Access Control, Physical Security, and Crime Prevention
Domain 6 tests how guards deny unauthorized access and reduce opportunity for crime. The exam looks for layered controls, not one lock or one guard.
Core rules
- Verify identity and authorization before entry. Check credentials, compare names to an approved list, issue visitor badges, log time in and out, and escort where policy requires.
- Control keys, codes, and badges. Account for them, change codes after loss or termination, and never share personal codes.
- Use physical security layers: perimeter, doors, locks, lighting, alarms, cameras, and clear sight lines. Crime prevention through environmental design supports natural surveillance, natural access control, and territorial reinforcement.
- Respond to alarms and breaches by observing, reporting, and calling police; do not confront beyond training.
Worked example
A contractor arrives without a badge and says he is there to fix the server room. Reasoning: do not accept the claim alone. Verify a work order, check photo ID, call the authorized host, log the visit, and escort him. If verification fails, deny entry and notify the supervisor. The guard does not hold the contractor's ID as a condition of entry unless policy and law allow it.
Traps
Tailgating, propped doors, shared codes, relying on a single control, and confronting a suspected intruder instead of isolating and reporting. Access control is a system, not a greeting.