Canada Security Guard Study Guide 2026

The job of a security guard

Security guards protect people, property and information. A guard is not a police officer. Guards have the same arrest powers as any private citizen, plus whatever their province's laws and their employer's instructions allow. Most of the job is preventing problems and reporting them, not catching criminals.

Kinds of security work

• Static or site security: a guard stays at one location, such as a lobby, gate or desk, and controls access.
• Mobile patrol: a guard drives between several sites, checks them and responds to alarms.
• Loss prevention: guards in stores watch for theft, often in plain clothes where the law allows.
• Event security: guards manage crowds, check tickets and bags, and handle emergencies at concerts and games.
• Construction and industrial security: guards protect equipment and materials, often at night and alone.

Post orders and the chain of command

Every site has post orders: written instructions that tell you your duties, patrol times, access rules, who to call and what to do in an emergency. Read them at the start of every shift. If something is not covered, call your supervisor. Follow the chain of command: guard, supervisor, manager, then the client.

Licensing is provincial

Each province and territory decides who may work as a guard. The provinces below require a training course with an exam before a full licence.

Other provinces and territories have their own rules. Check with the licensing office where you plan to work.

How the law applies to guards

Three kinds of law shape a guard's work. Criminal law is federal and is mostly in the Criminal Code. Provincial laws cover licensing, trespass, privacy, and health and safety. Civil law lets people sue each other for harm, for example after an unlawful arrest.

Types of criminal offences

The type of offence matters because a private citizen can arrest a person they find committing an indictable offence. Under the federal Interpretation Act, hybrid offences count as indictable until the Crown decides, so a guard who sees a theft under $5,000 can rely on that power.

Civil liability

If a guard acts without legal authority, the person affected can sue the guard and the employer. Common claims are false imprisonment (holding someone without lawful reason), assault and battery (threatening or using force without justification), and negligence (failing to take reasonable care). Acting within the law and your post orders is your best protection.

The Charter of Rights and Freedoms

The Charter protects people from the government. Section 32 says it applies to Parliament, the legislatures and government, so private guards are usually not bound by it. A guard can be treated as a state agent, and the Charter can then apply, for example when a guard acts on police instructions. Even when it does not apply, it is good practice to respect these rights:

• Section 8: protection against unreasonable search or seizure.
• Section 9: protection against arbitrary detention.
• Section 10(a): the right to be told promptly why you are arrested or detained.
• Section 10(b): the right to hire and instruct a lawyer without delay, and to be told of that right.

Arrest powers

An arrest happens when you take control of a person to hold them for police, either by touching them for that purpose or by telling them they are under arrest and they go along with it. Holding someone without legal grounds is false imprisonment, so know your powers exactly.

Key words

• Finds committing: you see the offence yourself. A report from someone else is not enough for section 494(1)(a).
• Reasonable grounds: facts that would make a reasonable person believe the same thing, not a hunch.
• Forthwith: immediately. Call police as soon as you can and hand the person over when they arrive.

Making an arrest safely

1. Decide whether the arrest is lawful, necessary and allowed by your employer's policy. Many employers limit arrests.
2. Call for backup and police early, and keep your own safety first.
3. Identify yourself as security.
4. Tell the person they are under arrest and why. Section 29(2) of the Criminal Code requires this where it is feasible.
5. Use only as much force as is necessary to control the person.
6. Tell the person they have the right to a lawyer, if your employer's procedure says so.
7. Stay with the person and hand them over to police right away.
8. Write detailed notes and a report as soon as possible.

Searching

Guards have no general power to search. A search needs real consent, a lawful condition of entry (such as a bag check at a concert, which the person may refuse by not entering), or the limited authority that may follow a lawful arrest. Searching without authority can be an assault.

Use of force

Force includes any physical action to control a person, from holding an arm to using restraints. The law allows force only in certain situations, and never more than is needed. Your presence, your voice and good communication solve most problems without any force.

