Post Orders are all the rules security guards must follow at any given post. Without post orders, officers simply do not know what to do, what is expected of them, and there is no accountability. Many posts that hire security staff put nothing in writing. More often than not, this creates huge problems. The more complicated a post is, the problems arise when all rules and expectations are not written down. Security personnel must know what is expected of them. Below are some key ingredients that all post orders must have.
1) Emergency contact information. This should include all tenant phone numbers in case something happens to their particular suite. Obviously, building management and police information must also be included as well as maintenance and engineering.
2) Emergency procedures must also be written down including but not limited to bomb threats, fire, theft, flood, kidnapping, and the list goes on.
3) Lock up procedures must also be covered.
4) Any pertinent phone directory information is usually included.
5) Check-in policy involves building access of couriers, guests, clients. The more specific one is the better. Must all visitors sign-in? Are V.I.P's exempt?
6) Report writing requirements are usually demonstrated through examples. DAR, also known as daily activity reports, should include an example of what is considered appropriate for a day's work so officers know how detailed they should be on their report. Also incident reports are important because they are used when serious accidents happen, and are often brought into the court of law to prove legal cases.
7) Customer service skills, a big part of security, should be stressed, defined, so that officers are clear on how the client wants people to be treated. Some clients, for instance, have a very strict anti-fraternization policy they want enforced.
Security
There is much more information that needs to be included in post orders. Every account is different and the rules should be tailor made to consider those differences.
Mr. Scott Dinnerman is President of Excalibur Agency, a Los Angeles based security company serving a wide array of clients, including several Fortune 500 companies as well as smaller, local businesses. With over twenty years of experience, Mr. Dinnerman has worked for the largest security firms in the country, both as an officer and in security management. Mr. Dinnerman has hired hundreds of security Los Angeles security guards and is always striving to make our community a safer place to live and work.