help an intoxicated individual avoid serious
health consequences as a result of too much alcohol. You can help by:
• Continually monitoring the person who is drunk. If you do not know the drunk
person, you can ask if you can call anyone to come and get them. If inside
commercial premises (e.g., a restaurant or bar), ensure any staff are aware that
the person is drunk.
• Check and monitor the breathing of the person who is drunk.
• Make sure the intoxicated person does not slip from sleeping to
unconsciousness, by waking them often. The blood alcohol concentration (BAC)
can rise even when someone has stopped drinking alcohol – this means that
“sleeping it off” is not safe.
• Ensure the intoxicated individual is sleeping on their side with a pillow behind
them to prevent them from rolling on their back. This will prevent them from
choking on their vomit.
• Never let one drunk person look after another drunk person.
• Never allow an intoxicated individual to drive a car, swim or ride a bike.
If the intoxicated individual vomits continually, displays irregular slow breathing, cool
pale skin or loses consciousness, it has become an emergency situation and an
ambulance should be called immediately.

When to call an ambulance

Alcohol is a toxin and, if drunk in excess in a single occasion, it can lead to alcohol
poisoning. Alcohol poisoning can be life-threatening and is an emergency situation that
requires help from medical professionals. An ambulance should be called if a person is
displaying symptoms of alcohol poisoning. Symptoms of alcohol poisoning include:
• Mental confusion.
• Stupor or coma.
• Vomiting.
• Seizures.
• Slow breathing (fewer than eight breaths per minute).
• Irregular breathing (10 seconds or more between breaths).
• Hypothermia; and
• Bluish skin colour and paleness.
In extreme cases of nervous system depression, complete respiratory support may be
necessary. Once an ambulance has been called, first aid will optimise health outcomes
for the intoxicated individual.

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How to recognise illegal substances and dangerous items
In licensed premises it is not to be expected that those using or dealing drugs will have
them in plain view. A critical part of understanding drug use is awareness about drug
paraphernalia, i.e., the items patrons use to hide or consume drugs. You may find these
items when screening people entering premises, or on tables or bars when patrolling:
• Plastic baggies or small paper bags
• Cigarette packages
• Electronic cigarettes (also called E-cigarettes)
• Small glass vials and pill bottles
• Candy or gum wrappers
• Baseball cap/ski cap
• Belt buckle
• Felt tip marker and lipstick dispensers.
• Makeup bags

Potential signs of criminal activity

Whilst patrolling the premises crowd controllers should be alert for all signs of criminal
activity, some examples are:

• Moving drinks from in front of patron when crowd controllers’ approach

• Under the table activity such as transferring cash / items between patrons
• Persons dressed out of character to the norm (i.e., bulky clothes)

Potential signs of harassment or assault

Harassment and / or assault are criminal behaviour and are hard to detect and treat,
security officers must maintain surveillance of the venue and be alert for potential
offending: some offenders will grope and/or harass people on the dance floor, loiter
around toilets, females and transgender are particularly vulnerable however others
are not immune. Possible signs include:

• People looking stressed or moving away from people.

• Physical activity like slapping a person or pushing them away.
• People who seem distressed but boxed into a booth etc.

Regularly patrolling vulnerable areas, asking people if they are ok? Will go a long way
to preventing harassment or sexual assaults.

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Potential signs of emotional or physical distress
The following are common signs of distress. Some may be due to reactions to a specific
event or cause, while others may result from long-term factors. Many can be similar to
signs of undue intoxication.

Physical
• looking pale
• perspiring excessively
• breathing difficulties
• fainting
• muscular spasms
• obvious intense pain
• extreme fatigue
• complaints of sleep problems or falling asleep in unexpected circumstances.
• continual episodes of illness, colds, flu, etc.

Emotional and psychological

• being tearful or sighing frequently
• appearing vague or confused
• experiencing high levels of anxiety or panic attacks
• irritability or unpredictable outbursts of anger
• displaying agitation
• displaying speech patterns that seem pressured, racing, or confused.
• sustained low mood.
• frequent expressions of negativity

Behavioural

• avoidance of tasks
• withdrawing socially or verbally
• poor self-care and personal hygiene
• being excessively demanding of others
• increases in impulsive behaviour.
• talk of suicide.
• violent acts towards self and/or others

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Potential signs of mental illness
Signs and symptoms of mental illness can vary, depending on the disorder,
circumstances and other factors. Mental illness symptoms can affect emotions,
thoughts and behaviours. Examples of signs and symptoms include:

• Feeling sad or down

• Confused thinking or reduced ability to concentrate.
• Excessive fears or worries, or extreme feelings of guilt.
• Extreme mood changes of highs and lows
• Withdrawal from friends and activities
• Significant tiredness, low energy or problems sleeping.
• Detachment from reality (delusions), paranoia or hallucinations
• Inability to cope with daily problems or stress.
• Trouble understanding and relating to situations and to people.
• Alcohol or drug abuse
• Major changes in eating habits.
• Sex drive changes
• Excessive anger, hostility or violence
• Suicidal thinking

Summary
A crowd controller who is exposed to a person demonstrating signs of distress, mental
illness can easily confuse them for undue intoxication that’s why we always say we
believe the person is showing signs of undue intoxication, not that they are intoxicated.

When a person demonstrates a breach of house rules, the crowd controller must
investigate and where the person is identified as unduly intoxicated or a minor
removed from the premises, or offered access to

1. Taxi / uber
2. A friend to take them home.
3. Safe area to assist in sobering up

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Prepare for work at venue.
When commencing duty on licensed premises, you must select the appropriate
communications equipment for use on the shift and any specific radio codes to be
used. The work instructions should specify who you report to and how you are to
report to them.

Venue layout
Familiarise yourself with the layout (floor plan) of the premises, confirm entry and exit
points and locations of facilities and emergency equipment. The liquor licence should
also mark any areas the licence is responsible for such as car parks, footpath areas etc.

Typical floor plan of licensed premises

Crowd Control
Station

Crowd Control Station should be equipped with first aid kit, battery chargers, fire
extinguishers, telephones,

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Monitor the work area and identify and assist intoxicated persons.
Principles of security
There are four (4) important principles of security, as follows:
• Mutual support (teamwork)
• Early warning
• Observing and monitoring people
• Control basics

Mutual support or teamwork

The idea of mutual support or teamwork is expressed very well in the motto, ’United
we stand - divided we fall ‘. Teamwork requires:
• Good observation skills.
• An awareness of the necessity to work as a team.
• Situational awareness - an understanding of what is taking place within the
area with respect to other members of the team.
By working together, each team member is offered some amount of protection,
assistance and back up. Team members who work together can keep up a constant
surveillance of a potential troublemaker or attacker without the crowd realising that
surveillance is taking place. Mutual support is about locking resources together. Your
role is to ensure that each officer overlooks another to ensure that vulnerable areas
are under constant surveillance and that an effective view of the overall crowd and the
individuals within it is maximised.
Mutual support includes maintaining communications with each officer, to ensure no
single officer is alone.

Early warning or anticipation

Preparing for the task ahead of you can ensure you are equipped with all the
knowledge to assist you prepare for the duties you are about to face.
All events have their own unique characterises, and a review of past similar events will
assist you prepare for this one. If it’s a football match between arch-rival teams, is
there a history of violence? If so, between whom and where? Is it between the
supporters and have past problems been during the match or after the match? In the
seating areas or toilets etc? A review of past statistics will assist you to properly
allocate resources throughout the venue. If it’s a concert, do certain bands promote
problems - if so, what problems? At adult entertainment venues, it is important to

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prevent crowds breaking the rules whilst allowing them to have a good time. Be alert
for signs of problems - this could occur if the entertainer’s partner (or ex) is present,
or where a person who is accompanied by their partner starts showing too much
interest in the entertainers.
A thorough debrief at the end of each shift will provide useful information which
Security Officers can use to continually improve security. The time spent using
observation skills should never be considered a waste of time. Early warning or the
detection of a minor problem is important because, if detected early enough, this
problem may not develop into a larger, harder-to-manage problem. For example, you
may suspect that someone is deliberately causing a disruption to draw your attention
to them and away from the crowd or the Principal.

Early warning strategies include:

Refusing entry to persons who do not comply with entry conditions, such as being
unduly intoxicated or noncompliance with the dress code. Managing the queue(s) and
observing behaviour, individuals who do not behave in a queue should not be
admitted.

Observing and monitoring behaviour

Strategies for monitoring behaviour:
• Separate, do not congregate. You are part of a team: cover each other and
stay focused and be highly observant.
• Actively relate to and communicate with members of the public.
• Ensure that high use areas are patrolled regularly.
• Listen, look and respond.
• Roster responsibility for certain areas and people when necessary at
appropriate times.
• Have set (non-verbal) cues for assistance.
• Monitor areas that are out of bounds to the public.
• Move to stop any sign of trouble or unacceptable behaviour as soon as
possible. These people are harmless, but they could be a diversion for a
robbery or other crime.
• Keep members of the public on side and solicit support where appropriate.

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Crowd control basics
The main objectives of crowd control at special events are no different from that at
other functions or even nightclubs. That is, the primary aim is to maintain order and
safety. Security measures vary according to the size and nature of the gathering. A rock
festival usually presents more problems than a symphony concert. The throng packed
into a football stadium is not spread out as loosely as the general public at an exhibition
and the crowd attending a pub, club or entertainment venue can be disjointed and
hard to monitor.
Effective crowd control is often said to be at least 80% good public relations. When
you talk with a member of the public, that person’s response depends on how you
react to them. Politeness is your best asset. Being a good listener and listening to a
customer’s problems is an important first step.
A patient explanation will often resolve a complaint. If the reason for a rule is explained
to a customer, such as limited numbers of people allowed in the building, the average
person usually accepts it. At other times, you may have to respond by saying you are
sorry, but these are the rules and exceptions cannot be made. You must be both
diplomatic and firm, particularly when safety is the issue.
Crowds are much easier to manage if you use the soft approach rather than coming on
like a ‘steamroller’.

Screening persons entering licensed premises (nightclubs)

Security Officers (usually referred to as crowd controllers) employed at licensed
premises such as clubs, nightclubs etc. are responsible for ensuring that the venue
complies with the appropriate liquor legislation 42, House Policy and responsible service
of alcohol (RSA) guidelines.
Each person in charge of licensed premises is responsible for developing and
implementing a House Policy and ensuring that all staff (including Security Officers) are
aware of the House Policy. Controlling the flow of people into and out of a venue or

42
NSW Liquor Act 2007 and Liquor Regulation 2008
SA Liquor Licensing Act 1997 and Liquor Licensing (General) Regulations 1997
VIC Liquor Control Reform Act 1998 and Liquor Control Reform Regulations 2009
WA Liquor Control Act 1988 and Liquor Control Regulations 1989
QLD Liquor Act 1992 Liquor Regulation 2002
NT Liquor Act and Liquor Regulations
TAS Liquor Licensing Act 1990 and Liquor Licensing Regulations 2003
ACT Liquor Act 2010 and Liquor Regulations 2010
NZ The Sale of Liquor Act, 1989, Sale of Liquor Amendment Act 1999 and Sale of Liquor Regulations 1990

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event presents a range of potential risks to the health, safety and welfare of those
responsible for crowd control at entry and exit locations.

House policy
Harm minimisation is the concept of minimising the harm to the community and its
members, arising from the use of alcohol. A mandatory requirement for licensed
premises is the development of harm minimisation documents including a House
Policy, which sets out the terms and conditions for the use of the premises. The House
Policy should establish clear standards to be applied with regard to such things as
intoxication, juveniles, responsible service of alcohol and respecting your neighbours.
A good House Policy is a powerful tool for service staff to assist in the successful
prevention and management of intoxication and anti-social behaviour. The House
Policy should provide guidance and assistance to Security Officers, so that those
stationed at the entrance to the licensed premises:
• have sufficient light, so that they can easily view / verify acceptable evidence
presented for proof of age.
• are aware of the House Policy.
• have access to support, if required.
• are aware of location of CCTV systems; and
 are aware of the liquor licence conditions applicable to these premises.

Dress standards
The House Policy can set the venue’s dress standards; these requirements should be
clearly visible for all patrons to see before they enter the premises. For example, if the
venue has long queues, signs displaying dress standards or other conditions of entry
should be prominently displayed where customers can see them early in the queue.
This will assist in preventing arguments at the door with customers who have waited
for 30 minutes only to have access denied. Another strategy is to regularly walk up and
down the side of the queue, advising customers of dress standards etc. Monitoring the
behaviour of customers in a queue also provides possible indicators of undue
intoxication etc. Dress standards will vary between venues - if you are employed at
multiple venues, ensure you are aware of and enforce the correct dress standards.
Dress standards could require that appropriate footwear is worn between certain
hours or be of a certain standard and could restrict such items as sporting clothing (the
venue may prescribe that no football Guernsey’s or jumpers are allowed). Most venues
prohibit motorcycle club colours or other gang patches etc. and many clubs will not

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allow visible tattoos. Security Officers must be familiar with the venue's dress
standards and apply these standards fairly across the board to all customers. It is also
prudent to ask “Why” - the answer to this will enable Security Officers to understand
the reasoning behind the venue's dress standards. This, in turn, will assist Security
Officers in advising the dress standards to customers when queried. It is the licensee’s
right to implement dress standards - however, it is not a requirement of the liquor
legislation.

Evidence of age
Security Officers are to monitor the age of customers trying to enter a licensed premise
to verify that they are over 18 years of age. Only the following forms of identification
are accepted as proof of age to allow entry into the premises:
 a current Australian driver's licence or permit.
 a current Australian or foreign passport.
 other current identity documents approved by the Liquor Licensing Division
such as:
(a) The Victorian Key-pass
(b) An overseas driver’s license that must contain the person’s photograph,
date of birth and be written in the English language. If this license is not in
English, it must be accompanied by a current document (an international
driver’s license) that converts the document into English.
When checking ID for fraudulent, fake or defaced cards you should:
• examine ID in well-lit areas (covered by CCTV43 if possible) where alterations will
be more obvious (have an initial checkpoint at the front door)
• ask patrons to remove ID from wallets and purses for inspection.
• hold the ID in your own hands and take your time examining it.
• feel around the photo, birth date and edges of the card, especially with cards
enclosed in plastic (wrinkles, bumps and air bubbles could mean the ID has been
tampered with)
• compare the photo with the patron presenting the ID (pay particular attention
to distinguishing facial features - do they match?)

43
if later approached by liquor licensing after they have caught an underage customer in the licensed premises, (The
customer may have now thrown away their false ID and claim you did not check them as they entered). You will have
CCTV footage showing you checking the ID and customer.

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 • check that the date of birth on the ID confirms the patron is over 18 years
(licences and some other forms of ID can be issued to minors)
• ensure the ID includes a hologram or other security feature.
Refuse service to any person who appears under-age and does not have acceptable ID.
Your staff should not assume that another person has checked a patron's ID (the
person may have snuck onto the licensed premises). All staff should be able to identify
the security features of each type of ID.
Digital ID’s are also acceptable, subject to verification.
If 'stamp outs' are used on exit, closely screen anyone trying to re-enter the premises;
stamp outs are easily transferred.
If you suspect that presented ID is either fake or not the customer's, request a copy of
secondary identification. Ask the person some questions - for example:
• What month were you born in? Driver's licences usually show date of birth
as dd/mm/yyyy, so if the customer has memorised the date of birth on the
ID, they may need to pause and think whilst they calculate the month.
• What is your star sign?
• Are they an organ donor? (This is written on driver’s licences).
• What is your middle name?

Warning re fake ID.

There are many websites available such as www.fakies.com.au, selling fake ID’s. These
are advertised as for fun only and state that they are not to be used for illegal purposes.
Some even include holograms and look very realistic.
A good tip is to swipe your fingers across the card as the ink is not as stable on fake
ID’s as it is on the real thing. Smeared ink is an indicator of a fake ID.