What makes force reasonable

Section 34(2) lists factors a court considers when deciding if an act in self-defence was reasonable. The same kinds of questions help you decide how much force, if any, is right.

• Use the least force that will safely control the situation.
• Stop or reduce force as soon as the person stops resisting.
• Never use force to punish, to get even or to make a point.
• Use only equipment your licence, your province and your employer allow, and only after the required training.
• Write down every use of force in detail. Some provinces require a special report.

Trespass and privacy

Trespass

Trespass on private property is mostly governed by provincial law, such as Alberta's Trespass to Premises Act and Petty Trespass Act and Ontario's Trespass to Property Act. The details differ, but the main ideas are similar across Canada:

• The owner or occupier, and people they authorize, can decide who may enter and what they may do.
• Notice can be given by speaking to the person, in writing or with signs.
• Some land, such as gardens and fenced land, may be closed even without a sign.
• A person who is told to leave must leave right away.
• Trespass laws may allow an arrest, but the person must then be handed to police quickly.

In practice, identify yourself, explain the rule calmly, tell the person clearly to leave, and give them a chance to go. Record the time, what you said and what happened.

Privacy

Guards see private information every day: names, licence plates, camera footage and visitor logs. The federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) sets rules for private businesses that collect, use or share personal information in commercial activities. Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec have their own private-sector privacy laws that apply instead for most activity inside those provinces.

• Collect only the information you need for a clear purpose.
• Keep notebooks, logs and video secure, and share them only with people who are authorized.
• Never discuss what you learn on the job with friends or on social media.
• Post signs where cameras are used, never point cameras into washrooms or change rooms, and keep footage only as long as it is needed.

Notebooks, reports and evidence

Your notebook is a record made at the time of events. Months later, it may be the only way to remember details, and you may be allowed to refer to it in court. A careless notebook can make an honest guard look unreliable.

• Use a bound notebook with numbered pages, and never tear out a page.
• Write in permanent ink, in time order, as soon as possible after each event.
• Do not leave blank lines or spaces between entries.
• Cross out a mistake with a single line so it can still be read, and initial it.
• Draw a line through unused space at the end of an entry so nothing can be added later.
• Record facts you saw and heard, not opinions, guesses or rumours.
• Write down exact words when someone makes a threat or admission.

The 24-hour clock

Security work uses the 24-hour clock so there is no confusion between a.m. and p.m. For times after noon, add 12 to the hour.

Incident reports

An incident report turns your notes into a clear account that someone who was not there can understand. Write it as soon as possible, in the first person ("I saw…"), in short sentences and in time order.

Evidence and crime scenes

Evidence is anything that helps prove what happened: objects, video, documents and what witnesses saw. Continuity of evidence (chain of custody) means you can account for who had an item from the moment it was found until it reaches court. If there is a gap, a court may not trust the item.

1. Make sure the area is safe, and help anyone who is hurt. Saving a life comes before protecting evidence.
2. Call police and your supervisor.
3. Keep people out of the area, using tape, barriers or other staff if needed.
4. Do not touch, move or clean anything unless it is needed to save a life or the item would be lost.
5. Keep a log of everyone who enters the scene and why.
6. Note anything that was moved or changed, and tell police when they arrive.

Emergencies

In an emergency, a guard is often the first person on the scene. Know your site's emergency plan, the exits, the fire alarm pull stations, the extinguishers, the first aid kit, the AED and the muster point before you need them.

Fire

Raise the alarm and call 911 first. Fight a fire only if it is small, you are trained, you have the right extinguisher and there is a clear exit behind you. Use PASS:

1. Pull the pin.
2. Aim low, at the base of the fire.
3. Squeeze the handle.
4. Sweep from side to side.

Evacuation

Go back inside only when the fire department or the person in charge says it is safe. A silent alarm does not mean the danger is over.

