PSARA Supervisor Exam flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Controlling Authority

The designated State or Union Territory officer empowered under PSARA to grant, renew, suspend or cancel licences for private security agencies operating in that jurisdiction.

Licence Validity Period

A PSARA licence remains valid for five years from the date of issue, after which renewal must be applied for at least sixty days before expiry.

Character and Antecedent Verification

Mandatory police verification of a guard's criminal record and identity before employment; a guard cannot be deployed until this clearance is obtained.

Non-transferable Licence

A PSARA licence is issued to a specific agency for a specific place of business and cannot be sold, assigned or used by another entity.

Minimum Guard Age

A person must have attained the prescribed minimum age, and must hold a recognised training certificate, before being employed or deployed as a security guard.

Supervisor-to-Guard Ratio

The documented number of guards one supervisor can oversee per shift; it determines span of control and must be reflected in the deployment plan.

Occurrence Book

A bound, chronological site register in which guards and supervisors record events, handovers and incidents with date, time and signature; entries are never erased.

Post Orders

Written site-specific instructions defining a guard's duties, access rules, patrol timings, emergency contacts and escalation steps for a particular post.

Shift Handover Register

A signed record confirming that the outgoing guard briefed the incoming guard on incidents, keys, equipment and pending matters before leaving the post.

Escalation Matrix

A predefined list mapping incident severity to the persons to be informed, in what order, and within what time limit.

Defence in Depth

A security design principle using multiple independent layers-perimeter, building envelope, interior and asset-so that failure of one layer does not defeat the whole.

Fixed Post versus Patrol

A fixed post keeps a guard at one location continuously, while a patrol moves along a defined route at varied times to detect intrusions and hazards.

Risk Assessment Triad

Deployment planning weighs threat, vulnerability and asset criticality; higher combined scores justify more guards, controls and monitoring at that location.

Contingency Staffing

A reserve pool of trained guards maintained so that absenteeism, strikes or emergencies do not leave a contracted post unmanned.

Patrol Clocking

Recording checkpoint visits with time stamps so supervisors can verify that patrol routes were actually walked and were not predictable.

Three-Tier Access Zones

Sites are divided into public, restricted and high-security zones, each with distinct badges and authorisation levels controlling who may enter.

Visitor Register Fields

Mandatory visitor log capturing full name, identity document number, purpose of visit, host name, escort, time in and time out.

Gate Pass

A document signed by an authorised client representative permitting movement of materials; guards verify quantity and description against it before release.

Tailgating

Unauthorised entry of a second person on one valid authorisation; prevented by turnstiles, mantraps or one-person-per-swipe enforcement.

Key Register

A log recording issue and return of every key or access card against the holder's signature, enabling accountability for all controlled keys.

Emergency Response Sequence

The standard order of action: detect the event, alert responders and occupants, contain the hazard, evacuate or protect, then report and review.

Assembly Point

A pre-designated safe location where occupants gather after evacuation so that guards can conduct a headcount and report missing persons.

Contemporaneous Entry

A record made at or near the time of the event; it carries greater evidentiary weight than a later reconstruction from memory.

Scene Preservation

Keeping an incident scene and physical evidence undisturbed until police or the investigating authority authorises otherwise, to protect its evidentiary value.

Bomb Threat Call Handling

The receiver records the caller's exact words, background sounds and time, notes any demands, and reports immediately without touching suspicious objects.

Right of Private Defence

The limited legal right of any citizen, including a security guard, to use necessary and proportionate force to repel an imminent unlawful attack on person or property.

Citizen's Arrest

A private person may arrest someone committing a non-bailable offence in their presence and must hand the person to police without unnecessary delay.

Proportionate Force

Force used must not exceed what is reasonably necessary to counter the threat; excessive force exposes the guard and the agency to criminal and civil liability.

Vicarious Liability

An agency can be held legally responsible for the acts and omissions of its guards committed in the course of employment, especially where training or supervision was deficient.

Search Authorisation

A guard may search a person or bag only with consent or lawful authority; searching a woman must be conducted by a woman guard.

Duty Hour Limits

Working hours, rest intervals and weekly offs for guards are governed by applicable labour law and must be recorded in the duty roster.

Lone Worker Protocol

A check-in schedule requiring an isolated guard to report at fixed intervals, with an escalation action if the report is missed.