Underage drinking
The requirement for drinking alcohol on licensed premises is that the person must be
over 18 years of age. Any person under the age of 18 years is classed as a minor. A
minor is permitted in some jurisdictions to consume alcohol in private places under
the responsible supervisor of an adult. However, nightclubs, bars and other licensed
premises which employ Security Officers are not classed as private places.

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Some venues permit minors to be on licensed premises if they are accompanied by a
responsible adult (responsible adults are classified as parents, guardians or
stepparents).
If a minor is identified on licensed premises (where not allowed) the security officer
should request ID and then confiscate this, complete the crowd control register and
immediately remove the minor.

Image: Security Officer requesting identification

Strategies to prevent underage persons obtaining entry to the venue include

requesting identification on the door to the premises of all persons who reasonably
look underage. The house policy will provide guidance on requesting ID, however as a
general rule, request identification if they look under 25 years of age.
Whilst bar staff should always request identification of persons being served alcohol
(who reasonably look underage), Security Officers should be aware of strategies that
underage persons will undertake to obtain alcohol once they are inside licensed
premises. These include getting their friends to purchase the alcohol, so random
requests for identification of persons inside the venue by Security Officers is a
worthwhile task to undertake. Always request identification (if possible) where you are

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covered by CCTV or scan the ID of all persons entering so that you have proof that you
requested identification. This may be necessary later if liquor licensing officers attend
and the person who is underage throws away their identification and says you did not
ask them for ID.

Strategies for dealing with unduly intoxicated persons.

Security Officers should request that unduly intoxicated persons leave the premises
and ask the patron if they would like a taxi called or, if the venue operates a bus service,
organise them a seat on the bus. It is not an offence for unduly intoxicated persons to
be on the premises so long as some form of RSA initiative has been adopted such as
offering food without alcohol. This also allows Security Officers (and others) to monitor
the person and ensure they are safe, as evicting all unduly intoxicated persons may
allow the person to gain access to their own vehicle and try to drive home or stumble
onto the road and get struck by a vehicle or, in the case of a female, possibly being
raped.
Many venues will therefore have a dry lounge where coffee and soft drinks are served,
and people can go whilst they wait for safe transport options. House policies should
state that unduly intoxicated persons be removed from the areas where alcohol is
served or consumed. Unduly intoxicated persons should not be permitted to remain in
the general bar areas.

Signs of undue intoxication

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Signs of undue intoxication are just that, “signs”. This means that Security Officers must
initiate communication with the patron, ask them if they are OK and request
identification (if appropriate). The way a patron responds may confirm whether or not
they are unduly intoxicated or just suffering a bad migraine.
Disorderly behaviour
To be disorderly, a person does not need to be intoxicated or unduly intoxicated. This
person could be sober or under the influence of another substance. Some outward
signs of a disorderly person include:
• Aggressiveness
• Carelessness
• Violence
• Disruptive
• Argumentative
• Boisterous
• Affecting other patrons' comfort/enjoyment level.
If permitted to remain on the premises, the potential for harm to staff or patrons is
increased. The protection of all is to be considered in the management of individuals
who negatively impact on the venue.

What does this mean?

Put in simple terms, this means observing patron behaviour. It DOES NOT require
Security Officers to count drinks, guess what a patron’s blood alcohol level would be
or to use a breathalyser. Observation means looking for the signs of changing
behaviour that results from liquor consumption. The signs can vary greatly from person
to person and may be affected by:
• Gender / Age
• State of mind
• Food consumption
• Medication
• Health
• Size / Weight
• Rate of drinking.
The task of monitoring will be easier if the patron is a regular and staff are familiar with
the patron’s normal demeanour, or if the patron has been on the premises for a
reasonable period of time (for example, whilst having a meal).

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Effects of alcohol on emotional state, health and physical alertness of persons
RSA means serving and supplying liquor in a responsible manner and in accordance
with the law. It means that licensees and staff who sell or supply liquor are required to
conduct their business in a responsible manner. The licensee, managers and staff may
all be held accountable for their actions.
Irresponsible conduct comes at a cost to business, the community and the
government. Research suggests a strong association between alcohol, violence, crime
and anti-social behaviour, including street offences, assault, malicious damage,
domestic violence and noise complaints. It is also associated with a number of adverse
health consequences including liver cirrhosis, mental illness, several types of cancer,
pancreatitis and damage to the foetus.
Excessive alcohol consumption has been found to be a contributing factor in:
• 33% of all road deaths in Australia
• 50% of cases of domestic, physical, and sexual violence
• 40% of violent crimes and 70-80% of night-time assaults
• Homicides (34% of offenders and 31% of victims)
• Problems faced by 15-24-year-old linked with violence, crime, vandalism and
property destruction.
Alcohol is known as ethyl alcohol or ethanol and it is produced by fermenting or
distilling various fruits, vegetables or grains. The terms alcohol and liquor are used
interchangeably. Liquor is the preferred term. Where this manual refers to liquor or
alcohol, it is referring specifically to ethyl alcohol. This is the type of alcohol is found in
drinks intended for human consumption.

Monitoring the number of persons in the venue

Security Officers on the door of a venue may be required to monitor the number of
people who are attending the licensed premises: The House Policy document will
provide guidance on this. There are a number of reasons that venues will restrict the
number of customers, including:
• Compliance with fire codes
• Compliance with conditions imposed on licenses.
• Insurance company requirements
• Results of risk assessments.
• Ensuring compliance with the required ratio of Security Officers to
customers.

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Monitoring crowd size
Risk assessments should be undertaken at each venue to ensure an appropriate ratio
of crowd controllers to patrons is allocated. Each venue is different in crowd
demographics - RSLs and Bowls Clubs will have a different range of behaviours and
incidents compared to those in nightclubs, adult venues and at concerts.
A suggested ratio of crowd controllers to patrons is44:

Table: Ratio of Crowd Controllers to Patrons

Door staff duties

Door staff are responsible for meeting and greeting all customers. It is important to
remember that the Security Officer on the door of licensed premises is usually the first
person that customers will meet. Whilst maintaining customer relations is an obvious
duty of door staff, it is important that door staff realise that they can play an important
role in minimising harm to customers and prevent problems inside the venue by
implementing the House Policy of the venue.

44
Security Officers should check house policy, assignment instructions or licence conditions to verify local requirements
for numbers of security staff on duty at any particular venue.

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This includes:
• Monitoring dress standards.
• Verifying that all customers entering are over the age of 18 years.
• Monitoring the behaviour of customers prior to entering the venue and
refusing admission to those persons who either show signs of undue
intoxication, or do not meet other conditions of the venue's House Policy.
Letting unduly intoxicated customers into the premises only creates
problems for the bar staff and internal security staff, who may have to refuse
service or remove the customer from the premises.
• Monitoring the number of persons who are entering and leaving the venue.

Screening persons inside licensed premises (nightclubs)

Security Officers stationed inside licensed venues should monitor patrons inside the
venue for compliance with the house policies and liquor legislation, including for signs
of undue intoxication, or underage patrons etc. Whilst it is the responsibility of door
and bar staff to check for these signs at entry, it is always a possibility that underage
persons might gain access to the venue, change their clothing to be non-compliant
with the House Policy or become unduly intoxicated whilst inside the venue.
Security Officers stationed inside venues should continually monitor bar staff and
other employees and aid where required. It is not to be forgotten that licensed
premises are private property and persons can be requested to leave where, in the
opinion of the Security Officer, patrons are not complying with the House Policy.

Removing persons from licensed premises

Security Officers must always follow the House Policy prior to making the decision to
remove a patron from the premises. Whilst it is against the House Policy to provide
alcohol to someone who is unduly intoxicated, the venue has a duty of care in relation
to their customers. Some alternate strategies to immediate removal, may include that
the venue has a “safe room” where water and/or coffee is available (and no alcohol is
permitted), allowing persons to sober up, prior to leaving.
When Security Officers remove patrons from the premises, the venue still has a duty
of care to them. As the customer entered licensed premises under the control of the
licensee, the customer and licensee established a client / customer relationship and
the alcohol consumed on the premises had the potential to impair the judgement of
the customer.

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Options for assisting intoxicated persons to comply with venue rules.
Security Officers should be aware of the availability of public transport at the venue.
Where no public transport is available, or access is severely restricted / limited, it is
expected that customers who have been removed from the venue or who have left of
their own accord will/may congregate outside the premises. Congregation of persons
outside the venue can cause noise complaints from neighbours, increase the risk of
violence amongst customers and make the venue unappealing to potential customers.
Some strategies to assist in removing patrons include providing a free courtesy bus to
transport customers to the nearest transit centre (bus, train or ferry terminals);
establishing a taxi rank in close proximity to the club; and monitoring the taxi rank
queues to prevent queue jumping and associated violence. Many venues have VIP
membership programs which might include arranging a discounted chauffer service
from a VIP entrance/exit and encouraging VIP customers to use this service.

Image: Unduly intoxicated person allowed to continue drink can be a danger to self and others

Dry areas can assist intoxicated persons have coffee or soft drinks where no alcohol is
served, ensuring the person who is unduly intoxicated has a place to stay whilst
awaiting a lift or letting their friends finish having a good time.

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Remember - venues owe a duty of care to all patrons, even unduly intoxicated ones.
Simply throwing them out onto the street may have substantial consequences. When
unduly intoxicated, patrons can be vulnerable to sexual predators, thieves, assault or,
if removed outside, could be involved in traffic accidents as a pedestrian.

Summary
When commencing duty on licensed premises, you must complete the crowd
controller's register and select the required ID badge to wear. Then read the standard
operating procedures and work instructions applicable to the licensed venue. When
work instructions or standard operating procedures require clarification, ensure these
are clarified with the relevant person.
Responsibility of licensed premises for an intoxicated patron’s alcohol-related harm:
the thin line between personal responsibility and a social host’s intervention.

Duty of Care - Background to occupational liability

The common law has long recognised that an occupier of premises owes a duty to take
reasonable care for the safety of those who enter those premises. That duty arises
from the act of occupation. Occupation carries with it a right of control over the
premises and those who enter them.
However, the extent of an occupier to take reasonable care for the safety of those on
their premises becomes blurred in circumstances where they also hold a license to sell
alcohol. This area of negligence has faced a number of legal challenges regarding the
responsibility of licensed premises to take care of patrons who have become
voluntarily intoxicated. The Courts have noted that the idea of an adult seeking
compensation for injuries suffered as a result of their voluntarily intoxication seems to
offend the societal policy of free will and personal autonomy. The Courts have also
contemplated the commercial interest a licensed premise holds by the presence of
intoxicated patrons and what actions (if any) should be taken to prevent patrons from
becoming vulnerable to harm once they leave the premises.
To reiterate the basics of negligence, a person will owe a duty of care not to harm
another individual if it is reasonably foreseeable that another person could be harmed
by their acts (or omissions). There have been a number of cases that test the duty owed
by licensed premises to ensure that intoxicated patrons have a safe journey home.
However, these cases reveal that the practicalities involved in adhering to this duty
make it onerous and difficult to manage. Litigation pursued against licensed premises
by patrons who suffer injuries after leaving same revolve around two aspects of

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conduct: firstly, that the premises supplied the patron with alcohol at a time when a
reasonable person would have known that they were intoxicated; and, secondly, that
the premises allowed the patron to depart in an unsafe condition without proper and
adequate assistance.

The requirement of exceptional circumstances

In the Tasmanian matter of Tandara Motor Inn & Anor & Scott, an intoxicated patron
suffered fatal injuries after he lost control of his motorcycle after leaving a licensed
premise. Prior to the fatal incident, the patron had spent several hours drinking at the
Tandra Motor Inn (“the Inn”). It is estimated that the patron consumed seven to eight
cans of Jack Daniels and Coke at the Inn over a period of approximately three hours.
As a regular patron at the Inn, an arrangement had been devised where he would hand
over the keys to his motorcycle which would be locked in a storage unit. Further, the
patron would then telephone his wife to come and collect him. On the night of the
incident, the Inn refused further service to the patron after his consumption of seven
to eight drinks. The Inn also asked the patron for his wife’s telephone number so that
she could come and collect him. The patron swore at the staff requesting the
information and refused to provide his wife’s contact number. The patron also
demanded the keys to his motorcycle.
The staff member at the Inn provided him with his keys and asked him a number of
times whether he was “right to ride”. The patron said he was, and his keys were
released to him. The patron left shortly after and was consequently involved in a fatal
accident. The deceased’s wife instituted proceedings against the Inn on the basis that
they had breached their duty of care to him. The matter proceeded all the way to the
High Court which made a finding in favour of the Inn. The High Court considered that
the deceased’s wife had failed to establish the existence of a duty of care and, further,
if one was owed, that there had been any breach of this duty.
Whilst the deceased’s wife argued that she would have collected her husband on the
night of the incident which would have prevented the fatal accident, the Court did not
accept that such actions would have prevented the actions of the deceased. This is
because her husband had refused to provide her contact details to the Inn and further
there was no guarantee that he would have remained on the premises until she arrived
(if she had been called).
In addition, the Court held that the Inn could not have refused to return the motorcycle
to the patron as it would have denied his legal right of possession as its owner.

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In conclusion, the Court held that, outside of exceptional circumstances (such as where
a patron is so intoxicated, they are incapable of exercising rational judgment or they
are an intellectually impaired patron), no general duty of care was owed to monitor
and minimise the service of alcohol or to protect customers from the consequences of
the alcohol they choose to consume.

Extending the duty

The Queensland matter of Johns & Cosgrove & Chevron Queensland Ltd stretched the
duty of care owed by licensed premises to their intoxicated patrons, such that they
must ensure that their patrons have a safe journey home. The case outcome which
saw a compensatory award of $125,000.00 to a heavy-drinking regular who was struck
by a car whilst waiting at a bus stop (across the road from a hotel) caused shock waves
through the Queensland liquor industry.
The Court considered that a number of circumstances had culminated in the hotel’s
negligent contribution to the dangerous situation that caused the patron’s injuries.
Specifically, the hotel’s continued service of alcohol to the patron (whilst knowing he
would have to cross a busy highway to catch a bus home) and their failure to provide
him with a safer, alternative means of transport persuaded the Court that they had
breached their duty of care.
To be clear, a premise is not automatically liable for causing a patron to become
intoxicated. However, liability will arise if the premises continue to serve an intoxicated
patron to the point where they have lost self-control and the premises should be aware
that, without intervention, they will be in a dangerous situation. Accordingly, the
decision reiterated the need for staff of licensed premises to ensure that they are fully
aware of their duties in relation to the responsible service of alcohol.

Narrowing the duty

However, the NSW decision of Cole & South Tweed Heads Rugby League Football Club
highlighted the need for intoxicated patrons to be more responsible for themselves.
This matter involved circumstances where a patron became intoxicated after binge
drinking free Spumante at a champagne breakfast held at the club. After the free
alcohol ran out, the patron continued to purchase more alcohol. By 2.00pm, the patron
was very intoxicated, and the club refused her further service.
By 5.00pm, the patron was seen staggering, slurring her speech and “grabbing men”.
The club manager tried to make her leave by offering her a taxi or the club’s courtesy
bus to take her home. Instead of accepting the ride, the patron chose to verbally abuse

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the manager. The patron then teamed up with some other individuals who advised the
manager that they would “take care of her”. A short time later, the patron left the club
and was struck by a four-wheel drive as she walked along a dimly lit road. The matter
proceeded all the way to the High Court who determined that the club was not
responsible for the patron’s injuries.
Whilst the High Court found in favour of the club, there was a significant divide
between the six Justices as to whether the club owed a duty of care, the extent of the
duty and whether it had been breached by the club. In particular, Chief Justice Gleeson
noted the difficulty in ascertaining the extent of a duty arising when an adult individual
intends to become intoxicated. This is because the duty then translates into attempts
by licensed premises to prevent an adult from acting in accordance with their own
intentions.
The Court also observed the practical difficulty involved in requiring a licensed premise
to monitor the risks associated with the consumption of alcohol by its patrons. He
contemplated circumstances where a bottle of wine was served to two customers at a
table. The premises may not know what either customer has consumed prior to
purchase, the proportions in which the customers intend to share the bottle or what
they intended to do once they finished the bottle. Further, he noted that most
customers would not take kindly to being questioned about such matters. Ultimately,
the Court found that the club did not owe a general duty to protect the patron from
the consequences of her decision to drink to excess. Whilst the High Court’s decision
was eagerly awaited, the Justices remained divided as to whether a general duty of
care is owed by a vendor of alcohol to the purchaser in order to prevent them from
injury following excessive consumption. Whilst the case provides limited guidance to
practitioners, the Justices agreed that if a duty was owed, it was not breached in the
circumstances having regard to the club’s offers to provide transport home together
with their earlier refusal of bar service.