Medical emergencies

• Check that the scene is safe before you approach.
• Call 911, or have someone call, and send someone for the AED and first aid kit.
• Give first aid or CPR if you are trained. Use gloves and other barriers when you can.
• Do not move an injured person unless they are in danger.
• Send someone to meet paramedics at the entrance and hold elevators and doors.
• Write down what happened and what care was given.

Bomb threats and suspicious packages

• If a threat comes by phone, stay calm and keep the caller talking. Write down their exact words, the time, their voice and any background sounds.
• Ask where the device is and when it will go off, if you can do so safely.
• Report the threat at once and follow your site's procedure.
• If you see a suspicious package, do not touch, move or cover it. Move people away.
• Do not use a radio or cellphone close to a suspicious item. Report from a safe distance.

WHMIS

The Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) is Canada's system for information about hazardous products at work. It has three parts: labels on containers, safety data sheets (SDS) with 16 sections of detailed information, and worker education. Pictograms inside a red diamond show hazards such as flammable, corrosive, toxic or under pressure. If there is a spill, keep people away, check the SDS and follow your site procedure.

Communication, radio and de-escalation

Radio procedure

• Think before you press the button, and keep messages short.
• Start by saying who you are calling, then who you are: "Control, this is Patrol 2."
• Use plain language. Codes differ between sites and can confuse people.
• Spell names and plates with the phonetic alphabet.
• Do not share personal information on the radio unless you must.
• In an emergency, clear the channel and give the most important facts first: what, where and who is hurt.

The phonetic alphabet

De-escalation

Most angry people calm down if they feel heard and respected. Your goal is to bring the person back to calm without force. Learn to spot the stages of a crisis so you can step in early.

• Stay calm. Use a low, steady voice and short sentences.
• Listen actively. Let the person speak, and repeat back what you heard.
• Show empathy: "I can see you're frustrated."
• Offer choices instead of orders, and explain what will happen next.
• Keep a safe distance, stand at an angle, and keep your hands open and visible.
• Do not argue, threaten, laugh or crowd the person.
• Know when to step away and call for help or police.

Customer service

To most people, the guard is the face of the client. Greet people, give directions, and treat everyone with respect. When someone complains, listen, stay polite, explain the rule without arguing, and pass the issue to a supervisor if needed. Good service prevents many conflicts before they start.

Professionalism, human rights and safety

Professionalism and ethics

• Arrive on time, in a clean and complete uniform, fit for duty.
• Never drink alcohol or use drugs on duty, and never sleep at your post.
• Stay at your post until you are relieved. If your relief is late, call your supervisor.
• Keep personal phone use to breaks.
• Never accept gifts or favours that could affect your decisions. Report bribe offers.
• Be honest in every note and report, even when you made a mistake.
• Keep information confidential.

Human rights and diversity

Federal and provincial human rights laws protect people from discrimination in services, housing and work. Protected grounds include race, colour, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital and family status, and disability. Provinces add their own grounds.

• Act on behaviour, never on appearance. Following someone because of their race is racial profiling and is discrimination.
• Apply the rules the same way to everyone.
• Accommodate people with disabilities. A service dog is not a pet and may enter places with a no-pets rule.
• Use simple, clear language with people who are learning English, and be patient.

Health and safety

Occupational health and safety laws across Canada give workers three basic rights: the right to know about hazards, the right to participate in health and safety, and the right to refuse unsafe work. Report hazards such as broken lights, icy walkways and blocked exits.

• When working alone, check in with your supervisor or monitoring centre at set times.
• Lift with your legs, not your back, and ask for help with heavy items.
• Wear the right clothing and high-visibility gear for the site and the weather.
• Manage fatigue on night shifts: eat well, drink water and keep moving.

Patrol

• Change your routes and times so no one can predict when you will pass.
• Use all your senses: look for open doors and broken locks, listen for alarms, and notice smells such as smoke or gas.
• Check that doors that should be locked are locked. If you find one open, check the area carefully and report it.
• Record each patrol and anything unusual in your notebook.