Post orders are all the rules that security guards must follow at any post. Without postal warrants, officers simply don’t know what to do, what is expected of them, and there is no accountability. Many positions that hire security personnel do not put anything in writing. Most of the time, this creates big problems. The more complicated a post is, the problems arise when not all the rules and expectations are written down. Security personnel must know what is expected of them. Below are some key ingredients that all subsequent orders are a must have.

1) Emergency contact information. This should include all tenant phone numbers in case something happens to your particular suite. Obviously, police and building management information, as well as maintenance and engineering, should also be included.

2) Emergency procedures should also be written down including but not limited to bomb threats, fire, robbery, flood, kidnapping and the list goes on.

3) Lockdown procedures should also be covered.

4) Usually any relevant information from the phone book is included.

5) The check-in policy implies the access to the building of messengers, guests, clients. The more specific, the better. Do all visitors have to register? Are VIPs exempt?

6) Report writing requirements are usually demonstrated through examples. DAR, also known as daily activity reports, should include an example of what is considered appropriate for a day’s work so officers know how detailed to be in their report. Also incident reports are important because they are used when serious accidents occur and are often taken to court to prove legal cases.

7) Customer service skills, a big part of security, need to be emphasized, defined, so officers are clear on how the customer wants people to be treated. Some clients, for example, have a very strict policy against fraternization that they want to enforce.

There is much more information that must be included in postal orders. Every account is different and the rules must be custom designed to account for those differences.