PSIRA Grade C common mistakes
PSIRA Grade C · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
When asked what a security officer may do to a suspected shoplifter, the candidate chooses 'search the suspect's bag' or 'force the suspect to empty pockets', treating the officer's authority as equal to that of a police official.
Candidates carry over the powers of the South African Police Service, which they have seen on television, and assume a private security officer holds the same powers of search and arrest without a warrant. They have not learned that a security officer's powers derive from the common-law citizen's arrest and from the specific contract and premises rules, not from police powers.
What to do instead
Learn the distinction explicitly: an officer may arrest under the citizen's arrest provisions and may search only with consent or where a specific law or contract permits it, and must hand the person to the SAPS promptly. Practise stating in one sentence what the officer can and cannot do in a shoplifting scenario.
The candidate answers a question about using force by saying the officer may use whatever force is necessary to 'teach the person a lesson' or to protect property, without mentioning that force must be reasonable and proportionate.
Candidates confuse the duty to protect property with a licence to use force, and they have not internalised the reasonableness and proportionality test applied to self-defence and defence of property.
What to do instead
Memorise the formula: force may be used only to defend oneself or another, or to protect property where the threat is immediate, and only the minimum force reasonably necessary. In every use-of-force answer, include the words 'reasonable', 'proportionate' and 'minimum necessary'.
The candidate allows a visitor through an access point because the visitor says 'I'm here for a meeting' without checking the visitor against the authorised list, issuing a visitor pass, or recording the entry in the register.
Candidates treat access control as a courtesy exercise in customer service rather than a security control. They fear appearing rude or causing delay, so they waive the procedure for anyone who sounds confident.
What to do instead
Adopt a scripted sequence for every visitor: greet, ask for name and purpose, verify against the authorised list or phone the host, issue a pass, record the entry and time, and state the pass must be worn visibly. Rehearse refusing entry politely but firmly.
When describing a patrol route, the candidate lists only the points to be visited and omits the requirement to vary the route and timing to avoid predictability.
Candidates learn patrol as a checklist of locations and do not connect patrol to deterrence. They do not see that a fixed route and fixed times allow an intruder to plan around the officer.
What to do instead
Always include route and timing variation in any patrol answer, plus the reason: unpredictability defeats planning by an intruder. Add that the officer should check the patrol register and report any point that cannot be reached.
In a report-writing question, the candidate writes 'The suspect was aggressive and appeared suspicious' and considers the description complete.
Candidates use everyday evaluative language and do not distinguish observation from inference. They have not practised converting impressions into observable facts such as actions, words, times and descriptions.
What to do instead
Apply the rule: record what was seen and heard, not what was concluded. Replace 'aggressive' with the specific behaviour, words and actions; replace 'suspicious' with what the person did. Practise rewriting evaluative sentences into factual ones.
The candidate describes the officer's first action at an incident as 'start investigating to find out what happened' or 'question the people involved' before securing the scene and calling for help.
Candidates model their answer on detective work seen in entertainment and forget that a security officer's first duties are preservation of life, then scene preservation, then reporting. They also underestimate the risk of contaminating evidence or of the officer being harmed.
What to do instead
Memorise the priority order and apply it in every incident question: assess the scene for danger, preserve life and call emergency services, secure and preserve the scene, record and report, then hand over to the SAPS or investigating authority. State the order explicitly in the answer.
The candidate handles an emergency call by giving a long narrative of the background before stating the location and the nature of the emergency.
Under stress candidates talk in the order events happened to them rather than the order the call-taker needs. They have not practised structured emergency communication.
What to do instead
Use a fixed call structure: identify yourself and the organisation, give the exact address and nearest access point, state the nature of the emergency and the number of people involved, then give your callback number and stay on the line. Practise the structure aloud until it is automatic.
The candidate answers a customer-care question by describing how to be polite while ignoring the security boundary, for example agreeing to 'just quickly' let an unauthorised person in to avoid an argument.
Candidates believe customer care and security control are opposites, so they choose friendliness over procedure when a scenario presents tension. They have not learned that firmness delivered courteously satisfies both.
What to do instead
Learn the formula: acknowledge the person's need, explain the rule briefly, offer the legitimate alternative such as calling the host or directing them to reception, and repeat the rule without escalating. Practise refusal scripts that contain no apology for the rule itself.
The candidate describes radio communication as 'just tell them what's happening' and omits radio discipline such as listening before transmitting, keeping the message brief, using the phonetic alphabet and not broadcasting confidential information.
Candidates speak casually on radios in daily life and do not appreciate that a shared channel is a controlled resource. They also do not consider that anyone with a scanner can hear the transmission.
What to do instead
Learn the standard transmission sequence: listen, press, identify yourself and the recipient, give a short factual message, say 'over' and release. Use the phonetic alphabet for names and codes for sensitive information, and never transmit personal details or security arrangements in clear.
The candidate describes the officer's duty to report misconduct as 'cover for a colleague first and sort it out internally' or 'only report if the matter becomes serious'.
Candidates value loyalty to the team and fear being labelled a troublemaker. They have not internalised that the officer's duty runs to the employer, the client and the law, and that concealment makes the officer complicit.
What to do instead
Learn the reporting duty as absolute: report the facts to the supervisor through the correct channel, record it in writing, and do not investigate or discipline personally. Practise stating that loyalty to a colleague never overrides the duty to report.