Legal Framework and Duties of a Security Guard
The legal framework domain tests whether you understand a guard's real authority in Sri Lanka: a private citizen in uniform, not a police officer.
Where your authority comes from
Your power to control a site comes from the owner's consent to be on the premises and from your employment contract, plus the same limited powers every citizen has. Nothing in the uniform adds police powers.
Core rules
- No police powers. You cannot detain, search, or interrogate as police may. You may ask, request, and refuse entry on your employer's behalf.
- Citizen's arrest. Under the Code of Criminal Procedure Act a private person may arrest someone who commits a cognizable offence in their presence. Hand the person to the nearest police station without unnecessary delay.
- Force must be reasonable. The Penal Code recognises private defence of person and property, but only minimum, proportionate force. Force is not punishment.
- Searches need consent or a lawful basis. Bag checks at an entrance must be a clear, published condition of entry. A person who refuses can be denied entry, not forcibly searched.
- Preserve evidence and the scene. Do not handle items; record names, times, and what you saw.
Worked example
A man snatches a shopper's handbag at your gate and runs. Reasoning: snatching is a cognizable offence committed in your presence, so a citizen's arrest is lawful. Use only enough force to stop him; do not strike him once he is controlled; call the police immediately; note the time and witnesses. Beating him or taking his money turns a lawful arrest into assault and theft.
Traps that cost marks
- Believing the uniform gives police powers.
- Physically forcing a search on a visitor who refuses.
- Delaying the handover to police.
- Writing opinions in your notebook instead of facts.