Private Security Code of Conduct and Ethics
This domain tests the standards of behaviour set in the Code of Conduct and Ethics (Second Schedule, Private Security Regulation Act 2016) and how they are applied in real decisions on post.
Core duties
The Code requires integrity, honesty, professionalism, lawful obedience, non-discrimination, confidentiality, courtesy and fitness for duty.
- Obey lawful instructions. An instruction to break the law is not lawful and must be refused and reported.
- Serve everyone equally, regardless of ethnicity, religion, sex, disability, nationality or political opinion.
- Keep client information confidential: staff lists, access codes, cash routes, CCTV footage and personal data go only to authorised people or to police with proper authority.
- Take no bribes, gifts or favours to bend a procedure. This is misconduct and may also be an offence under the Bribery Act, 2016.
- Report misconduct, including that of colleagues and supervisors, and cooperate with Authority investigations.
- Report for duty sober, correctly uniformed, and awake.
Worked example
A driver offers a guard KSh 3,000 to let a truck leave without the load being checked. Correct handling: decline clearly, complete the inspection as the post orders require, note the offer, and report it in writing to the supervisor. Accepting would breach the Code, expose the guard to dismissal and prosecution, and if the truck carried stolen goods the guard becomes a suspect rather than a witness.
Traps that cost marks
Thinking confidentiality forbids reporting crime; it never does, and a guard who witnesses an offence must report it. Calling a bribe a tip or a token of appreciation. Believing the Code applies only on the client's premises. Remaining silent about a colleague's theft out of loyalty.