My Crime-Fighting Alter Ego - May 30

I've been meaning to post sooner this month but things have been going a mile a minute. When you're going that fast it's hard to stop and update the blog. It's late on a Saturday night (no hot date - LOL) and seeing as everything is quiet I may as well put something down.

Who Are The Commissionaires?

Commissionaires is Canada's premier security provider, offering a unique combination of integrity, experience and innovation. We have protected people and property for public and private sector clients from coast to coast for more than 80 years.
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A Brief History

Captain Edward Walter, a retired officer of the Crimean War, founded The Corps of Commissionaires in England in 1859 to help veterans make the difficult transition back to civilian life and employment.

In an effort to find jobs for these veterans, he convinced friends and acquaintances that the exemplary discipline, loyalty and dedication to service that veterans possessed could be put to excellent use in business. He succeeded in finding jobs for seven veterans and thereby launched the Corps of Commissionaires.

While Canada's Governor General proposed a Corps be formed in Canada after World War I, it wasn't until 1925, that Commissionaires was established with the opening of offices in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.
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I'd Tell You But Then I'd Have To Kill You.... Seriously!

Maybe not, thought a head noogie or wedgie might come your way. Last Friday when I was sworn in I was given the opportunity of a full-time job. Painfully I had to turn it down due to my upcoming paralegal classes. I'm not at liberty to tell you where this job is nor the business contained therein. Due to the sensitive nature you can't tell everyone you know about what it is you do and you certainly can't blab about it on the internet!

People, Property and Information

The three things every security professional must protect while on duty. Let me give you an example: You start a ten hour shift at 0630 hrs. At 0700 the client tells you that Mr. John Q. Public is going to be laid off on or about 1400 hrs. When that time arrives you are to escort Mr. Public to his car and make sure he leaves the property.

Information - Clearly this is very sensitive information. At no time must you tell Mr. Public or any of his co-workers ahead of time. To do so would cause termination.

People - Who knows how this guy is going to react? He could take it like a man or he could go ballistic. Should the latter occur, you have to protect people.

Property - At 1400 hrs you escort Mr. Public to his car. Once he's off the premises you make sure he stays off. In so doing, you are now protecting the client's property.

Two Words: Observe and Report

We don't carry firearms, pepper spray, handcuffs or other weapons. We don't wear flak jackets. Nor do we have 'special powers' apart from enacting a citizen's arrest. We're not cops and the majority of us have no desire to be one. We may put out a very small fire or two (seeing as we're first responders) but by no means are we firefighters. Though we may be qualified first aiders, we're not paramedics either. We observe and then we report. That's it!

Think It's Easy? Think Again!

I've completed a Commissionaires Qualifying Course recently and have come to the conclusion that I've seen the tip of the iceberg. Isn't that the way it usually is? The rabbit hole is a deep one when it comes to security. During that course we covered:

Introduction to Security
Professionalism
Public Relations and Customer Service
Visible Minorities
Duties and Responsibilities
Security of Information Computer Technology Security
Staffing a Post
Labour and Security Relations
Police and Security Relations
Human Resources Staff Relations
Powers of Observation
Note Taking
Report Writing
Communication Systems
Conflict Resolution
Guidelines For Dealing With Angry or Upset Persons
Use of Force
Effective Communications
Access and Crowd Control
Alarm Systems
Traffic Control
Patrol Techniques
Response to Emergency Situations Fire Protection and Detection
Bombs and Bomb Threats
The Crime Scene
Safety Awareness
WHMIS - Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System
Occupational Health
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
The Canadian Court System
Legal Authority of Security Professionals
Common Crimes Facing Security
Search and Seizure

Time, space and copyright laws prevent me from getting into precise details. Should you encounter one of these fine commissionaires posted at a federal building or condo please give them the respect they deserve. They've earned it.

Johnny Cash