Introduction to the Security Industry
What a security guard actually is
Ontario security guards are private citizens in uniform, not peace officers. The single most important concept in this domain is that a guard's legal authority comes from the same place as any other citizen's: the Criminal Code (citizen's arrest under s. 494, use of force under ss. 25 and 27) and the Trespass to Property Act. A guard cannot detain someone "just to ask questions," cannot search a person or bag without lawful authority or consent, and cannot demand identification the way police can.
Roles and settings
Know the common job types: contract versus in-house guards; static post versus mobile patrol; access control; loss prevention; concierge/residential; event and licensed-premises (door) security. Recognise the core duties: observe, record, report, deter, control access, and respond within the limits of post orders. The industry also emphasises crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED), customer service, and liability awareness.
The traps
Questions love to blur public and private policing. Wrong answers typically claim a guard can arrest on suspicion, search bags as a condition of entering a mall, or use handcuffs "because the company issued them." A guard may use only as much force as is reasonable and necessary, and only in a lawful purpose. Another trap is assuming a guard must physically intervene in every incident; the default professional response is observe and report unless post orders or a life-safety duty require action.
Rule of thumb
You are a citizen with a licence, a uniform and a duty to report - not a police officer. If you would not be lawfully entitled to do it out of uniform, the uniform does not change that.