Home / Crime and Justice / Sask. Security Training: Bare Minimum or Crisis Ready?
Sask. Security Training: Bare Minimum or Crisis Ready?
19 Jan
Summary
- Saskatchewan requires a 40-hour course for security guard licensing.
- The mandatory course lacks hands-on training and de-escalation techniques.
- Experts call for enhanced mental health and crisis intervention training.
Recent security incidents in Saskatchewan have brought the adequacy of guard training under scrutiny. Investigations are underway following separate events involving security personnel at hospitals in Prince Albert and Saskatoon. The province's current licensing requires a 40-hour private investigator and security guard course, which covers legal basics but lacks hands-on application or scenario-based training.
Experts like Joel Pederson note the mandatory course doesn't include crucial de-escalation techniques or how to manage individuals in crisis. Additional training is available but not required, leaving institutions to decide on its necessity. This has led to calls for reform, with concerns that the minimal theoretical training is inadequate for the daily challenges security guards face.
Criminology professor Temitope Oriola advocates for mandatory mental health and de-escalation training, arguing that guards need more than 40 hours, especially for dealing with vulnerable individuals. Similarly, former police officer Steven Summerville stresses the importance of advanced training in calming distressed individuals and recognizing crisis signs, asserting that physical intervention should be a last resort.
