Duty of Care

Duty of Care

Security guards need to be familiar with the concept of “Duty of Care”.

Duty of Care is defined as: “what a reasonable person should do in a particular situation, and be capable of in securing and protecting a crime scene until the appropriate personnel arrive.” ****

In short, as a security guard you must ensure the safety of everyone in the immediate area. You must not allow anyone in the scene of fire or crime, as a means to preserve all evidence. Your duty is to attempt to preserve evidence.

Contact the authorities, and remain on scene until the authorities arrive.

The officer in charge of a crime scene should obtain the names, addresses and phone numbers of all people present on scene, including security guards, fire fighters and the Police. ****

Example of Duty of Care: While on patrol, you notice a puddle of water from a leak in the basement close to the electrical circuits. However you do not report the issue to management. Shortly after, an electrical fire starts due to that water leak. Duty of care requires you to act on potential hazards that you witness during your shift, by informing management of the water leak immediately. ****