An uncertain future: no objective test to answer future legal challenges.

Whilst there is significant need for coherence in legal principles when addressing any
proposal for a new form of duty of care, it is unusual for the common law to subject a
person to take reasonable care to prevent another from self-inflicted injury. A duty to
take care to protect an ordinary adult person who seeks to become intoxicated is not
easy to reconcile with the general rule that people are entitled to do as they please,
even if it involves a risk of injury to themselves.

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However, other Justices considered that licensed premises ought to be more thorough
in their monitoring of patrons’ behaviour. They considered that these premises should
cease service of alcohol to patrons if they reasonably foresee, they would be at risk of
injury. They consider intervention should include a verbal warning to the patron of
their intoxication and/or forcible removal from the premises. However, it is important
to note that neither of the suggested intervention prevents an intoxicated patron from
suffering injury once they have left the premises (as detailed in the above cases).
What is clear from the above is that any attempt to create simplicity in the legal
principles governing the responsibility of licensed premises to patrons who choose to
become voluntarily intoxicated, only serves to obscure the complexity of the problems
that lie in these situations and circumstances.

Ways that spoken and non-verbal communication can escalate conflict.

Professional communication with customers builds rapport. If you are stationed on the
door of a venue and your job includes checking ID and monitoring admission based on
state of unruliness or level of intoxication, how you say what you say matters. For
example, a regular customer is displaying levels of intoxication that, by the house rules,
means you must not allow him / her into the venue.
Do not say “Sorry mate, you're too pissed to enter” especially in front of his / her
peers. Use words such as “Come on mate, you know the rules, you’re a regular, come
back tomorrow night”.
You approach the bar - a man has a broken glass in his hand and is threatening another
person. The first step “your presence” did not work, so now you should request the
man put the glass down, “Come on mate, enough is enough, now put the glass down”
if he does, that’s an awesome result. If he doesn’t - communicate with him, find out
what the issue is, keep him talking (other team members can commence assisting you).
Do not say words such as “Put it down!” or “Put it down or I will take it off you!” and
do not swear. Maintain your professionalism. If the man does not put the glass down,
you (or your team) are justified in using the next level of force. If he does put the glass
down, any further use of force may not be justified.
Report security risk and complete incident documentation.

Controlling the risks, placing crowd controllers in safe workplaces 45

Managing crowds involves significant risk. The extent, severity and exposure to risk will
vary depending on the circumstances that crowd controllers find themselves in; how

45
Extract from Crowd Control at Venues and Events, a practical guide to occupational health and safety second edition.

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well they have been prepared; and how effectively risks have been identified, assessed
and controlled. To fully appreciate the risks relating to any business, time needs to be
taken to investigate, identify and assess them.

How to manage risk?

Fundamentally, risk management involves the following four key steps:

1. Identify and list the hazards that have the potential to cause an injury.
This involves using information and input from all resources including employees,
previous incident records, publications (e.g., this Manual), industry experts and, most
importantly, your own eyes and ears (look at what’s going on in your own workplace
and listen to what people are saying). In ‘WHS speak’, this is called ‘identifying hazards’.
Work together with employees and ask them what they believe could cause an injury.
This should produce a large list of hazards. Don’t dismiss any ideas.

2. Assess the risks.

During step one, you identified a whole range of hazards - now it’s time to work out
whether each hazard could be the cause of a genuine safety problem. Many people
make mistakes at this point because they fail to really appreciate the ‘source’ or
primary reason why the risk exists in the first place. It’s important that when you’re
assessing the source of a risk you ask yourself the ‘why’ question. Asking ‘why?’ often
enough will progressively break down a risk scenario to the actual ‘source’ itself. You
then have a better chance of implementing a control that will more effectively manage
the risk.
Consider this simple example that illustrates the basic process of assessing a risk:
• Q. What is the risk?
• Being hit by cars.
• Q. Why?
• Because we have to stand on the road.
• Q. Why do you have to stand on the road?
• A. Because we have to direct patrons to stay off the road after they come
out of the venue.
• Q. Why do they go on to the road?
• A. Because when they leave, there is not enough space for them and those.
trying to get in.
• Q. Why is there not enough space?
• A. Because the other entrance is blocked by speaker stacks and we can’t use
that door.

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Solution:
Either implement a potentially expensive traffic management plan; or simply relocate
the speaker stacks, open the second entrance and eliminate the risk.
As the example above demonstrates, not asking ‘why?’ can lead to complicated
controls being unnecessarily implemented when a simpler control would have been
more effective. Obviously, however, some hazards will need capital expenditure to
properly control them.

3. Prioritising the risks.

Once risks have been assessed, the next step is to prioritise them for remedial action.
To help you do this, the risk analysis matrix below is a useful tool. Used by many other
industries to prioritise risk, it assists in determining the level of risk and priority of
reduction by asking two fundamental questions for each assessed risk:
• What is the likelihood of the risk occurring?
• What would be the consequence should the risk occur?
Regardless of the priority ranking given to each identified and assessed risk, it’s
important to remember that all risks should be controlled as quickly as possible.
In the example used above, the likelihood of a crowd controller being hit by a car may
be determined as ‘High Probability'. The consequence of being hit by a car is
determined as ‘Major’, i.e., serious injuries could be sustained by a crowd controller.
Therefore, the overall assessment of that task is ‘High Risk’, and high priority should
be given to controlling the risk.

4. Control the risks.

This is the most important part of the entire process. Risk can be controlled in a
number of ways, but the first objective should be to eliminate the risk entirely. If this
is not possible, exposure to risk should be reduced as much as is ‘reasonably
practicable’. The process often used to assist in this is known as the ‘hierarchy of
control’. When choosing a control, start at the top of the hierarchy (i.e., elimination of
the risk altogether) and if that’s not practicable, move to the next level (i.e.,
‘substitution’). The higher up the hierarchy you are when implementing a control, the
more effective the control will be in reducing the risks.
It’s common to have to implement a number of controls to manage a risk effectively.
Using the previous example (i.e., under the second step of ‘assess the risk’), moving
the speaker stacks and opening the second entrance eliminates the need for crowd
controllers to stand on the road. Introducing a traffic management plan is more time-
consuming and expensive and could be less effective in reducing the risk of a crowd
controller (and patrons) being hit by a car.

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It’s also important to note that there may be occasions when it will not always be
possible to implement a selected risk control due to the effect of other legislative
requirements. But this can’t be used as an excuse to avoid the obligation to fix a safety
problem. For example, a host employer might decide that the best way to fix a serious
safety problem with vehicle traffic near the entrance to a venue would be to install
pedestrian bollards at the front of the venue. However, local council requirements may
prevent the construction of bollards. In this example, it would be expected that the
host employer would explore other options that will satisfy the council requirements
or, if that’s unsuccessful, an alternative traffic control solution would be considered.

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 Chapter 24
Escort and protect persons and valuables.

Introduction
There are many distinct roles conducted by Security Officers in the Australian security
industry, some of which require additional training and licences and/or endorsements.
These include:
• Bodyguard, (Close Protection Operative) and
• Cash in Transit
• Monitoring / Control Room Operators
• Dog handlers
A bodyguard (or close personal protection operative) is responsible for planning and
conducting the safe escort of a client (or clients), either alone or within a team. This
type of Security Officer requires additional licensing as a bodyguard. Cash in Transit
officers pick up cash or valuables and deliver these from one location to another, either
covertly or uniformed, using either soft skin or armoured vehicles. They may be armed,
depending on risk assessments conducted. They are Security Officers who also require
additional licensing (either cash in transit licence or armed guard licence). There are
everyday functions of Security Officers / crowd controllers when a Security Officer
escorts the client who is carrying the cash and/or valuables. Examples of this could be:
• Crowd controller escorting the venue manager to the night safe deposit box.
• Security Officer in shopping centre escorting tenants to bank or night safe.
• Mobile patrol officer escorting managers of fast-food outlets to night safe.
• Security Officer on duty in hospitals escorting pharmacy staff carrying drugs.
• Security officer on duty in hospital escort staff to vehicles at end of shifts.
Valuables could include:
• Cash / Art works
• Bullion
• Firearms
• Pharmaceuticals
• Alcohol and/or cigarettes
• Jewellery or Precious stones

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Interpret and comply with procedures and legal requirements.
The standard operating procedures (SOP’s) should be easily located where staff can
access these to familiarise themselves with the requirements.

Image: Accessing SOP’s in supervisors office

The SOP’s should (as a minimum) provide details of licensing requirements, (is a
security officers licence enough or is a CIT or Bodyguard endorsement required)
equipment required to undertake the tasks and details of the assignment. Prior to
commencement an appropriately qualified person should have completed a risk
assessment and developed safe work procedures.

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Toolbox Meetings
Toolbox meetings can be formal or informal, however it’s important that they are held,
they provide an opportunity for all team members to be issued their tasks and clarify
the work tasks with supervisors and / or other team members. Many small assignments
consist of only one or two officers, these include tasks such as escorting a client to the
bank night safe or escorting staff to the car park. Often in these cases it is easy to
overlook the requirement to undertake a toolbox meeting, but this is asking for
disaster, “Failing to Prepare is Preparing to Fail”.

Image: security team attending a toolbox meeting

Prepare to escort person and valuables.

To prepare for the assignment the security officer must read the safe work procedures
and identify all required equipment, PPE and resources required for each work task,
the equipment must be checked to ensure operational effectiveness. When preparing
to escort a client the security officer must:

• Read the SOP’s.

• Select and organise equipment.
• Select and organise PPE.
• Ensure presentation meets standards.
• Communicate details to friends the details of the assignment.
• Clarify communication arrangements.

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 • Assess risks.
• Plan primary and secondary routes.

The professional security officer must also have a “Plan B” Contingency plan, in case of
the following events occurring:

• Changes in traffic
• Loss of communication
• Identifying a threat and changing from primary to secondary routes

Communications equipment.
The battery levels must be checked to ensure they are sufficient to complete the
assignment, or spare batteries sourced. Channels must be allocated so that all staff are
operating on the same frequency. Communications checks must be undertaken with
control to ensure communications are operational.

Where equipment is identified as faulty or non-serviceable it must be tagged and

replaced and noted in the security officer’s notebook and reported in accordance with
SOP’s, Communication equipment selected should be hands free to allow the security
operative maintain communications with the control room whilst keeps hands free to
protect client if required.

Don’t rely upon one communication method / device, have spare batteries, radios
and/or mobile phones. During the planning stage blackspots should be identified and
alternate communications arranged.

Mobile phones have an advantage over two-way radios in that they can communicate
over long distances (worldwide), can transmit and/or receive text or images and can
download speciality apps (such as risk assessment templates)

Communications processes
Clients do not usually attend toolbox meetings, so it is a good idea to brief clients of
the task and communications processes in place, especially what action is required in
relation to identified threats along the route.

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Whilst professional procedures such as the phonetic alphabet and 24-hour time are
recommended for internal use most clients would be confused, when dealing with
clients it is best to use plain language.

Personal presentation
The SOP’s will describe the requirements for uniforms and presentation, most escort
of clients and / or valuables will be in uniform when the tasks are ancillary to your
normal security duties. Examples include:

• Security officers in bars / clubs escorting staff to their vehicles at knock off time,
or escorting nurses to their vehicles at shift changes.
• Security officers escorting staff and or valuables to the bank’s night safe or other
points of despatch.

Assess risks.
Risk assessments must be completed, and primary and secondary routes planned for
even the shortest assignments, if a route is blocked you need an alternate route and
it’s too late to make route changes without proper planning. Don’t create risks? It is
often said that loose lips sink ships, and this is true for the security industry, telling
your friends and / or family of the tasks you complete, and details of assignments can
increase the risk to you! Who will they tell, so maintain client confidentiality at all
times? Many robberies have been undertaken on clients by associates of the client’s
friends, the client’s ex-wife / partner, ex business partner, staff (current and past) are
all aware of the client’s business practices and may communicate these to others.

Protect person and valuables during escort.

During shifts cash is cleared from cash registers on a regular basis and moved to a
secure location, depending on the amounts of money involved and insurance
requirements this money will be stored in the company safe. Regular large amounts
may involve use of a CIT service either armoured car or covert CIT teams, or in-house
security can escort it to a bank night safe.

Remember the primary goal is to protect the client not the consignment, the risk is
there because of the consignment’s presence,

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Remember loose lips sink ships?
The role of a security officer is unique and the challenges and tasks we encounter
sound exciting and interesting to others, it is best not to discuss client’s consignments
or amounts of money involved in your day-to-day tasks.

Example, telling a friend about a $10,000 cash escort for a client and naming the client
or premises is a risk, as the friend quite innocently may tell someone else and even
exaggerate the amount to $100,000 NOW you are a risk.

Image: Picking up cash from secure location

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Escorting client carrying a consignment.
The SOP’s will prescribe the methodology to follow when escorting persons, however
the best strategy (when performing single person escorts) is to remain in the escort
position (approx. 45◦ to either side and a few metres to the rear) this allows the
security operative to maintain surveillance of the client at all times and respond
promptly if required. It is important to remember the primary goal is to protect the
client not the consignment.

Image: security operative escorting client from the escort position

The client is escorted to their destination in accordance with SOP’s the destination
could be a Bank, Australia Post, Jewellery Store or an office, the destinations are
endless.

Unless arrangements have been made in advance (usually only for large transactions)
you will be required to join the queue like all other customers. You should allow the
client to join the queue and you should step to one side and maintain surveillance from
a safe position that provides the best opportunity to maintain surveillance of your
client. During the assignment the security operative must maintain regular radio check
calls to advise control room that all is ok.

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Operating a bank night safe
When escorting a client to the night safe it is usual procedures that the client carry’s
the consignment (check this with SOP’s) our primary role is to protect the client as such
upon arrival at the night safe observe the client open the safe, deposit the consignment
and secure the safe, it is good practice to have the client open and close the night safe
a second time to ensure the consignment has dropped into the safe and is not stuck in
the night safe mechanism.

Personal safety checks

Throughout the assignment (in accordance with SOP’s) the security officer must
maintain contact with the control room via radio (or other means as specified in the
SOP’s)

Maintain observation.
Throughout the assignment the security operative must maintain constant surveillance
of their surroundings to identify and assess potential security risks.

There are two types of risks, “friendly” and “unfriendly” a friendly risk is when a
personal friend of the client attempts to initiate conversation or creates a bad joke
(i.e., this is a stick up) this can occur (and has) when acquaintances of the client know
the client is involved in carrying valuables and thinks it’s funny! (it’s not) OR when a
friend or customer (innocently) approaches the client to initiate conversation.

In the above instances the security operative must intervene (politely) and ensure the
client focuses on the consignment and not communication with others.

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Where risks are identified the security operative must communicate with the control
room to ensure they are aware of the risk and if needed respond with back up
(additional security or police) as required.

