Hello all,
As you can see, I'm brand new here, and fairly new to the security industry as well. As background information, I live in Queensland, Australia and work as a crowd controller, bouncer and executive protection. One thing that has come to my attention as I've endeavoured to learn more about my new profession is the extreme difference in licencing requirements between countries and states. I thought it would be interesting to find out what your state/country asks of you before recognising you or allowing you to work in a security position. I'll outline briefly what I had to do for my licence:
Certificate II in Security Operations - $645
This was a 2 week, 9-6 training course. Topics covered included loss prevention, identifying hazards, patrol requirements, time management, escorting VIPs, escorting goods, how to write legal statements and reports, legal rights of the security professional, torts, legality of false arrest and search, defensive tactics for dealing with attackers and abusive patrons, communication skills and the use of body language, dealing with emergency situations, fire and bomb threat proceedures and evacuation. There were of course more areas covered, but these were the main ones. Each topic had a case study and a scenario for you to explain (in writing) what you would do. The scenarios were quite realistic and tested your ability to apply what had been taught.
Senior First Aid Certificate - Free with Cert II
This was your basic first aid course. Included everything from bites and stings, scrapes and cuts, unconsciousness, ECC, EAR (and thus CPR), drowning, electrical shocks, spinal injuries and so on.
Application for Licence - $220
I applied for the dual security officer/crowd controller licence, so obviously it was twice as much as a straight security licence. For the curious, the licences (security officer, crowd controller, private investigator) go at about $120 each. With the licence I had to agree to undergo a complete police check for anything I had been charged with in the past 10 years, and any domestic or civil violence in the past 5 years. I had to submit a legally certified copy of my birth certificate, three character references, 2 certified passport photos and a detailed copy of my security and first aid certificates.
Those are the bare minimum requirements to work in the security industry here in Australia. And yes, bouncers are considered part of the industry and are held to the same standards in terms of licencing and training. More and more employers are now asking their officers to undergo further training on top of this, including a Responsible Service of Alcohol certificate (around $200, I already had one) and a Blue Card which certifies you as being safe to work around children (not sure on the cost, I had one from my tutoring days.) As you can see, the training is quite detailed, and that's before you get onto the job where your learning really begins.
To be honest, I was a little dismayed when I heard how low the licencing standards are in some parts of the world. Anyone care to share how strict (or soft) the standards are where you live? Personally I believe it's the guard's responsibility to make him/herself as well equipped both physically and mentally as possible, and the professionals usually do, so a stricter licencing standard is obviously no indication that the guard will be any better than another from a softer licencing area, but I still think it could provide some interesting conversation.
Have at it.
As you can see, I'm brand new here, and fairly new to the security industry as well. As background information, I live in Queensland, Australia and work as a crowd controller, bouncer and executive protection. One thing that has come to my attention as I've endeavoured to learn more about my new profession is the extreme difference in licencing requirements between countries and states. I thought it would be interesting to find out what your state/country asks of you before recognising you or allowing you to work in a security position. I'll outline briefly what I had to do for my licence:
Certificate II in Security Operations - $645
This was a 2 week, 9-6 training course. Topics covered included loss prevention, identifying hazards, patrol requirements, time management, escorting VIPs, escorting goods, how to write legal statements and reports, legal rights of the security professional, torts, legality of false arrest and search, defensive tactics for dealing with attackers and abusive patrons, communication skills and the use of body language, dealing with emergency situations, fire and bomb threat proceedures and evacuation. There were of course more areas covered, but these were the main ones. Each topic had a case study and a scenario for you to explain (in writing) what you would do. The scenarios were quite realistic and tested your ability to apply what had been taught.
Senior First Aid Certificate - Free with Cert II
This was your basic first aid course. Included everything from bites and stings, scrapes and cuts, unconsciousness, ECC, EAR (and thus CPR), drowning, electrical shocks, spinal injuries and so on.
Application for Licence - $220
I applied for the dual security officer/crowd controller licence, so obviously it was twice as much as a straight security licence. For the curious, the licences (security officer, crowd controller, private investigator) go at about $120 each. With the licence I had to agree to undergo a complete police check for anything I had been charged with in the past 10 years, and any domestic or civil violence in the past 5 years. I had to submit a legally certified copy of my birth certificate, three character references, 2 certified passport photos and a detailed copy of my security and first aid certificates.
Those are the bare minimum requirements to work in the security industry here in Australia. And yes, bouncers are considered part of the industry and are held to the same standards in terms of licencing and training. More and more employers are now asking their officers to undergo further training on top of this, including a Responsible Service of Alcohol certificate (around $200, I already had one) and a Blue Card which certifies you as being safe to work around children (not sure on the cost, I had one from my tutoring days.) As you can see, the training is quite detailed, and that's before you get onto the job where your learning really begins.
To be honest, I was a little dismayed when I heard how low the licencing standards are in some parts of the world. Anyone care to share how strict (or soft) the standards are where you live? Personally I believe it's the guard's responsibility to make him/herself as well equipped both physically and mentally as possible, and the professionals usually do, so a stricter licencing standard is obviously no indication that the guard will be any better than another from a softer licencing area, but I still think it could provide some interesting conversation.
Have at it.

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