The Keys and the Favour
You are an officer on a residential wing. A prisoner, Marsh (well-behaved, nearing release, works in the kitchen), asks you to bring in a mobile phone on your next shift. He says he will pay you £300 and that 'other officers do it'. He also mentions he knows where you park your car. Later that shift, you realise your set of keys is missing from your belt. You last remember having them near the servery, where Marsh was working. You have ten minutes before you are due to hand over.
1. What do you do about the missing keys, and in what order?
Read the worked answer
Immediately:
- Report the loss at once to the duty manager/security - do not search quietly and hope to find them. Missing keys are a security incident; time matters because keys can be copied or used.
- Secure the area - do not leave the wing unsecured; follow the key-loss procedure (which may include locking down, changing locks, or a search).
- Account for the keys - where exactly you last had them, who was nearby, what you did.
- Do not confront Marsh alone or informally - report the earlier approach and the possible link to security/security intelligence.
Reasoning: the instinct to quietly find the keys to avoid trouble is exactly the wrong move - it delays the response and looks like concealment. Honesty and speed are the priority.
2. How do you respond to Marsh's request and his mention of your car?
Read the worked answer
Refuse clearly and immediately: 'No. I don't bring anything in, and I won't discuss it again.' Do not negotiate, joke it off, or leave it ambiguous.
Report it: the approach, the offer of money, and the reference to your car must be reported through the proper channel (line manager/security/corruption reporting line) the same shift. The car reference may be intimidation - report it, and consider your own safety.
Do not: accept anything, agree to 'think about it', or handle it privately. Even appearing to consider it creates leverage.
Reasoning: integrity is non-negotiable, and reporting protects you - an unreported approach can later be used against you.
3. What if the keys turn up and a colleague says 'no harm done, don't report it'?
Read the worked answer
Report it anyway. A key loss - even if recovered - is a reportable security event, and the earlier corrupt approach is separate and serious. 'No harm done' is not your call to make.
Record: the loss, the recovery, the timings, and the colleague's suggestion not to report (factually, without editorialising).
Reasoning: the exam tests whether you understand that security reporting is not discretionary and that pressure from colleagues does not change your duty.