When escorting staff members to vehicles, always approach the vehicle from the rear
(if possible) this allows the security operative to observe the rear seats to ensure no
one is hidden there prior to opening doors.

Many if not all hospitals and shopping centres maintain staff parking areas which are
under video surveillance and allows the security operatives the opportunity to
maintain patrols of these areas regularly during patrols.

Escorting persons
The procedures for escorting persons (without a consignment) are similar to those of
escorting with a consignment. The major difference is the end. Most escorts are
escorting people to a destination such as a staff member to their car, once the staff
member is at their vehicle they will depart and not return with you.

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It is important to understand why a staff member needs an escort and this is
determined in the risk assessment. Many organisations such as hospitals and shopping
centres require staff to park in designated staff parking areas and these are located in
remote areas of the carpark (so customers can use the easily accessible ones) when
staff finish work at night there could be a risk of sexual assault, physical assault and/or
robbery.

Other situations where staff escorts may be required are takeaway restaurants that
employ a lot of young people, at closing the company may hire security to stand guard
whilst the premises are locked up, escort the manager to the bank night safe, and
remain outside premises with staff members until their ride (parents or other) arrive
to pick them up.

Nightclubs or adult venues that employ strippers etc may also require security to
escort staff to the car park to ensure they are safely off the premises; some customers
may mis-interpret good customer service (which girls provide to get tips) as an
indication the girls like the customers.

“It’s all a part of the employer’s duty of care”.

Finalise and review escort procedures and maintain equipment and documentation.
Upon completion of the assignment, you must check and clean all security equipment
used and ensure faulty equipment is tagged and reported so that repairs or
replacement can be initiated.
Complete all documentation in accordance with SOP’s, these would be based upon the
original notes taken at the time. Debriefs are an excellent opportunity for security
operatives to provide feedback on the assignment and review the escort procedures
in SOP’s and improve future practices.

Prior to escorting clients

Prior to escorting nay clients, (carrying consignments or not) a risk assessment must
be undertaken to identify the risks and hazards that are possible, and the risks are
not always work related. They could include:

• Domestic violence from partners / ex partners

• Sexual assault
• Robbery

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 Chapter 25
Dynamic Risk Assessments
Dynamic risk assessments differ from other risk assessments as they are undertaken
as a result of a spontaneous incident, and now you must decide, what action you will
take? If any? and when you will take it.

What is a Dynamic Risk Assessment?

• On the spot assessment undertaken for a spontaneous incident.
• Consideration of your health, safety and wellbeing of yourself, your colleagues
and other persons.
• Consideration of any actions that need to be undertaken.
• Balance whether the risks are proportional to the benefits.
• Take actions in the safest possible way.

The dynamic risk assessment flow chart (below) demonstrates the relationships
between developing risks assessments and safe work procedures, dynamic risk
assessments, and debriefing after each assignment so that feedback can be provided
to assist in reviewing and improving existing procedures.

Dynamic Risk assessment chart

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Dynamic Risk Assessment
The term ‘Dynamic Risk Assessment’ is commonly used to describe a process of risk
assessment being carried out in a changing environment, where what is being assessed
is developing as the process itself is being undertaken. This is further complicated for
the security officer in that, often, immediate action needs implementing before a
complete appreciation of all material facts has been obtained.

When is a dynamic risk assessment completed?

Employees who work alone, in high-risk environments, or in regularly changing
environments should complete dynamic risk assessments frequently, whenever they
need to quickly observe and analyse the safety risks and hazards specific to their
evolving circumstances.

Nevertheless, it is essential that an effective risk assessment is carried out at any scene
of operations. However, in the circumstances of emergency incidents, experience has
shown that it is impractical to expect the security officer, in addition to the incident
size-up and deployment of the supervisor, to complete some kind of checklist or form.

After action has been initiated on the basis of a ‘Dynamic Risk Assessment’, it is
important that this is reviewed and confirmed as quickly as practicable, and further
reviewed and confirmed at regular intervals.

Also, it is important that the outcome of a risk assessment is recorded, preferably in a

way that is ‘time stamped’ for later retrieval and analysis, such as would be achieved
by transmission over the trunked radio network.

For the purposes of this dynamic risk assessment process, the lead security officer will
transmit informative situation reports via designated communication channels.

Although the dynamic management of risk is continuous throughout the incident, the
focus of operational activity will change as the incident evolves. It is, therefore, useful
to consider the process during three separate stages of an incident. These are.

• The Initial Stage

• The Development Stage
• The Closing Stage.

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Initial Stage of Incident
There are seven (7) steps to the assessment of risk:

• Complete risk assessments and safe work procedures

• Identify the hazards of the task.
• Determine who could get hurt and how.
• Assess the risk.
• Decide what actions will be taken.
• Record any actions and review.
• Debrief and provide feedback.

Step 1: Complete risk assessments and safe work procedures

The lead security officer will need to gather information, evaluate the situation and
then apply professional judgement to decide the most appropriate course of action.

Hazards must be identified and the risks to the supervisor, the public and the
environment considered. The benefits of proceeding with a task must be weighed
carefully against the risks. It is important to think before you act rather than act before
you think.

In order to identify hazards, the Lead security officer will initially need to consider:

• Operational intelligence information available from initial planning

• The nature of the tasks to be carried out.
• The hazards involved in carrying out the tasks.
• The risks involved to all stakeholders.
• The resources that are available, e.g., experienced personnel, appliances and
Equipment, specialist advice.

Step 2: Identify the hazards of the task.

Hazards are something that could cause harm to the security officer, the person
allocated the responsibility of conducting the risk assessment should use this process
to identify all hazards that may be encountered during the assignment. If hazards are
identified and treated there is limited risk, without a thorough assessment to identify
and treat all hazards then risk will increase.

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Step 3: Determine who could get hurt and how.
The security officer will then need to review the options available in terms of standard
procedures to determine who could get hurt and how? It is not just physical harm we
are protecting the principal from, there is also potential damage to reputation that
must be considered.

Many high-profile sporting personalities have suffered harm to their reputation by

engaging in sexual or drug related activities!

Step 4: Assess the risk

It must be understood what risk is. Risk is simply the chance (High or low) that any
hazard will cause somebody harm. Once a hazard is identified then and only then can
risk be evaluated, and appropriate action planned.

Step 5: Decide what actions will be taken.

The Lead security officer will need to eliminate, or reduce, any remaining risks to an
acceptable level, if possible, by introducing additional control measures, such as:

• Use of additional PPE.

• Use of specialised equipment.
• Use of extra resources, additional security officer’s or security staff.

Step 6: Record any actions and review.

Even when safe systems of work are in place, there may well be residual risks. Where
such risks remain and are realised, the security officer should consider the degree of
benefit to be gained from carrying out the tasks against the possible consequences.

• If the benefits outweigh the risks, proceed with the tasks.

• If the risks outweigh the benefit, do NOT proceed with the tasks, but consider
viable alternatives.

Step 7: Debrief and provide feedback.

Many an important lesson has been learnt from de-briefing sessions, these allow the
supervisor the opportunity to review the assignments goals and results, and determine
how systems and processes can be improved and additional resources sources (if
required)

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Contingency Plans
Contingency plans are plans that are put in place to ensure your safety, and the
safety of any consignment or client in the event of any unexpected or potential
security risks. Circumstances that may require you to implement security contingency
plans can include:

• Being followed by another vehicle or vehicles.

• Not being able to carry out an assignment in the usual manner due to an
unforeseen circumstance.
• Traffic accidents or forced detours from your route.
• Unauthorised personnel at the arrival or departure point or, loitering at the site.
• Any unauthorised changes or variations to the site instructions or usual
procedures.
• Identification of a potential risk or hazard.

The Security Officer is required to develop and perfect their personal awareness and
intuition and learn to trust their instincts. Any of the above situations could be a
diversionary tactic planned by criminals, or they could just create opportunities for a
spur of the moment crime. Risk assessments should have anticipated most
circumstances and you should have assignment instructions to follow in the event
these occur. Where a Security Officer feels that something is just not right, they
should notify base and request further instructions. This may be that a field support
officer is required to attend and conduct a clearance, or you are directed to return
to base.

Development Stage of Incident

If an incident develops to the extent that the span of control is exceeded or if sectors
are designated, the security supervisor may delegate incident control roles. This may
include the appointment of an operations officer or sector/ divisional command
responsibilities. As the incident develops, changing circumstances may make the
original course of action inappropriate, for example:

• Response tactics may change from defensive to offensive.

• New hazards and their associated risks may arise,
• Existing hazards may present different risks.
• Personnel may become fatigued.

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The security officer need to manage safety by constantly monitoring the situation and
reviewing the effectiveness of existing control measures. The appointment of a lead
security supervisor may assist with this process. The Closing Stage of the Incident, the
three key activities involved in the closing stages of an incident are:

• Maintaining control
• Welfare, and
• Incident Debrief.

Maintaining Control
The process of task and hazard identification, assessment of risk, planning,
organisation, control, monitoring and review of the preventative and protective
measures must continue until the last appliance leaves the incident ground. There are
usually fewer reasons for accepting risks at this stage, because there are fewer benefits
to be gained from the tasks being carried out. The CPO’s and Lead CPO should
therefore have no hesitation in halting work in order to maintain safety.

As the urgency of the situation diminishes, the CPO’s may wish to nominate a lead CPO
to gather information for the post incident review. Whenever possible, this CPO should
debrief crews before they leave the incident, whilst events are still fresh in their minds.
Details of all ‘near misses’ i.e., occurrences that could have caused injury but did not
in this instance, must be recorded because experience has shown that there are many
near misses for every accident that causes harm. If, therefore, we fail to eradicate the
causes of a near miss, we will probably fail to prevent injury or damage in the future.

Welfare
The welfare of CPO’s is an important consideration. It must be given particular
attention by the lead CPO, at arduous incidents or incidents that require a rapid
turnover of personnel. Welfare includes provision of rest and feeding which should,
where possible, be outside the immediate incident area and always away from any risk
of direct or indirect contamination.

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Incident Debrief
Following an incident any significant information gained, or lessons learned, must be
fed back into the policy and procedures of the CPT. Points to be covered may be in
relation to existing operational intelligence information, personal protective
equipment, the provision and use of equipment, other systems of work, instruction,
training and levels of safety supervision etc.

It is important to highlight any unconventional system or procedure used which was

successful or made the working environment safer.

It is equally important to highlight all equipment, systems or procedures which did not
work satisfactorily, or which made the working environment unsafe.
Any significant information gained, or lessons learned must be fed back to lead CPO in
order to enable any necessary review, re-evaluation, refinement and modification of
the risk assessment and its management to ensure the CPO’s compliance with all
legislation.

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 Chapter 26
Control room and monitoring centre operations.
Introduction
This section has been written to support the training course in monitoring and control
room centre operations and has been developed to meet regulatory and licensing
requirements within Australia and New Zealand:

Definitions
Australian Standards46 - Australian Standards are documents that provide voluntary
guidance on standards for control rooms, and monitoring centres, including
construction, alarm response times, qualifications of staff etc. These will be referenced
to throughout this course. The Standards provide the basic requirements for a range
of security equipment.

Assignment Instructions - Operational document detailing the specific duties to be performed

under the contract.

CCTV - Closed circuit television

CCTV control equipment - Equipment for receiving, processing and initiating the onward
transmission of data.

CCTV system - A system consisting of camera equipment, monitoring and associated equipment
for transmission and controlling purposes, which might be necessary for the surveillance of a
defined secure area.

Check Call - Routine communication made to verify the location and status of a security officer
on assignment.

Companion Monitoring System - A companion monitoring system is a system that operates

in parallel with the monitoring system to ensure that if a monitoring station is disabled
that there are off site backups of all activity and may be.

• electrical monitoring systems

• written record.

46 AS/NZS 62676.1.2:2020

AS/NZS 62676.1.2:2020 Video surveillance systems for use in security applications, Part 1.2: System requirements —
Performance requirements for video transmission (IEC 62676-1-2:2013, MOD)

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Control Room - Generally a facility within a specific site, such as an office building or
large business complex, where the day-to-day operations are monitored by closed
circuit television, internal alarm systems and security devices that are site specific. A
control room is on or adjacent to the site of the security risk situation that Security
Officers may be required to respond to. An organisation may monitor more than one
site in their control room.

Control Room Operator - A security officer who has had their security licence endorsed
(where required) to operate a control room. Control Room Operators may also be
required to respond to security risk incidents.
Legislation 47

What is legislation?
Legislation is the act of making or enacting laws. When people talk about ‘The
legislation’, they mean a law or a body of laws. ‘The private security legislation’ in a
state or territory is all the laws enacted specifically to control and administer the
private security industry.

What are regulations?

Regulations are the way that the legislation is applied. They are generally very specific
in nature and are referred to as ‘rules’ or ‘administrative law’.

Regulation of the private security industry is a state responsibility. Each state and
territory have its own legislation and regulations (listed below.)

47 ACT Security Industry Act 2003 (ACT)

ACT Security Industry Regulation 2003 (ACT)

NSW Security Industry Act 1997 (NSW)
NSW Security Industry Regulation 2007 (NSW)
NSW Workplace Surveillance Act 2005
NT Private Security Act (NT)
NT Private Security (Crowd Controllers) Regulations (NT)
NT Private Security (Security Firms) Regulations (NT)
NT Private Security (Security Officers) Regulations (NT)
QLD Security Providers Act 1993 (QLD)
QLD Security Providers (Crowd Controller Code of Practice) Regulation 2008
QLD Security Providers (Security Firm Code of Practice) Regulation 2008
QLD Security Providers (Security Officer - Licensed Premises - Code of Practice) Regulation 2008
QLD Security Providers Regulation 2008
SA Security & Investigation Agents Act 1995 (SA)
SA Security and Investigation Agents Regulations 1996 (SA)
TAS Security and Investigations Agents Act 2002 (Tas)
TAS Security and Investigations Agents Regulations 2005 (Tas)
VIC Private Security Act 2004 (VIC)
VIC Private Security Regulations 2005 (VIC)
WA Security and Related Activities (Control) Act 1996 (WA)
WA Security and Related Activities (Control) Regulations 1997 (WA)

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Mobile patrol - A mobile security service patrolling within a specified geographic area
at random, within predetermined times.

Monitoring Centre48 - A monitoring centre is a secure and isolated facility that monitors
alarm information transmitted from external locations.

NOTE: In contrast to a control room, a monitoring centre is typically remote from the
security risk and monitoring centre operators do not personally attend the site of alarm
activations or other monitored events.

Operations Room - A communication centre that monitors mobile patrols and/or static
security officers and that may provide a key holding service.

Operator inactivity monitor - A remote communications system that, if not operated

within a determined period of time by a security officer, indicates a possible problem
with that officer. Otherwise known as a ‘dead-man alarm’.

PIR - Passive infra-red detector

Poll - A signal using the path that carries an alarm transmission sent from a known
source with a returned acknowledgement sent from the intended recipient.

PTZ - Pan, tilt and zoom.

Security systems (may include) - alarms and signals, access control systems, alarm
actioning sequence, biometric devices, break and enter reporting, business
equipment, communications equipment, computers and networked systems,
electronic screening equipment, key register, motion sensors, patrol, static guard and
foot patrols, personal and asset tracking signals, personal duress and hold up alarms,
shutters, slow open or close alarms, static alarms, system alarms, time management
alarms, traffic display, video cameras and monitors.
Standard operating procedure (SOP) - Documentation detailing the methodology to
perform specific duties by the security officer.

VMC - Video monitoring centre

VMD - Video motion detection
VSS – Video Surveillance Systems (International standards use VSS not CCTV)
UPS - Uninterruptible power supply

48 AS 2201.2:2022 Intruder alarm systems - Monitoring centres

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Introduction
Electronic security surveillance systems have been in existence for many years, from
standalone alarm systems that activate a siren when an intruder is detected on site, to
state-of-the-art monitoring centres located remotely that coordinate security patrol
and /or police response to the activation.

