With the increase in crime and terror threats across the world, the security industry has greatly expanded in recent years. It has expanded in both the private and public sector with the creation of thousands of jobs. Along with the increase in security needs has come the need for security industry standards to be set by businesses and governments to ensure proper security for their establishments. Although these guidelines vary across the nation, there are some standards that all industry workers must understand. The security industry standards are designed to protect both the security workers and citizens.
One of the first and most important security industry standards is that all of the workers in the security field are able to pass an extensive background check. Anyone with a criminal background should not be working in the security field. With current technology, running a background check on potential employees is easier than ever. Most private sector businesses require only a basic background check and maybe also a credit check to ensure that their workers do not owe a lot of money to creditors. For many government security industry positions, a more extensive background check is done that is likely to include a fingerprint check and polygraph testing.
All security industry standards must include rules and regulations for all of their security staff members to follow. It is vital that these standards follow all federal, state and local laws. The security industry team will create these regulations and it is imperative that only people with a high level of knowledge about the various laws become a member of the security team. They must know things like how to handle a possible shoplifter, when is force allowable, or at what point can and should the police be involved in a situation. By setting correct and legal standards, there is less likelihood for anything to be done illegally.
Every member of the security industry staff should know how to properly use different means of force, including firearms. Military veterans are often good candidates for this type of work since they have already been properly trained. This type of knowledge is usually part of the security industry standards since they will need to know how to handle a crisis situation. Also included is a physical test where staff must be currently in good physical shape and maintain this level of physical fitness. This will ensure the ability to act quickly in an emergency situation.