ABST Surveillance and Patrol Techniques 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the main purpose of security patrols?
- To give the officer exercise
- To deter crime, detect threats, and ensure safety through visible presence (Correct answer)
- To check that lights are working
- To socialize with employees
Correct answer: To deter crime, detect threats, and ensure safety through visible presence
Patrols deter criminal activity through visible presence and allow early detection of threats or hazards.
Question 2: Why should a security officer vary their patrol route and timing?
- To cover more ground faster
- To prevent predictability that could be exploited by criminals (Correct answer)
- To avoid fatigue from repetition
- To check all CCTV cameras equally
Correct answer: To prevent predictability that could be exploited by criminals
Random patrol patterns prevent criminals from learning schedules and exploiting predictable gaps in coverage.
Question 3: When conducting an interior patrol, which area should a security officer pay special attention to?
- Common areas with high foot traffic only
- All areas including stairwells, restrooms, storage rooms, and blind spots (Correct answer)
- Only the executive floors
- Just the entrance lobby
Correct answer: All areas including stairwells, restrooms, storage rooms, and blind spots
Thorough interior patrols include low-traffic and blind-spot areas where incidents or hazards are more likely to go unnoticed.
Question 4: What is a 'clocking system' (guard tour system) used for in security patrol?
- Tracking employee work hours
- Verifying that an officer physically visited specific checkpoints during their patrol (Correct answer)
- Measuring how fast an officer walks
- Recording visitor check-ins
Correct answer: Verifying that an officer physically visited specific checkpoints during their patrol
Guard tour systems use checkpoints to verify and log that an officer completed their patrol route as required.
Question 5: If a security officer discovers an unlocked door that should be secured during a patrol, they should:
- Leave it and report at the end of the shift
- Secure it, document the incident, and report it to a supervisor promptly (Correct answer)
- Assume someone left it open intentionally and ignore it
- Lock it and tell no one
Correct answer: Secure it, document the incident, and report it to a supervisor promptly
Securing the door immediately addresses the risk, and documentation ensures accountability and follow-up.
Question 6: What should a security officer do if they observe suspicious activity during a patrol?
- Confront the suspect alone immediately
- Observe and gather information, report to supervisor, and follow instructions (Correct answer)
- Ignore it if no crime has occurred yet
- Chase the suspect off the property
Correct answer: Observe and gather information, report to supervisor, and follow instructions
Observing and reporting suspicious activity follows safe protocol and allows a coordinated response without unnecessary risk.
ABST Surveillance and Patrol Techniques 1
What is the main purpose of security patrols?