This chapter looks at the procedures, for operators of the following:

• Control Rooms
• Monitoring Centres

There will be variations in State / Territory legislation, and the course facilitator will
provide details of specific legislation affecting you in the jurisdiction you are attending
the course.

Control Room
A Control room can consist of a basic alarm panel and CCTV or be more elaborate and
equivalent to a monitoring centre.

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Prepare for control room operations.
Control rooms may be operated 24 hours a day or for designated shifts, either way at
commencement of duty each shift the following procedures should be followed.

Review SOP’s
The organisations SOP’s must be reviewed, and any changes or updates noted short
term changes still be recorded in the short-term message book (paper based or
electronic) e.g., John Smiths Menswear are working late tonight, or Permanent
changes would be recorded as John Smiths Menswear has closed permanently.

Legislation
CRO’s must identify and comply with all legislative requirements that apply, these
could include completing attendance registers (signing on and/or off duty) compliance
with licensing requirements such as holding a current security licence and
endorsements.

Seek clarification.
Where messages or SOPs are not clear, the CRO should clarify these with the
appropriate person in accordance with SOP’s, this could be a supervisor located
elsewhere or with the security officer being relieved if there is a formal handover.

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Communications
Communication plays an important role within any organisation. Knowing who to
contact and what information you need to tell them is vital to your role. Without good
communication skills, clients and colleagues will not understand you, and you will not
understand them.

This could lead to:

• Customer complaints
• Support and back-up being sent to the wrong place.
• Reports completed incorrectly.

Effective communication requires all staff collect and organise information in a way
that allows the organisation to make sense of the details. To allow this to happen it is
important that all employees transmit their messages using the communication
channels contained in the SOP’s.

Look at the sample company organisational chart below:

It is important that all staff are aware of the correct communication channels so that
customer complaints can be dealt with quickly and efficiently and that alarm responses
are despatched in accordance with client’s instructions.

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Customer complaints
You must deal with complaints at some time in your career. Complaints or customer
dissatisfaction does not have to be negative. A well-handled complaint can provide
feedback on the way that you are doing your job and the way the company is
performing and provide an opportunity for the company to improve the service it
offers. A well-handled complaint can result in a satisfied customer and return business.

When handling complaints, remember the following:

• Treat all complaints seriously - if clients feel you are not taking a complaint
seriously, they are likely to become angry.
• Thank the client for drawing the problem to your attention - it may seem strange
to be grateful for a complaint, but the facts are that the client has identified
something that is not working in customer service policies.
• Respond immediately - clients will be grateful for prompt action, as they will feel
that they are being taken seriously.
• Deal with the complaint properly - this will prevent the same problem occurring
more than once.
• Forward details of the complaint to the appropriate person in accordance with
your organisational chart.

Identify the cause of the dissatisfaction resulting in the complaint.

Questioning techniques are a great way to identify causes of dissatisfaction for

example:
Thank you for bringing that to my attention; can you please explain what happened?
(This allows the client to expand upon the complaint and provide further details)

Handling or escalating complaints

Dealing with unsatisfied clients, is an excellent opportunity for operators to
demonstrate their customer services skills, first though identify the category of the
complaint, is it a minor or major complaint.

• Minor complaints, these are easily resolved by the operator, for example the
client is complaining their alarm or CCTV system is not working. You can talk
them through corrective action and record the details in accordance with your
SOP’s or arrange an alarm response or technician to attend to fix the problem,

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 it is advisable to offer the client a few possible solutions and let them choose
the appropriate response.
• Major complaints, these need to be escalated to the appropriate person within
your organisation. Example of major complaints could be the client is
complaining that the alarm response officer or technician was rude, allegations
of sexual harassment or was abusive to the client; this is where you would
escalate this complaint to the appropriate person in your organisation and
record the details in accordance with SOP’s.

When recording complaints, make sure you record the following:

• Details of complaint, including complainants name, date and time, and method
of complaint e.g., phone, fax, email etc.
• Details of options offered to the client.
• Results of any negotiations or client’s instructions.

Recording sufficient details of the complaint will ensure the complaint is handled
efficiently and the client is not contacted unnecessarily to clarify the complaint further,
which could result in the client getting angry etc.
Support and back-up being sent to the wrong place.

Poor communication between monitoring centre operators and police and/or security
patrol officers can result in back-up staff being despatched to the wrong address, this
can have serious consequences (resulting in injury or even death) for patrol officers /
security officers who require immediate prompt back up.

Correct use of the phonetic alphabet and SOP’s (which may list alarm codes etc.) will
assist monitoring control staff and security officers and/or mobile patrol officers
provide effective communication.

Reports completed incorrectly.

Monitoring centre operators must remember that all records of incidents, reports and
other documentation (no matter how they are recorded written, audio recording, or
data entry on computer), may be required as evidence in any subsequent criminal
investigation.

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Incorrect details recorded on these reports may make the evidence unacceptable in a
court of law, resulting in dismissal of charges against offenders caught on client’s
premises.

Grading of Monitoring Centres49

Building services, accommodation and construction shall be graded on a scale from A
to C (A being most resistant). Equipment and staff shall be graded on a scale from 1 to
3 (1 having the highest performance). Therefore, a grade A1 Monitoring Centre is a
monitoring centre, which has premises, which meet all the criteria of the standard, and
equipment and staff training are certified to the highest standards. Grading of
monitoring centre’s is a voluntary system, owners of monitoring centres apply for
grading, some insurance companies will only insure high-risk clients when they have
their alarms monitored by a monitoring centre, graded to a certain standard.

There are many monitoring centres and control rooms in Australia that are not graded,
however they still may meet all the criteria to comply with the Australian Standards.
Industry associations, (Such as ASIAL50) are authorised to perform the grading of
monitoring centres, against a checklist contained in the Australian Standards. As of 2nd
November 2011, there were 34 security monitoring centres certified by ASIAL in
Australia.
Work Health and Safety
When an operator identifies a risk, it must be reported. It is not good enough to
identify a problem if you do not report it so that appropriate action can be actioned.
In most cases, an operator makes his or her report by filling in an incident report. This
report should in turn, be registered in a workplace safety register; this is usually held
and maintained by the organisations designated safety officer. For hazards on a smaller
scale, you should do what you can to control the situation. For example, if your chair
has a broken wheel, and a spare chair is available, you could swap chairs, complete an

49 AS 2201.2:2022 Intruder alarm systems monitoring centres- Forward.

AS 2201.2:2022 Intruder alarm systems monitoring centres 1.8 GRADING CONVENTION
50 Australian Security Industry Association Limited – www.asial.com.au

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incident report and tag the defective chair so that it is not used by another operator.
Once you have made a report on a possible safety issue, you have a responsibility to
also monitor the situation and seek feedback as to what action, if any, you need to take
to either manage or eliminate the risk. By following procedures and monitoring
hazards, risks to personal safety and the safety of others are greatly reduced or
ultimately eliminated. Operators spend a lot of time at their workstation and need to
ensure that the workstation is ergonomically sound there are many ways an operator
can ensure potential risks are minimised. Some points for consideration include:

• Lighting
• Sound levels
• Rest periods
• Design of workstation
• Safety of operators

Lighting
Natural light is not available to monitoring centre operators for security reasons, to
avoid complaints / problems from poor lighting such as:

• difficulty seeing document or screen (too much light or glare, or too little light
or shadows),
• eyestrain,
• eye irritation,
• blurred vision,
• dry burning eyes, and
• headaches.

A good visual environment needs to be in place in the monitoring centre, this includes:

• having sufficient light, coming from the right direction and not cause
obscuring shadows,
• providing good (but not excessive) contrast between the task and the
background,
• limiting glare and extreme contrasts, and
• providing the right type of light.
Computer monitors can also act as mirrors and reflect light from other sources, some
tips to improve the quality of light in the monitoring centre, are:

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Overhead lighting

• Use filters to diffuse overhead lighting.

• Dim overhead lights.

Windows and walls

• Cover viewing room windows with adjustable blinds.

• Use matte finishes on walls, floors and furniture.
Monitor

• Adjust the brightness and contrast according to your preference.

• Use a light colour for the background.
• Place the monitor parallel (not directly below) with overhead lights.
• Angle the monitor away from lights and windows.
• Make sure that the task lamp illuminates the document and not the monitor.

Sound Levels
Excessive noise may increase staff stress and fatigue. General noise may be reduced
by floor carpeting and by locating office areas away from sources of external noise.
The recommended decibel range for office work is 55 to 65 dBA.

Rest Periods
Grade A monitoring centres are required to have the following amenities51 contained
within the monitoring control room shell.

• 1 toilet
• 1 hand basin
• A meals preparation area including sink.

This allows the operator to take breaks without leaving the security of the monitoring
centre. Grade C monitoring centre amenities must be contained within the building
operating the monitoring centre, and Grade C monitoring centre amenities are
contained within the building housing the monitoring centre. The operators should
take rest breaks according to SOP’s.

51 AS 2201.2:2022 Intruder alarm systems monitoring centres 2.3 Amenities.

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Design of workstation
Monitoring centre workstations should be designed so that.

• All controls and task materials are placed within a comfortable reach of both
hands so that there is no unnecessary twisting of any part of the body.
• The keyboard is placed in a position that allows the forearms to be close to
the horizontal and the wrists to be straight. That is, with the hand in line with
the forearm. If this causes the elbows to be held far out from the side of the
body, then re-check the work surface height. Some people prefer to have
their wrists supported on a wrist desk or the desk. Be careful not to have the
wrist extended or bent in an up position.
• Keep the mouse as close as possible to the keyboard, elbow bent and close
to the body.

Safety of operators
To ensure the safety of operators, the Australian Standard’s 52 require “A Grade”
certified monitoring centres to have an airlock (no greater than 6m2) so that access to
the monitoring centre is controlled, e.g., door A, must be closed before door B or C is
opened.

Viewing Room
To enhance the safety of monitoring centre operators, access to the monitoring centre
should be restricted to authorised persons only; access should be controlled via an
airlock system, which can only be opened by the monitoring centre operators. Clients
or potential clients wishing to inspect the monitoring centre can do so via the viewing
room, the viewing room should be separated from the monitoring centre by attack
resistant glass.

Access to the monitoring centre should be restricted to authorised persons only; this
includes operators, management of the monitoring centre, and service personnel.

52 AS 2201.2:2022 Intruder alarm systems monitoring centres – 2.2.7 Entrance Construction grade A

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Systems checks.
CRO’s must follow SOP’s and perform a system check of all systems to ensure they are
fully operational. Where faults are identified appropriate action should be taken to
rectify or enact alternate procedures.

• CCTV / VSS systems

• Alarm systems
• Communications with security officers

If a companion monitoring system is used, systems must be cross checked to confirm

accurate and consistent information exchange.

Routine maintenance procedures

The SOP’s will specify ongoing scheduled routine and/or preventative maintenance
procedures: these should include:

Power fail and UPS

In the event of a power fail does the uninterrupted power supply (UPS) kick in and
provide adequate power to operate systems. (Computers and/or telephones)

Companion systems
The control room or monitoring centre should be forwarded to the companion control
room / monitoring centre and checked for operations.
Searching for stored files
If files are stored in a consistent format, they are easily retrievable, for example video
files may be required if a crime is reported, the police or a lawyer may request files
from an incident in the past. If the format files are stored in is consistent then searching
is made easier. To search for all video files simply enter CCTV in the search field, for all
files in 2018 enter CCTV.2018 etc.

Request to view data.

Police, Statutory authorities with powers to prosecute and Solicitors, may make
requests to view data from a CCTV system (primary request to view data) after
demonstrating they have adequate grounds for viewing the data 53.

53 AS/NZS 62676.1.2:2020 Video surveillance systems for use in security applications

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This could be for the purposes of providing evidence in criminal proceedings, the
prevention and reduction of crime and disorder, the investigation and detection of
crime and antisocial behaviour (includes identification of offenders), and the
identification of witnesses.

A solicitor (who is requesting access to data) should be required to give relevant

information in writing, prior to conducting a search. If the search proves positive, then
a subpoena should be requested to release a data copy. A charge may be made for this
service. In all circumstances, the release of data should be for a lawful purpose. Data
from a previous search request, which may become the subject of a subpoena, should
not be destroyed.

Log of daily routine administrative events, including details of the following:

The following records should be maintained by operators54.

• Visitors to the control room.

• Demonstrations of the CCTV surveillance operation to outside bodies, groups,
etc.
• Maintenance of equipment, whether routine or breakdown repair.
• Administrative activities within the control room.
• Staff signing on and off duty.
• Any out of the ordinary activity or occurrence.
• Shift register, containing duty, weekly leave and annual leave details of all staff.

Operating a Control Room

CRO’s monitor a range of security systems and equipment to maintain security of the
premises, including monitoring CCTV / VSS, alarm Systems and communications, each
premises would have specific requirements detailed in the SOP’s.

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How do alarms communicate with the control room / monitoring centre?
• Dialler
• GSM
• GPRS
• IP Alarm Monitoring

Dialler
Dialler monitoring is the most common format used around the world and is achieved
by connecting your security system to an existing phone line at your premise. Alarm
signals are transmitted via the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or NBN VOIP
Line. Local call fees will therefore apply, unless the monitoring centres uses a 1300
Number as a call-in number (most common).

The Monitoring Centre will not be aware of any line faults or any deliberate attempts
to cut the telephone line until a routine weekly test signal is not received. So, all an
intruder needs to do is cut the phone lines prior to breaking in and no alarm system

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can be forwarded to the monitoring centre. Dialler communication between a client’s
premises and the monitoring centre is not suitable for high-risk situations.

Operating procedures
• When an alarm event is triggered, the alarm system picks up the phone line and
waits for a dial tone. (if someone is on a call it will disconnect them)
• When a dial tone is received, the alarm dials the number of the monitoring
centre. The monitoring centre then receives the call, and waits for one second,
after which it sends the handshake. The handshake is made of 100 mSec of
1400Hz pure-tone, then 100 mSec of silence, and then 100 mSec of 2300Hz pure-
tone.
• 250 mSec after that, the alarm sends the Contact ID message. This message
comprises 16 DTMF digits. Each digit is 50 mSec long, and they are separated
with 50 mSec silence. The last digit is a check-sum digit that enables the
monitoring centre to verify the integrity of the received message.
• After a successful reception of a message, the monitoring centre sends a kissoff
signal. This is 800 mSec of 1400Hz pure tone. If the alarm system does not
receive the kissoff tone in time, it retransmits the message.

Handshake

DTMF

Kissoff

Communication Protocol
The most common protocol is Contact ID, this transmits a message from the alarm
panel to the monitoring centre in a series of digits / codes. The codes are then
interpreted by the monitoring centre software and displayed on the screen for
operator action.

Subscriber ID # Event Qualifier Event Code Partition # Zone or User #

XXXX Event or Restore. 000 00 C000 or U000

E or R

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GSM
GSM monitoring is achieved by connecting a GSM unit to your security system. A GSM
unit can either be used as your systems primary dialler in applications where no
landlines are present or be set up as a secondary “back up” dialler. When used as a
secondary dialler the GSM unit will constantly monitor the landline that your security
system is connected to and will switch to the GSM interface in the event of a line
failure. The transmission of all alarm signals will then be sent via the mobile phone
network until the landline is reinstated. Standard mobile connection fees and plan
rates will therefore apply. A SIM card is required for this option.

GPRS
GPRS monitoring is achieved by connecting a GPRS unit to your security system. Once
connected the GPRS unit will send all your alarm signals via the mobile phone network
with the additional feature of sending small data packets at specified intervals allowing
the Security Monitoring Centre to identify any loss in communication.

