PSIRA Grade E study plan

Define the legal and ethical framework concepts in your own words: the role of PSIRA, the Private Security Industry Regulation Act, the code of conduct, and the difference between a security officer's authority and that of the police.

Map each element of the PSIRA code of conduct to a real workplace scenario you could encounter on duty.

Identify five situations where a security officer must refuse an instruction because it is unlawful or unethical, and write down why.

Build a one-page glossary of legal terms you must know (e.g., arrest, detention, reasonable force, trespass, search, consent).

Explain the limits on a security officer's powers of arrest, search, and use of force, and describe what 'reasonable and proportionate' means in practice.

List the core duties and responsibilities of a security officer from arrival at post to handover at end of shift.

Describe the chain of command and reporting lines a Grade E officer works within.

Analyse three short scenarios and decide whether the officer's action was lawful, ethical, both, or neither, with a written justification for each.

Draft a shift routine that covers pre-shift checks, on-post duties, and end-of-shift handover.

Describe the officer's responsibilities for protecting people, property, and premises, and give a concrete example of each.

Explain how to handle a member of the public who refuses to comply with a lawful instruction without escalating the situation.

Summarise the professional-conduct expectations (appearance, punctuality, sobriety, honesty, confidentiality) and self-assess against them.

Describe the principles and methods of access control, including verifying identity, issuing and checking passes, and controlling vehicle and pedestrian entry.

Explain how to search a person, bag, or vehicle lawfully and respectfully, and when a search is not permitted.

Design a patrol plan for a small site that specifies routes, timing, checkpoints, and what to observe and record.

List the common security risks a patrol should detect (e.g., forced entry, fire hazards, water leaks, suspicious packages) and the correct action for each.

Apply access-control and patrol procedures to three written incident scenarios and state the correct sequence of actions.

Describe fire prevention basics: the fire triangle, common ignition sources, housekeeping, and the correct use of the appropriate extinguisher type.

Explain the emergency-evacuation procedure, including alarm response, assembly points, and headcounts.

Describe the correct response to a bomb threat or suspicious package, including what to do and what not to do.

Describe first-aid priorities and the correct response to common workplace injuries, including when to call for help.

Explain the officer's role in an emergency: raising the alarm, guiding evacuation, securing the scene, and preserving evidence.

Identify occupational health and safety hazards on a typical site and describe how to report and control them.

Describe the correct response to a medical emergency, a violent person, and a power failure, using a written scenario for each.

Write a clear, factual incident report that covers who, what, when, where, why, and how, without opinion or speculation.

Describe the correct use of a two-way radio, including call signs, phonetic alphabet, and standard phrases.

Explain how to receive and pass on a telephone or radio message accurately, including taking a message and confirming it.

Describe good customer-service behaviour for a security officer: greeting, assisting, de-escalating, and maintaining professional boundaries.

Review and consolidate all five domains using a self-made summary sheet of key facts and procedures.

Complete a full set of practice questions across all domains and review every wrong answer.

Re-test your weakest two domains and confirm you can explain the correct answer for each question.

Write a final one-page personal action plan for your first week on the job.