10 Oct What Are The Qualities You Need In Your Security Operatives
Security operatives are often “front & centre” in your business – there are a range of skills and qualities needed to fulfil that responsibility.
Your security personnel are often in a position of high leverage for your business or venue. They are right there at critical interactions with your clients and customers – at the point of entry, at the point of departure and at points of conflict. How each of these is handled impacts on how your business is perceived.
Given this, your security team needs to have far more capability than the “muscle” or “brute force” that once defined the role. Those days have long gone. Nowadays, even standard security operatives should have a much broader range of skills and attributes.
Strength & Fitness.
This goes without saying. There is always the possibility that a security operative will need to take action that requires either strength of fitness … or both. While modern security protocols often demand negotiation (or “de-escalation”) skills, there remains a requirement to be physically capable.
Communication Skills.
Every aspect of the security role calls upon the operatives’ communication abilities. Welcoming customers, preventing entry for some people, asking people to leave, demanding they leave, intervening in a drunken brawl, writing reports, calling for back-up, building rapport with other staff, giving direction – all involve the security operative to communicate clearly and efficiently. Today, communication is as essential to the role as physical capability … maybe even more essential.
Alertness.
The security operative needs to be ready to handle any situation that may arise. Of course this means having the right equipment and physical capability but it also often means being able to anticipate issues and take preventative measures before they escalate into a bigger problem.
Clear Thinking.
Every situation and every potential situation requires a decision from your security operative – your business needs those decisions to be “good calls”. The process of scanning, analysing, assessing and deciding action is happening continuously for the on-duty operative – and that process requires clarity and logic.
Empathy & Respect.
There is a crucial issue faced by every security operative at some point – how much strength or force needs to be exerted in a physical confrontation. When approaching a situation needing physical resolution, having empathy and respect for others can be very helpful in increasing the likelihood that everyone – guard, offender, innocent onlookers – can emerge from the situation without injury.
Understanding Teamwork.
While security operatives are generally seen either alone or with a partner, they are often part of a much bigger team – especially in larger venues. It is vital for everyone that each individual understands how the team works and their role in bringing success to the team … and therefore the venue.
Security operatives today are a far cry from how they were once seen. Understanding their value – or potential value – to your business is vital to getting the most from your investment in security. In fact, your investment in security should be achieving returns for you – to find out how see our Exact Security White Paper – Premium Security.