The GPRS unit will check your connection at varied times from 90 seconds (for high
security applications) to 60 minutes (for lower security applications). This is known as
polling. The GPRS devices can provide two independent paths from your premise to
the Security Monitoring Centre as they can use both the Optus GPRS and Telstra GPRS
networks. GPRS units also allow a landline to be connected as a backup communication
path if both GPRS connections are lost providing you with even greater protection.

IP Alarm Monitoring
Internet Protocol (IP) Alarm Monitoring is the leading technology, turning a traditional
alarm reporting system into a fully integrated monitoring solution. IP Monitoring gives
true peace of mind. Utilising multiple technologies to communicate alarm information
to the monitoring centre, the system will automatically revert to a second path should
the primary communication path become unavailable. Constant polling to the alarm
monitoring centre ensures that the system remains operational. The benefits of IP
monitoring are:

• Full redundancy through multiple communication paths

• Constant polling to Monitoring Centre.

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Internet of Things (IoT)
The Internet of Things, or IoT, refers to the billions of physical devices around the world
that are now connected to the internet, all collecting and sharing data. Thanks to the
arrival of super-cheap computer chips and the ubiquity of wireless networks, it's
possible to turn anything, from something as small as a pill to something as big as an
aeroplane, into a part of the IoT. Connecting up all these different objects and adding
sensors to them adds a level of digital intelligence to devices that would be otherwise
dumb, enabling them to communicate real-time data without involving a human being.
The Internet of Things is making the fabric of the world around us smarter and more
responsive, merging the digital and physical universes, in the security industry an
example is the connection of all your security devices (Electronic Security, Access
Control, CCTV / VSS, Control Rooms and Monitoring Centres to the internet). They are
connected to the internet via your network.

Network Protocols Definition

Network protocols are a set of rules outlining how connected devices communicate
across a network to exchange information easily and safely. Protocols serve as a
common language for devices to enable communication irrespective of differences in
software, hardware, or internal processes.

Types of network protocols

Different protocols serve different functions to ensure efficient, quick, and secure
network communication. Various types of network protocols can be categorized into
the following three broad categories to help organizations operate seamlessly across
different business scenarios:

1. Network Communication Protocols: These protocols determine the rules and

formats to transfer data across networks. Communication protocols govern
various aspects of analogue and digital communications, such as syntax,
authentication, semantics, and error detection, among others. Some key
network communication protocols include:

• Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP): Commonly referred to as the protocol

of the internet that allows communication between a server and browser.
• Transmission Control Protocol (TCP): A reliable, connection-oriented
protocol that helps in the sequential transmission of data packets to ensure
data reaches the destination on time without duplication.

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 • Internet Protocol (IP): Facilitates routing the data packets across networks.
IP contains addressing and control information to deliver packets across a
network. It works along with TCP. While it ensures delivering the packets to
the right address, TCP aligns them in the right order.
• User Datagram Protocol (UDP): Unlike TCP, UDP is a connectionless protocol
that doesn’t ensure a connection between the application and server before
transmitting a message. It’s effective for use cases such as broadcasts or
multicast connections.
• File Transfer Protocol (FTP): Allows file sharing between servers by
establishing two TCP connections, one for data transfer and the other for
control. The data transfer connection transfers the actual files while the
control connection transfers control information such as passwords to
ensure data retrieval in case of data loss.
• Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Helps diagnose network
connectivity issues. Network devices employ ICMP for sending error
messages, highlighting congestion and timeouts, and transmitting other
operational information to assist in network troubleshooting.

2. Network Security Protocols: These protocols ensure safe data transmission

over the network connections. Network security protocols define the
procedures to secure data from any unauthorized access. These protocols
leverage encryption and cryptography to safeguard. Here are the most widely
used network security protocols:
• Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP): Helps securely transfer files across a
network by using public-key encryption and authentication the client and
server.
• Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS): Overcomes the limitation of
HTTP by ensuring the security of data transmitted between the browser and
server through data encryption. HTTPS is a secure version of HTTP.
• Secure Socket Layer (SSL): Primarily helps secure internet connections and
safeguard sensitive data using encryptions protocol enables both server-
client communication and server-server communication.
• Network Management Protocols: Network managers require standard
policies and procedures to manage and monitor the network for maintaining
smooth communication. Network management protocols ensure quick
troubleshooting and optimal performance across the network. The following
are essential network protocols management.

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 • Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP): Helps administrators
manage network devices by monitoring endpoint information to proactively
track network performance and pinpoint network glitches for quick
troubleshooting.
• Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP): Helps diagnose network
connectivity issues. Network devices employ ICMP for sending error
messages, highlighting congestion and timeouts, and transmitting other
operational information to assist in network troubleshooting.

How do network protocols work?

Understanding how network protocols work makes it crucial to see how connected
devices communicate over a network. The most popular model, the Open Systems
Interface (OSI), demonstrates how computer systems communicate over a network.
This seven-layer model visualizes the communication process between two network
devices across seven layers.

Network protocols split the communication process into discrete tasks across each OSI
model layer. To enable network communication, one or more protocols operate at
every layer. For example, the Internet Protocol (IP) routes data by managing the
information such as data packets’ source address and destination to enable network-
to-network communications. Therefore, it’s referred to as a network layer protocol.

What are OSI model layers?

OSI model has the following seven layers:
Layer 1 - Physical Layer: The first layer enables physical connection between the two
network devices. It facilitates data transmission in bits while managing bit rate control,
cabling or wireless technology, voltage, and topography, among other things.
Layer 2 - Data Link Layer: Two physically connected nodes on a network require a
connection. The data link layer helps create and terminate a connection by breaking
up packets into frames and transmitting them from source to destination. This layer
fixes problems generated due to damaged, duplicate, or lost frames.
Layer 3 - Network Layer: This layer fulfils two primary functions. The first function
consists of splitting up segments into network packets and putting the packets back
together at the receiver’s end. The second ensures the transmission of packets across
the physical network via the most optimal route.
Layer 4 - Transport Layer: Data incoming in its raw state from the preceding layer is
broken into “segments” and is reassembled on the receiving end at the transport layer.

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This layer manages the flow control by transmitting data to match the receiving
device’s connection speed and monitors error control by ensuring that the received
data is correct.
Layer 5 - Session Layer: This layer establishes a communication channel called a
session between the devices that want to exchange data. The session layer open
sessions and ensures they function effectively during data transmission and closes the
respective sessions once the communication ends.
Layer 6 - Presentation Layer: This layer arranges data for the application layer by
ensuring the correct representation concerning information syntax and semantics. It
also controls file-level security by defining how the connected devices should encrypt
and compress data to provide accurate data transmission at the receiver’s end.
Layer 7 - Application Layer: The top layer of the network, the application layer, is
accessed by end-user software such as web browsers and email clients. Protocols at
this layer allow applications to send and receive information and present easy-to-
understand and relevant data to users.

What is a network vulnerability?

Network security vulnerabilities are weaknesses or flaws within the system's software,
hardware, or organizational processes. Network vulnerabilities can be either non-
physical or physical. Non-Physical: This weakness refers to anything related to data and
software.

Understanding Network Security Vulnerabilities

Network security vulnerabilities are weaknesses or flaws within the system’s software,
hardware, or organizational processes. Network vulnerabilities can be either non-
physical or physical.

Non-Physical: This weakness refers to anything related to data and software.

Vulnerable operating systems that the IT department does not update will leave the
entire system susceptible to threat actors. If a virus or malware downloads into the
operating system, it could potentially infect the whole network.

Physical: Physical protection for networks includes actions like storing an on-site
server in a rack closet and securing it with a lock or requiring a code to access a secure
point of entry. Because servers store valuable information such as consumer data or
trade secrets, they need tight, physical security controls like biometric scanners or

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access cards to reduce or eliminate the risk of unauthorized users accessing the area
and equipment.

Network Vulnerabilities
There are plenty of network vulnerabilities a hacker can exploit to access valuable
information, but the four most common types are:

• Malware: Malicious software includes worms, Trojans, and viruses that can
infiltrate a device or host server. People unknowingly buy or download malware
that will exploit a network vulnerability.
• Outdated or Bugged Software: Systems: running an application without
adequate patching can potentially infect an entire network if someone finds and
manipulates the flaw.
• Social Engineering Attack: Network intruders can use various methods to fool
workers into unintentionally giving up confidential data like passwords or login
information.
• Misconfigured Firewalls or Operating Systems: Default settings are easy to
guess and are well known.

What Is Comparing and Contrasting?

At their most basic, both comparing and contrasting base their evaluation on two or
more subjects that share a connection. The subjects could have similar characteristics,
features, or foundations. But while a comparison discusses the similarities of the two
subjects, e.g., a banana and a watermelon are both fruit, contrasting highlights how
the subjects or items differ from each other, e.g., a watermelon is around 10 times
larger than a banana.

To compare and contrast advanced technology security system information, security

professionals develop a checklist of required criteria from the security product you are
purchasing and map each product to the checklist and grade them to see which most
meets the required Criteria.

Cyber Security v Information Security

Cyber security covers the overarching mission of protecting computers, networks,
information, and devices from malicious activity within cyberspace. On the other hand,
information security is primarily concerned with securing data confidentiality,
integrity, and availability.

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Types of Motion Sensors

Passive Infrared (PIR)

Detects body heat (infrared energy). Passive infrared sensors are the most widely used
motion in home security systems. When your system is armed, your motion sensors
are activated. Once the sensor warms up, it can detect heat and movement in the
surrounding areas, creating a protective “grid.” If a moving object blocks too many grid
zones and the infrared energy levels change rapidly, the sensors are tripped.

Microwave

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Microwave (MW):
Sends out microwave pulses and measures the reflection off a moving object. They
cover a larger area than infrared sensors, but they are vulnerable to electrical
interference and are more expensive.

Dual tech

Dual Technology Motion Sensors:

Motion sensors can have combined features in an attempt to reduce false alarms. For
example, a passive infrared (PIR) sensor could be combined with a microwave sensor.
Since each operates in different areas of the spectrum, and one is passive and one is
active, Dual Technology motion sensors are not as likely as other types to cause false
alarms, because in order for the alarm to be triggered, both sensors have to be tripped.
However, this does not mean that they never cause false alarms.

Contact Motion Sensors (door/window):

Most contact switches consist of a reed switch encased in a glass capsule, (placed in a
plastic container that is affixed to the doorway and wired to the alarm, a magnet
(encased in plastic) is affixed to the door and/or windows and if they are opened the
circuit is broken and an alarm is activated.

Panic / Hold up / Medical Emergency.

Pendants (small portable remote control) or fixed buttons are connected to the alarm
panel and in the event of an emergency an alarm is activated, the monitoring centre
would maintain records of the emergency type.

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Advanced Technologies
Security systems are embracing rapid technological changes connecting devices to
networks and the internet:

AI - With the abilities afforded by AI, robots can navigate any designated area
autonomously to keep an eye out for suspicious behaviour or alert first responders to
those who may need aid.
Biometric security - Biometric security is the use of biometric data for identification,
access control, and authentication. Hardware components such as cameras or
fingerprint readers collect biometric data, which is scanned and algorithmically
compared to information held in a database.
Robotics - Security robots automatically move along the patrol route, detect strangers,
and transmit messages to the guard. The operator behind the monitor screen is already
in the past, the robots themselves detect the intrusion. A security guard will only be
required to physically counteract a potential intruder. (AI is incorporated into Robotics)
Smart technologies - The term SMART is an acronym for Self-Monitoring Analysis and
Reporting. This implies that smart home technology incorporates all devices and
appliances connected to the Internet and can be remotely regulated, monitored, and
accessed to provide a spectrum of services that directly responds to the needs of the
people. Simply put, smart home technology allows you to seamlessly control and
monitor your connected home devices from smartphones, smart home applications,
and any other connected digital device.
Video integration - Digital messages from any IP device, such as an IP door reader, are.
passed through the network to the C2P database server. This information is then
converted to a video stream that is integrated with the camera video. The timestamps
provide an automated correlation between the video and door information. Since it is
totally integrated, all the information can be reviewed on a single display.

Security professionals must monitor and review new technology to identify and secure
system vulnerabilities. Sources of information can be sourced from associations:

• Australian Security Industry Association Ltd

• Building Service Contractors' Association of Australia, Queensland Division
• Electronic Security Association Inc.
• National Electrical and Communications Association,

Or manufacturers of equipment, or tradeshows

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Communications
The CRO could liaise with tenants in a building who request assistance, for example the
manager of the bottle shop could phone in and advise they are closing for the night
and require the security to attend to assist in lock up procedures.

The manager would call in to the control room via telephone and the CRO would
communicate via radio to the security officer the SOP’s. Typical duties of the security
officer would include observing the manager place the days taking in the night safe bag
and escorting the manager to a night safe or ensuring the takings were secured in the
local safe or vault. During the above assignment the CRO may monitor activities
remotely via the CCTV / VSS from the control room. Breaches of security may be
indicated on the CCTV / VSS monitors as a video image, or via an alarm triggered by
the staff in the bottle shop.

Upon receipt of an alarm the CRO would assess the alarm verify it if possible, with CCTV
/ VSS systems assess the nature of the risk and arrange support from either another
security officer and / or police as required by the identified risk.

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Deploying security officers
CRO’s should always interpret alarm activity and verify these where possible prior to
deploying security officers to any incident scene. The next stage should be to assess
the risk and determine the appropriate response. Is one security officer sufficient,
should two or more be despatched, are police or management required? The role of
field staff (security officers) is to maintain contact with the control room and/or
monitoring centre and respond to alarm activations, secure premises when leaving and
complete incident reports.

Maintaining contact with security officers

The SOPs should prescribe the requirements for systematic safety checks on staff
located on the premises, this could be a radio check call each 30 (or 60 minutes) A
suggested minimum procedure would be:

• Charlie Romeo Oscar to Sierra Oscar Wun radio check

• Sierra Oscar Wun to Charlie Romeo Oscar 10/4

The above procedure would be repeated for each officer until all officers are accounted
for. The process must be recorded in accordance with SOP’s either paper based or
electronically. Many systems now incorporate electronic monitoring of staff and
include officer down systems, these will trigger an alarm on the screen which requires
attention of the CRO to resolve it.
My 10/20 is
Managers Office
Over
Sierra Golf Wun
What’s your 10/20

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Communications checks
The system could bring up a report on the screen with a list of all security officers on
duty, the CRO would click on each one and record verification details of the officer
status.
Many systems incorporate officer down activity, these will trigger an alarm in the
control room if the security officer remains in the same location for a pre-set period of
time, upon receipt of the alarm the CRO would attempt to initiate contact with the
security officer and if unable to make contact despatch other security staff to search
for the security officer commencing at last known location.

Operator inactivity monitor 55 (Dead Man Alarm)

An operator inactivity monitoring system shall function continuously in all monitoring
centres. The system shall automatically annunciate an alarm in the absence of any
operator activity in any 5-min period within a monitoring centre. If this alarm is not
cancelled within 30 s, an alarm signal shall be transmitted via the remote monitored
alarm to another monitoring station.

Monitoring centre owners design the operator inactivity system and document the
procedures in the SOP’s. Variations will exist between different monitoring centres,
but as a minimum, the following procedures usually apply.

55 AS 2201.2:2022 Intruder alarm systems monitoring centres – 4.3.2 Remote monitored alarm systems & 5.2 Operator

numbers.

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Where no keyboard activity has occurred in any 5-minute period, an alarm is activated,
this could be a pop-up field built into the computer monitoring software, which
requires the operator to click “OK”.

Some monitoring centres may use the computer software operating in conjunction
with movement detectors within the monitoring centre, so as long as you are moving
around or activating the keyboard, activity is occurring.

This is for the safety of the operator, and integrity of the monitoring centre, as if one
operator was working alone and became sick, was attacked etc., the operator inactivity
alarm would be forwarded to another monitoring centre who would arrange for an
appropriate response in accordance with SOP’s. The integrity of the monitoring centre
is maintained as the operator cannot fall asleep and let alarm activations remain
unanswered.

