Basic Training (Minimum 80 Hours)
What the domain tests
The Basic Training domain checks whether you know the minimum pre-deployment training standard for a registered security guard in Jamaica and what that training must cover. The PSRA framework requires a guard to complete at least 80 hours of structured training at an approved training institution before being deployed on duty.
Core rules
- The 80 hours is a minimum, not a target; a licensee that deploys a guard with fewer hours is non-compliant.
- Training must be delivered by an institution approved by the PSRA, following an approved curriculum.
- On-the-job orientation, shadowing, or in-house sessions do not replace the approved 80-hour programme.
- Typical curriculum areas include powers of arrest and use of force, criminal law basics, report writing and occurrence-book entries, patrol and access control, fire safety and evacuation, first aid, radio communication, customer service, and professional ethics.
- Training records must be kept and produced on request during inspection; guards should know where their certificate is held.
- Guards should expect refresher or continuation training; a certificate is not a substitute for current knowledge.
Worked example
A security company wants to deploy a new guard on Monday. The guard has completed 40 hours at an approved institution, 30 hours of in-house induction, and 10 hours shadowing a senior guard. Is deployment compliant? No. The approved institutional training is 40 hours, short of the 80-hour minimum. In-house induction and shadowing are useful, but they are not approved curriculum hours. The guard cannot be deployed until the remaining 40 approved hours are completed and recorded.
Traps that cost marks
- Counting on-the-job hours toward the 80.
- Assuming a company's own training school is automatically approved.
- Treating the 80 hours as a one-time hurdle with no refresher duty.
- Confusing the company's licence with the guard's training certificate.