Everything You Wanted to Know About Foot Patrols in Security Services - Redmark Security

Foot Patrols in Security

In this article I will discuss foot patrols as they apply to working in Security. Often in this job you will be assigned a site in which lots of walking is necessary. The requirements for foot patrols will vary from place to place but it’s important to realize that foot patrols of some sort will always be required at most sites.

For starters, what is the purpose of foot patrols? Well, we always want to physically check the sensitive parts or areas of the site we work. You can’t do that sitting at a desk. So, a physical patrol is unavoidable. We will discuss how this applies for different types of clients and sites.

Firstly, lets look at mall security. For most of the security staff foot patrols would make up a lot of their day. Checking the inside of the mall and the parking area is vital for safety. This may also include mechanical and electrical rooms where issues may come up. Without foot patrols we would never know if there was a problem. Other issues that may come up can include lost children or elderly ones. This would require walking with purpose on your site to find these ones and make sure they are safe.

Next up, we can discuss foot patrols as it applies to Office Towers. Often, your shift will alternate between sitting at a desk and doing patrols. Frequently, desk duties will be ongoing until after hours. At that point you would be required to patrol the parking area, perimeter and the office tower. While not as frequent as say a mall, your patrols must be consistent and purposeful. Since there are fewer patrols in this scenario you need to pay attention so as not to miss anything that could cause issues.

You may be assigned a retail area such as a strip mall. Some keys to effective patrols here are frequency and checking any doors that are needed to be secure. These should be checked on each patrol and after hours all doors would be checked and secured. You would also check for any unauthorized people in loading docks or other private sections of the property.

If you are involved as a Loss Prevention Officer, you will most likely be on your feet all day. Since your job is to watch people and at times follow them if they are behaving suspiciously, you will need to be on your feet constantly. While not a traditional foot patrol it works in a similar fashion.

Other examples of foot patrols could include airport security. Due to the constant activity at an airport, it is a good idea to be conducting constant foot patrols. There are many issues at airports to watch out for and this requires a lot of movement. As well, you could often be dispatched by security operations at the airport for issues. Lots of walking required to properly conduct your duties in the airport.

So, as you can see foot patrols are a staple of the security industry and Red Mark Security is always looking for people who are physically able to conduct these duties.