Grade 1 Monitoring centres are required to have at least two (2) staff on duty at all
times, whilst grades 2 and 3 are only required to have one (1) person on duty at all
times.

Hand Over Procedures

At handover, the relieving monitoring control operator should arrive at least 10
minutes prior to the end of the current shift to be briefed on the current shifts activity,
the departing monitoring control officer will log off the system. In addition, the
incoming monitoring control officer will be required to log in by entering a username
and password56.

56Screen shots of log on screens courtesy of NASKAM Security, variations to these screen shots will vary at other monitoring
centres depending on monitoring software in use.

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After logging in the operator will be prompted to initial the handover log to ensure
they are aware of any changes to SOP’s. The SOPs should provide specific instructions
and responsibilities of operators relevant to the site:
Including:

• Clients’ details, location, contact points, GPS references.

• Response procedures, for example who to contact in event of an activation.
• Police
• Local Mobile Security Response
• Client contact
• Emergency response details such as power failure, security breach, etc.

It is important at handover that the incoming monitoring centre operator is aware of

any changes to the SOP’s.

Video Verification
When a passive infrared or other sensor is triggered in the clients premises a
designated number of video frames from before and after the event are sent to the
monitoring centre, usually via an IP (Internet Protocol) network, for interpretation by
the operator. The information is recorded to an event file, which can be retrieved at a
later date as evidence if required.

A second video solution can be incorporated into to a standard panel, which sends the
monitoring centre an alarm. When a signal is received, the operator accesses the on-
site digital video recorder (DVR) through an IP link to determine the cause of the
activation. For this type of system, the camera input to the DVR reflects the alarm
panel's zones and partitioning, which allows personnel to look for an alarm source in
multiple areas.

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National Police Alarm Response Guidelines
The guidelines should be read in conjunction with this book, and classify alarms in
categories, where.

Category A

• Hold up alarm commercial only and

• high risk premises alarms
• Monitored personal safety alarm.

Category B

• Multi sector multi break alarm.

• Communications failure
• Single sector alarm at high-risk premises
• Duress
• Vehicle tracking alarms.

Category C
Any alarm other than those listed above e.g., portable wireless devices, including
pendants.

Category D
• Multiple Sector Alarms, where there is no ready access to the premises.
• Single Sector Alarms – Non-High-Risk Premises
• Flashing Blue Lights
• Unmonitored Alarms
• Vehicle Alarms
• Fire or Smoke Sensor alarms
• Medical Alarms
• Power Failure/Low Battery

Accredited Alarm Monitoring Providers

Under the Guideline, police will respond to requests for assistance from accredited
Alarm Monitoring Providers. For the purpose of this guideline, an accredited Alarm
Monitoring Provider is defined as
(i) being a current member of a recognised security industry organisation.

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 (ii) complying with Australian Standard 2201.7 (as revised from time to time)
monitoring centre certification and
(iii) operates a telephone link in its alarm monitoring centre that is capable of
showing Caller Line Identification (CLI) to the relevant police jurisdiction’s
telephone links.

Alarm systems are required to be maintained in accordance with the Australian

Standard 2201.7: Intruder Alarm Systems – client’s premises: design, installation,
commissioning and maintenance.

Backing up Data
Operators process vast amounts of confidential data, and information. All information
processed by operators of security systems is classified. This means that it is not to be
discussed with any unauthorised people - even members of your own company who
do not need to know.

It is important to save and store all data in accordance with SOP’s. Following SOPs in
relation to data storage will ensure that data is available to restore in case of a system
failure. Data is usually automatically backed-up in accordance with SOP’s, either hourly
or at a fixed time, each day.

Image manual back being performed.

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Voice recording 57
Grade 1 certified monitoring centres are required to include voice-recording
equipment to record and retrieve telephone calls associated with alarm events. The
voice recording equipment shall include a time and date reference. Voice recordings
shall be kept for a minimum of 30 days. Although the requirement to include voice
recording equipment is listed in the Australian Standard, this does not exempt
monitoring centre owners from either Federal, State and/or Territory privacy
legislation.

Industry guidelines58 exist covering both Monitoring of internal communications

within organisations and monitoring of external communications with customers or
the public. Monitoring includes listening to and/or recording a communication.
Legislation 59 prohibits the listening to or recording a communication in its passage over
a Telecommunications System without the knowledge of the parties to the
communication. Consent is not required by parties to the conversation, however
monitoring centre owners must ensure that all parties to conversations originating
from or to a monitoring centre are advised that the conversations will be recorded.

For employees and contractors of the monitoring centre, this is easily covered by
ensuring all staff and contractors are aware that all inbound and outbound telephone
calls are recorded at induction and ensuring that employees and contractors consent
in writing to being recorded. Contracts with clients, should clearly detail in the terms
and conditions of acceptance that they consent to all communications being recorded.

"Pip-tones" or "beeps" are not considered a sufficient measure to convey to the

individual the knowledge that the conversation is being monitored. A pre-recorded
message should be played to callers prior to the call being answered; suggested
message is "For security and quality purposes your call will be recorded."
As voice recordings are made and stored for a minimum of 30 days, it is important that
if they are to be retrieved during this 30-day period to be used in court proceedings,
that the recording of the voice message is legally undertaken.

57 AS 2201.2:2022 Intruder alarm systems monitoring centres 4.3.3 Voice recording equipment (Grade 1)
58 Industry Guideline– Participant Monitoring of Voice Communications First published as ACIF G516:1998, ISBN: 1 74000
264 4, ©Copyright Australian Communications Industry Forum PO Box 444, Milsons Point NSW 1565
59 Telecommunications (Interception) Act 1979 (Cth)

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Responding to Incidents in Progress
Operators have many tasks to perform, one of these is alarm activation, whilst these
may be false alarms, they need to be treated seriously so that we arrange prompt
attendance by the patrol officer, and that back up is available if required.

Incident Flow Chart

Operators will be required to maintain communications during any incident in progress

these may include:

• directing static or mobile guards to the scene

• receiving updates from field staff at the scene
• giving further instructions or advice to field staff
• communicating with the client, police and/or your supervisor.

All communication should be documented in accordance with the organisation’s SOP’s.

Mean time to detect 60 (MTTD)

Indicating and recording equipment shall alert an operator to a malfunction within the
equipment, which prevents continued provision of the required service.

60
AS 2201.2:2022 Intruder alarm systems monitoring centres – 4.4.3 Mean time to detect.

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The operator shall be alerted to the malfunction in accordance with the provisions of
the following table.

Alarm processing time 61

The duration between the time an event is presented to the indicating and recording
equipment to the time an operator commences the alarm action shall not exceed the
specified time in the Australian Standards, for the percentage of occurrences specified.
The average response time of all events, in each category over the review period, shall
not exceed the specified time.

Processing alarms
Monitoring Centre Operators (MCOs) are required to commence the alarm action
within the parameters contained in the Australian Standards,
Monitoring Response Time is the time between the activation of the alarm and
notifying the patrol response organisation of the response details.

Patrol Response Time is the time elapsed between the response/patrol organisation’s
control room being advised of the alarm details and the arrival on site of a patrol
officer. Total Response Time is the time elapsed between activation of an alarm and
arrival on site.

Process and Organise Data

The data from the alarm transmission system shall be automatically received, time-
and date-stamped and recorded. The indicating and recording equipment shall provide
the operator with the necessary information to enable them to action the alarm in
accordance with client requirements.

61
AS 2201.2:2022 Intruder alarm systems monitoring centres –4.4.5 Alarm processing time and AS/NZS 62676.1.2:2020]
Video surveillance systems for use in security applications, Part 1.2: System requirements Performance requirements for
video transmission (IEC 62676-1-2:2013, MOD)

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Alarm Response Time Monitoring Centre’s

Data integrity
There shall be no loss of data as a result of a period of non-availability of indicating and
recording equipment.

Records 62
Monitoring centres shall record and retain the following time-and date-stamped
records:

• Events received.
• Actions taken by operators.
• Actions taken by indicating and recording equipment.
• These records shall be retained in a manner that maintains data integrity.

62 AS 2201.2:2022 4.5 Records

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Video Monitoring Centres
An ongoing event log 63 shall be maintained in a secure environment or enclosure in a
consolidated, dated and time-retrievable format for a minimum period of six months,
or until after the next maintenance visit, whichever is the longer period. The event log
shall comprise as a minimum the following events:
• Changes in CCTV system status (e.g., armed, disarmed, part armed).
• Tampering and/or operation of detectors resulting in an incident or alert or
initiating an entry sequence.
• Unsuccessful attempts to communicate with the VMC.
• Successful communication with the VMC and verification.
• CCTV system exceptions, including restarts after mains supply failure, low
battery and power failure.
All images shall have an audit trail to ensure the recorded material maintains integrity
in accordance with the Australian Standard.

Retention of records
The retention period for records shall be in accordance with the following table

Retrieval of records
Individual records shall be retrievable within the parameters given in

63AS/NZS 62676.1.2:2020 Video surveillance systems for use in security applications, Part 1.2: System requirements —
Performance requirements for video transmission (IEC 62676-1-2:2013, MOD)

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Archive and dispose of data.
The SOP’s will specify the requirements for archival and / or disposal of data to ensure
integrity of all data files all files should be labelled in accordance with specified
formats, this will allow for easy retention and retrieval at a later date. A suggested
format64 for string video files could be as simple as the date, so at the end of each shift
the days files should be stored in a folder labelled CCTV.YYYY.MM.DD.

Operating a CCTV Monitoring System

The operation of CCTV systems requires the operator to possess a basic understanding
of the technology in use; cameras could be fixed, or equipped with PTZ, and the
monitoring centre / control room could monitor from one (1) to thousands of cameras,
depending on the size of the facility.

A basic CCTV system comprises:

• Cameras
• Cables (or wireless connectivity)
• Recorders, and multiplexers
• Monitoring unit

(Diagram – basic CCTV System)

The operator could control the system by using a mouse and keyboard to operate
controls built into the system software and being visible on the screen, or an external
CCTV system controller.

64
The SOP’s will specify the format to be used, what is important is that files are labelled and stored in as per SOP’s

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Test of quality of recording
CCTV systems operating, where the captured images may be used to provide evidence
in a court of law should be tested to ensure that the image quality is suitable for its
intended purpose. The following testing charts65 are reproduced with permission of
the copyright owners, and there is a link from the www.scs.edu.au website, if
interested parties need to download them.

Figure 1 Colour rendition test Figure 2 Line Pairs Test Pattern

Figure 3 VDS Test Pattern Figure 4 Wedge Test Pattern

This test system helps with common problems like video compression, changeable
viewing resolution and variable transmission bit rate/bandwidth, which can all
result in the unpredictable quality of your digital CCTV images. It is designed to be
simple to use. (The above patterns should be printed in A3 size)

65Reproduced with permission of the copyright owners - The Centre for Applied Science and Technology Woodcock Hill
Sandridge St Albans Hertfordshire AL4 9HQ.

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Colour rendition test
This test will help to establish whether a CCTV system can provide images with
reasonably accurate colour information. The test kit includes a basic colour chart which
is presented towards the camera at a suitable distance. The operator can then verify
the level of match between the colours on a reference chart and the colours seen
through the imaging system.

Test Pattern
Other test targets included in the system are A3 sized versions of the legacy Rotakin™
test pattern which allows system testers to use the updated guidance and methods to
establish system integrity.

Human identification test

The purpose of this test is to help system commissioners and auditors to demonstrate
the CCTV system under review is capable of providing images that can be identified.
The test consists of nine human faces. (See chart next page) A random selection is
presented to the camera at an appropriate distance. An operator attempts to match
the presented face to a reference list. The operator’s accuracy is then scored and used
to evaluate the capability of the CCTV system to record identifiable images at this
distance.

Number plate test

A simple test is to read number plates of vehicles in camera view.

Human identification test chart

This chart is retained in the control room, whilst another officer holds up a series of
individual photographs in front of the cameras to determine if the control room
operator can identify the correct chart, these are printed in A4.

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 Figure: Human identification test chart

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Testing of alarm systems
The alarm systems should be tested by conducting a walk-through test that is the alarm
system should be armed by the security officer, and then tested to ensure all alarmed
zones are reported to the control room.

Photograph: Security officer Photograph: Alarm panel showing alarm status

arming the alarm panel

Once the alarm panel is armed, the security officer should then enter the alarmed
premises, whilst maintaining radio contact with the control room operator, and walk
through the premises activating the alarm. The control room operator should be able
to radio through to the security officer, the results of the alarm activations as they are
recorded in the control room.

The results of all tests conducted should be recorded in the control room logs.

The security officer conducting the walk-

through test will see a visual indication
that the alarm is working (See picture of
PIR on left with visible red light, and the
control room operator should receive a
signal showing which zone is activated.

Where faults are found in the system an

incident report should be completed and
Photograph:
Passive Infra Red Sensor forwarded to the appropriate
department for rectification.

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Monitoring Security Activities
All control rooms and security equipment must be operated in accordance with SOP’s
and manufacturer’s instructions, when an alarm is received in the control room the
operator receives and logs the alarm and initiates appropriate action.

The action could be to despatch a security officer and back up if available and deemed
necessary, the control room operator must assess the alarm and if it is verified, for
example.

• Door alarm is activated, and the door is in a zone covered by CCTV, if the
operator has a visual of an offender or offender(s) on site, the control room
operator may dispatch a security officer and / or police.
• If the door is in a zone not protected by CCTV coverage, the control room
operator may dispatch a security officer to verify if an offender is on site, and
after verification contact the police.

Security officers employed on site must be monitored to ensure their health and safety
at work, this includes maintaining regular communications via radio or other means
(visual CCTV etc.) systematic checks should be conducted (In accordance with SOP’s)
to ensure staff are ok, for example a radio check call each half hour.

Example “Control to Sierra Oscar One” radio check, and Sierra Oscar One to Control
10/4 66, where irregular or non-responses from field staff are identified, these should
be promptly responded to in accordance with organisational procedures.

Responding to incidents
The range of incidents that a control room operator may be required to respond to is
endless, however these could include:

• Shoplifters
• Fire, flood or natural disaster
• Armed robbery
• Break and enter.
• Assaults

66 Where Sierra Oscar One is the security officers call sign and 10/4 is message understood.

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Upon receiving alarm activation, the control room operator must interpret the
information based upon the information received. For example: was an alarm received
from zone 4, was it verified by CCTV? What is the degree of risk to the security officers,
other staff, or property? Is back-up required, if so by whom, police or other security
officers?

During any response action by security officers, the control room operators must
maintain radio communications with the security officers, and visually by CCTV system,
if possible, to ensure the safety of all personal and customers. If the situation was a
serious response, fire, armed robbery, etc. communications with police would also be
maintained throughout the response.

If the incident is continuing at a shift change, the control room operators should seek
further instructions from supervisors or refer to SOPs for guidance, as if they are
required to provide statements to police or complete other reports, they may need to
stay back, alternatively the incoming control room operator must be briefed on the
status of the outstanding incident.

Upon completion of the situation, the control room operator would need to ensure all
reports and other documentation is completed. This could include incident reports,
logbooks, CCTV logs, ensuring that CCTV digital recordings are filed and archived for
retrieval later if required. The digital recordings from the DVR may be required as
evidence in court, later.

Operation of CCTV monitoring system

Where control rooms are fitted with CCTV systems, control room operators should
receive instruction in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and SOP’s,
although most will be like the following.

The monitors are what the security officer will view in either real time (watching the
screens), or whilst reviewing footage later. There may be one or more monitors and
each monitor may have the capacity to view several cameras at once. The control
room operator has the options of changing the screen layout (see examples of split
screens below of single image 4 images and 8 images) and controlling the PTZ
characteristics of a PTZ enabled camera to follow or zoom in on a target, using the
computer keyboard, or special keyboard with toggle devices.

