Learning: from News, TV, Films, Online and Books

The security guard industry does not spend much time training their people. The new guard is given 8 hours training in the basics of security concepts, mostly the limits of their power. "You are not a cop!" An additional 8-16 hours of training is included--eventually.



Still, even such rudimentary training is more than the average citizen knows about crime prevention, emergency response, crowd control, etc. But not by much., I'm afraid.

As with all training it may be 'pearls before swine' or a starting point for a professional career....it is all up to you the guard.

There is a large library available on all aspects of protective services. Butterworth-Heinemann publishers has numerous selections from basic to advanced. Elsevier Press has serious books on security management and forensics. The professional security organization for this career is ASIS (The American Society for Industrial Security). Police  procedure books are very valuable for security guards. Officer survival and safety is a subject often neglected in guard training. These are not in your local public library.

Professional and advanced training, over what your contract firm offers, is widely available. For Executive protection. For shooting, baton, pepper spray. For officer survival. etc, etc.

Classes in Criminal Law, Evidence and Evidentiary Procedure, CPTED, detection of deception, interviewing, investigations, HR law, trade secrets, basic psychology and sociology, history and logical fallacies are recommended.

There are numerous web resources.

Military fortifications: attack and defence; Hazmat, fire prevention, espionage tradecraft: dead drops to"sparrows and ravens"; scams/confidence games: email 419s to pigeon drops; locks, alarms, CCTV; lighting, barriers, etc.

On the other hand there are many 'fly-by-night' training 'schools' who offer rudimentary beginners' training and charge a premium...and rip off their students. "Get your guard card with us!".After taking one of these classes, you may be convinced to enter another profession...like at Burger King or Wendy's.  Buyer beware.

There are few good DVDs and videos available.

As a guard, the one subject you must study, if nothing else, is basic Police Patrol Procedures.


What one MUST develop is a security mindset. This makes all the difference in the world! It is where one can look at almost any situation and have one's knowledge of security cut through the BS of Security Theater,  identify and prioritize the possible solutions. "If I wanted to do _______ here, how would I go about it?" This is not about paranoia or training to be a criminal. It requires a detailed knowledge of criminal M.O.s, white collar crime, environmental crime, terrorism, critical infrastructure, building construction techniques and standards, etc., etc.


A trained security mindset allows one to enter a location and immediately notice many of the vulnerabilities and 'crime potentials' in that area as well as protective measures already in place. One's knowledge can then allow one to either acknowledge efficacy of existing equipment and staff, one can accept the risk/vulnerability seen, get insurance, establish a formal/comprehensive security program or ignore it.

[I had a "corporate art" picture of an abandoned warehouse, lattices of light and shadow, in my office. I used to ask new security employees to tell me about the "security implications" of what they see in that picture. Few went beyond recommending locking my office so the picture wasn't stolen. (Maybe they already knew the STFU mantra!?)]

A security mindset (and imagination) is relatively rare but extremely valuable for actual effectiveness...and the alleviation of boredom. :)

TV, novels and the movies love crime. We can use each one to learn something.

In each piece of entertainment, we simply notice what could have been done to prevent the crime, alternate means of investigation, better emergency response, etc. Drama is of little use, technique is valuable. When the guard gets shot or struck on the head and tied up...that could be you! How could or would you avoid it or prevent the penetration of your site?

In fiction the works of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, W. Somerset Maugham, Lee Childs, Barry Eisler, Ian Fleming, etc, etc, etc are a good start, in your local library and fun.

SEE and Think about what you are seeing. Does it make logical sense? What if this happened at my site. Can a person really pick a lock so quickly and with one tool? Can a person actually fit through the HVAC ducts? As I walk around the premises, what would a B&E in progress look like? How does each thief in each movie enter the area and get the goods out of the building? How do I detect surveillance? Will/should someone spend $40,000.00 to protect (or steal)  $2,000.00 worth of materials? I have just touched the surface of the subject.



Think! Imagine! Have fun with it!


It never stops...there is always something to learn about security from news, movies, books, people and life.