How Well Do You Use Your Senses?

Professional security officers are taught to use at least four of their senses – sight, smell, hearing, and even touch to detect problems around the sites they are stationed at. Objects that suddenly appear around the site that weren't there on earlier patrols such as cigarette butts or wrappers etc on the ground as well as unusual sounds, and smells such as drugs or alcohol, like radar or sonar on a ship, can be early alerts that something is wrong – either somebody slipped by you or that some other problem such as a fire is starting or equipment is starting to malfunction

But others too can make good use of their senses to detect problems or dangers around them -- but few of us are very good at it. I have seen this many times in the prospective security guards I have taught. Although I mention at the beginning of the five day course that I am going to ask them to describe the entrance lobby and stairway leading up to the second floor classroom on the last day of the class invariably very few of them can do it without a lot of trouble.

Yet you can learn to use these senses to protect yourself and your property more effectively. It is just like learning to ride a bicycle. Make a point of paying attention to who is walking down the street beside you and what they look like. This could pay off in spades as some would say as this would help you to provide the police with accurate descriptions of suspects if something does happen.

A good example of just how critical the ability to accurately people around you and remember what they can look like is the experience of a friend of mine. While doing some working on a street in one part of the city he noticed both a middle-aged man on one of those mobile scooters observing him as he passed by and a tall man with a goatee, accompanied by a much shorter Asian woman also passing by him twice. There was something about both the man on the scooter and this couple that sent off alarms. And sure enough a two weeks later both the man on the scooter and this couple started showing up near another site my friend was working on – for no good reason.

This is possibly a continuing saga so it is going to be interesting to see exactly what – if anything these people are up. The important thing is that because he made a point of create that accurate picture of these people in his memory my friend is now more prepared for trouble and also has a photograph of all of them.

Develop such effective use of your other senses is also critical. Pay attention to what different things smell like such as the smell of smouldering wires, as well as the different sounds the electric fan or other appliances and other equipment in your home or other location makes when it is working properly. You should become familiar with all of the regular sounds and odours around you house or other structure as well so that other sounds which could warn you of danger or problems will stand out clearly.

It is really worthwhile to work at developing these senses. If we do we will not only appreciate our surroundings more but also be more secure as we go about our daily activities.