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Privacy Issues67
To ensure compliance (and ongoing compliance) with privacy principles and legislation,
only staff who meet mandatory regulatory requirements, should be recruited, these
include state / territory licencing requirements, ensuring that new recruits do not have
convictions for prior offences that would preclude them working in the security
industry.

Operators should not use cameras to infringe an individual’s rights of privacy. Where
privacy zones are programmed into the system in order to ensure that the interior of
any private properties within the range of the system is not surveyed by the cameras,
operators should not remove or bypass these privacy zones.

When exporting images of an intruder with individuals and/or their property by which
those individuals could be recognized in the field of view. Identifying images should be
masked, for example, if a car with a clearly visible number plate is parked in an area
where an intruder is recorded, it should be possible when making a copy of such an
image to have the number plate of such a vehicle masked to protect the identity of the
vehicle’s owner.

Operators should be made aware that use of the cameras for purposes other than
those for which they are intended will bring the system into disrepute.

At any time, the operators may be required by the manager or auditor to justify their
decision to view or record any individual, group of individuals or property.

67Commonwealth Legislation
Telecommunications Act 1997
Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999
Telecommunications (Interception) Act 1979
Privacy Act 1988
State and Territory Legislation
Invasion of Privacy Act 1971 (Qld)
Listening Devices Act 1992 (ACT)
Listening Devices Act 1984 (NSW)
Listening Devices Act 1991 (Tas)
Listening and Surveillance Devices Act 1972 (SA)
Surveillance Devices Act 2000 (NT)
Surveillance Devices Act 1999 (Vic)
Surveillance Devices Act 1998 (WA)

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There are several recent cases where rogue operators have released CCTV footage on
sites such as You Tube. One such footage released show couples having sex, urinating
in public, cameras zooming in on girl’s breasts etc. at the Cairns Reef Casino68 Whilst
the Cairns Reef Casino claim they could sue the operator for breach of confidentiality,
whilst the Police are still investigating if any criminal action is warranted.

A Security guard was sacked from Darwin International Airport for using the CCTV
system to perve on women, the pervert was among a group of other security officers
who allegedly gathered around the screens in the security room - but instead of looking
out for suspected terrorists or criminal activity inside the airport they checked out
women's breasts69

The allegedly inappropriate use of CCTV camera’s (to perve on schoolgirls) by Police
Officers in the Darwin Police Station, resulted in the cameras filming Cavanagh Street,
Darwin being turned off whilst an investigation was underway70, during the period the
cameras were turned off a person fire-bombed an insurance office in Cavanagh Street
Darwin, resulting in 19 people being injured, police were not monitoring the camera’s
and an opportunity to prevent crime passed by.

Breaching privacy issues therefore can be seen to possibly initiate legal action against
the operatives, the owners of the system and reduce the safety of those the systems
were designed to protect.

Deterrence v Evidence
It is important for operators of CCTV monitoring systems to realise that whilst most
people believe that installing highly visible CCTV cameras and appropriate signage
warning of the installation of the cameras will act as deterrence to crime, they are
more likely to provide valuable evidence of the commission of a crime.

John Howard (Former Australian Prime Minister) was in London in July 2005 and
witnessed firsthand the UK’s response to the second of two bombings on the London
transport system. He was so impressed with the authority’s response he declared ‘I

68Article - Peter Martin Courier Mail August 31st, 2011

69 Article – Rebekah Cavanagh Northern Territory News November 3rd, 2009
70 Article – Matt Cunningham Northern Territory News February 5th, 2010

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think of all the things that I have taken out of the few days that I have been in London;
none has been more powerful than the huge value of surveillance cameras’ 71.

The presence of CCTV cameras does not always prevent incidents from occurring.
Indeed, in expressing his doubts that more surveillance cameras would help protect
Australia from terrorism, Chief Minister of the ACT, Jon Stanhope, said in relation to
the July 2005 London bombings that ‘Surveillance cameras, as seen in London, help
after the terrorists have struck but the surveillance cameras in London did not stop the
bombings’72.

The above statements should act as a timely reminder to all CCTV operators (and
owners of CCTV systems) about the evidentiary value of the records of recordings and
chain of custody requirements.

Owners of CCTV systems should ensure that where possible equipment is installed and
operated, in accordance with the Australian Standards 73.

Operators of CCTV systems should ensure that always they follow the employer’s SOP’s
in relation to the operation of CCTV systems.

For CCTV vision to be useful to investigators and accepted in a court of law, its integrity
needs to be ensured. Evidence is required to show that the CCTV system has been
maintained, and the data appropriately managed per the following guidelines.

Maintenance
All systems need to be maintained in accordance with SOP’s (these are usually based
on the manufacturer’s instructions,) the checks should include:

• Checking the systems time and date recording against a known accurate clock
(e.g., Telstra’s talking clock by calling 1900 931 239)

71 Transcript of the Prime Minister the Hon John Howard MP doorstop interview, Claridge Hotel, London, 23 July 2005,
http://www.pm.gov.au/news/interviews/Interview1477.html (9 September 2005).

72R. Peake and B. Doherty, ‘Touch of hysteria in reaction: Stanhope’, Canberra Times, 25 July 2005, p. 1.
73AS/NZS 62676.1.2:2020 Video surveillance systems for use in security applications, Part 1.2: System requirements —
Performance requirements for video transmission (IEC 62676-1-2:2013, MOD)

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 • Checking a sample of recorded images for each camera and ensuring the
cameras are still capturing the desired target area and are in focus.
• A written maintenance log should be kept for the CCTV system. The log
should record what checks were conducted and the details of who conducted
them. It should be signed by the person completing the checks at the time
they were carried out.

Data Management
• Recorded vision will only be useful in evidence if its integrity can be assured.
• Therefore, recorded vision must not be manipulated, changed or enhanced
in any way.
• The number of employees who have access to the CCTV equipment and the
vision data should be limited to those essential for the system’s maintenance.
• Provide training on the operation of the system to key staff who will be
providing police with the recorded vision. Where possible, it is preferable the
staff members selected for this role are likely to be on site or readily
contactable in the event of an incident so that video footage can be quickly
provided to police.
• It is important to have the CCTV system documented and a user manual on
hand that describes how the system operates. These can be kept with the
maintenance log.
• The person who provides the vision data to police will become a witness.
They should have a good understanding of the CCTV system and can give
evidence in court on the steps they took to make a copy of the data for the
police.

Access Control Systems

Access control systems are one part of the physical security measures which are
designed to deter unauthorised access to facilities, equipment and / or resources.

Physical security measures involve the user of multiple layers of protection that could
include a range of measures, including:

Fences, gates, locks, security officers, CCTV / VSS, access control systems, perimeter
intrusion detection systems. The higher the level of security required; the more layers
are deployed.

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Common features of access control systems
Advantages of electronic access control systems in large facilities such as government
buildings, hotels, factories etc is that no keys are required and there are no concerns
about keys getting lost or stolen and lock needing changing.

• Card reader
• Key fob
• Biometrics
• Keypad

Operational principles
The user simply either swipes their access card, or key fob or enters a pin code, more
sophisticated systems may use biometrics such as fingerprints or iris scanning
techniques.

Entering the data sends a message to the electric strike to open the door, gate etc.

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Risk Measures and Control methodology
The measures used to identify and control security risks using advanced technology
include,

Security Risk Control Measures

Unwanted visitors / Unauthorised Access Access Control System

AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Biometric security
Robotics

Retail Theft AI (Artificial Intelligence)

Biometric security
CCTV
Video Integration

Security Officer Down Emergency Communications

Fire Fire Detection / Alarms

SMART Technology

Installation of Rogue Software The organisation should have a doctrine and

procedures for the installation of
software in their ICT management plan
and
Ensure sufficient staff are available in IT
support to assist staff install software.

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 Chapter 27
Body Cameras
The use of body cameras by the private security industry is growing and organisations
must develop policies and procedures on use within their organisations, and security
officers must abide by these.

Who provides the cameras?

Security officers should not use any personal equipment unless authorisation in writing
from their employer is obtained.

Privacy Legislation74
The organisations SOPs on use of body cameras will be based upon the jurisdiction’s
privacy legislation and client’s requirements. Camera footage is personal information
if it is capable of recording information about an individual whose identity is apparent
or can reasonably be ascertained from the gathered surveillance footage, mad the
privacy principles will apply.

Is Camera surveillance necessary / fit for purpose?

Prior to utilising body cameras, a risk assessment must be completed to support the
use of camera surveillance worn by the officer.

• The following should be considered.

• What areas the cameras will view, Will the cameras intrude on people’s privacy
/Camera angles, image size and capture rates
• How the footage will be downloaded and stored to create a record for
investigation / evidentiary purposes

74
Privacy Act 1988
NT Information Act 2002
NSW Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998
QLD Information Privacy Act 2009 and Invasion of Privacy Act 1971
SA Listening and Surveillance Devices Act 1972 and Telecommunications (Interception) Act 1988
TAS Personal Information Protection Act 2004, Listening Devices Act 1991 and
Telecommunications (Interception) Tasmania Act 1999
VIC In fo rma tion Priva c y Ac t 200 0, S u r v e i l la n c e De vic e s Act 199 9 and Telecommunications (Interception)
(State Provisions) Act 1988
WA Surveillance Devices Act 1998, Telecommunications (Interception) Western Australia Act 1996
Extract from Australian Government – Protecting Information Rights www.privacy.gov.au

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Signs
Reasonable steps must be taken to inform people that video surveillance is in use and
the purpose of its use. A good example for crowd controllers in licenced premises is a
sign at the entry and posted on the venue’s website. For Cash-in-Transit operators, a
sticker placed on the vehicle in a prominent location is advisable.

Suggested wording of signs.

Body Cameras in use in these premises

Security officers operate body cameras in this area to ensure
public safety and for the investigation and prosecution of
criminal offences. Footage will only be accessed by persons
authorised to do so. Should an incident occur, footage may
be provided to the State / Territory Police Service for law
enforcement purposes. Your information will not be given to
any other person or agency unless authorised or required by
law.

Enquiries may be directed to Gangsters Bar Management by

calling 1300 893 727.

Standard Operating Procedures

SOP’s must include information on securing camera footage, Personal information
must be adequately protected against misuse, loss and unauthorised access, use and
disclosure75

Technical safeguards such as using password protection to manage staff access to

stored footage, transmitting stored footage in encrypted form, using access control
systems for access to control rooms are other areas where footage is stored. Audit
trails of those that access and view the footage must be maintained, and protocols
must be established for responding to requests for access to, or copies of footage (For
example police, liquor licensing) the protocols must include:

• Who has authority to release the footage to an agency, and?

• How the footage is to be provided?

75
National Privacy Principles 4

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Outsourced services
Where security officers are engaged on client’s premises (for example Government
Buildings, Hospitals etc, have outsourced services to a security contractor) other
legislation may apply such as Public Records Act, 2009 (Qld) and security officers must
comply with any additional requirements which should be detailed in the SOPs.

Selection of body cameras

Body cameras like all products are available by a range of manufacturers and / or
suppliers care should be taken to ensure those purchased are fit for purpose.
Consideration of the following should occur:

1. Ease of Use
Are the cameras easy to use, on/off switches easily accessible, and how are they
downloaded, (individually or automatically via a docking station)

2. Durability and Comfort

Body cameras must be fit for purpose and this includes the methodology of attaching
the camera to the officer, body cameras for crowd control use may require more sturdy
holders than those for CIT officers.

3. Placement
Body cameras can be mounted on a number of locations including the chest, shoulders,
and on helmets or eyewear. Different positions come with different challenges. For
example, a chest-mounted camera’s view could be blocked by your arms if you’re in
shooting stance. Similarly, a shoulder-mounted camera wouldn’t be able to follow your
line of site if you were peering around a corner with your back against a wall.
Regardless of placement, it should be understood that cameras won’t always capture
100% of the action.

4. Recording capabilities
Is the camera going to be in continual use, if so, is the recording time suitable for the
shifts where it will be worn, (example if 8-hour shifts are worked and cameras only
record 4 hours then consideration of procedures for downloading stored data must be
considered? Certain models of body cameras can record a buffer of anywhere from 30
seconds to 20 minutes of video. This is particularly useful if an officer hits the record
button after an incident has already started.

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5. Work with standard data formats.
Any camera you buy needs to support a non-proprietary, standards-based video
format. Using the format cell phones use will help eliminate complicated video analysis
issues later on. Otherwise, investigations will be hampered and slowed by the need to
convert the footage to a standard format, which can also impact the actual video
detail.

6. Mind your Metadata

Body cameras need to store as much information as possible about the environment
in which they’re capturing video. Look for a camera that, at a minimum, captures time
and date. These facts will make a difference in any investigation. More expensive
cameras may capture GPS coordinates as well.

7. Encryption is Essential.
From initial capture to final storage, strict encryption systems should be in place to
protect sensitive data.

8. Don’t Forget Additional Costs

The price of the hardware is just the beginning. Many other costs need to be
considered such as training, support, video storage, as well as software to analyze and
manage video evidence.

9. Support
Does your security organisation have IT support, or will training of each officer be
required? Managing hardware, software and storage, among other things, is no small
task. If you don’t have internal support resources, you should determine what level of
support the bodycam company can offer you.

10. Set Policies

Policies and guidelines need to be developed to ensure transparency and
accountability. A few things to consider include when an officer can or can’t record an
interaction, how long video evidence should be retained, and how the data can be
shared externally.

11. Handling Requests for Video Footage

Depending on the laws in your state, there are certain requirements to consider before
releasing footage to the media or public. Redaction of innocent bystanders, minors or

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witnesses may be necessary. Manual frame-by-frame redaction can be time
consuming, but software can assist in the process.

13. Engage with clients and staff.

During any trial stages of operations, security organisation’s should engage with and
consult staff and clients before introducing the technology, so that any concerns can
be addressed.

Wearing the cameras

Body cameras are traditionally word either as chest mounted or pocket mounted and
are ideally suited where load bearing vests are used, also there are many aftermarket
harnesses available to assist in securing the cameras whilst they are being worn.

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Features
Body cameras can be simple stand-a-lone units that capture voice and video activity
either for the entire shift or turned on / off by the operator as required. Some stand-
a-lone units have data cards which can be removed and downloaded to a computer
hard drive, or a cable connector for downloading data. A simple dockings station has
chargers built into them.

More sophisticated systems include docking stations with built automatic download
facilities, and

Facial recognition
Scans faces and compares against stored data and alerts the user of a match on the
built-in body camera screen.

Live tracking
Control rooms can live track devices with built in 4G technology, as well as obtaining
historical data from proprietary software systems.

Remote live audio monitoring

Control rooms can communicate with security officers using proprietary software just
like a two-way radio.

Panic alarm
By pressing the panic button on the body camera, the user can send an alarm activation
to the control room who can then respond with appropriate prompt assistance. With
GPS tracking the location of the security officer is already known and facilitates a
prompt response by other members of the security team or police.

You only get what you pay for

Most systems in use will not incorporate all the above features due to costs associated
with the initial purchase of the equipment, but it is available and should be considered
in high-risk areas, or single operator scenarios.

Summary
The use of body cameras can assist in the collection of evidence to assist in prosecuting
criminal activity, and as security officers are aware of the camera’s presence, they
encourage professional behaviour.

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Docking Stations
The selection and use of body cameras are only part of the solution in providing a
reliable system to protect security officers and gather evidence of criminal activity. The
selection of the appropriate charging and docking station is integral to the selection
process, you must consider where and how the cameras will be used, for example a
fixed venue (bar / nightclub etc.) a fixed docking station is suitable but for special
events, festivals etc. a portable system is ideal.

Single unit docking station Eight (8) unit docking station

12 Port recharging station with automatic 8 Port recharging station with automatic back
backup and storage on built in hard drive up and storage on built in hard drive

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