How do I learn whether a security company’s guards hold the right training records?

Begin with a complete list of guards, including part-time and on-call staff, and who each works for. Do not choose the files to review from the top of a pile; choose names from the roster and ask for those. Look for the credentials and training the company says guards need, certificate dates, and signed acknowledgements of post orders. Missing or out-of-date records are not necessarily fatal, but you need to know how widespread they are. Then ask about the system. Who tracks expiries? Is there a calendar or a report, or does it live in one supervisor’s memory? What happens when a guard’s credential lapses? Ask how clients check compliance and whether any have raised concerns or audited the files.

Be clear about the limits of your own review. The rules for guard credentials are set outside the company and may change, so ask your lawyer or the regulator what a compliant file looks like and what the seller must disclose. Make accuracy of the records a condition in the purchase agreement. Ask what the seller would do if a sampled file turned out to be incomplete, and note whether the response is open or defensive.

Key takeaways

• Pick names from the roster yourself and ask for those files.
• Find out who tracks renewals and what happens when something lapses.
• Ask your lawyer to confirm what the requirements are and to build the findings into the agreement.