To most people, the term “access control” refers to beeping key-card readers, little lights turning from red to green, doors unlocking and turnstiles opening, but access control also happens to be one of the most important duties that a security officer is tasked with. Whether access control is carried out by electronic means, human actions, or both, the idea is quite simply to control the access of individuals into restricted or controlled areas. There is a human factor of access control, and a correct way to train your enterprise’s security officers to perform this vital task.
First consider where access control should begin. Most people, when thinking about the dynamics of access control, picture it as a verbal and visual interaction between a visitor and a security officer or receptionist – questions and answers might be exchanged, identification might be verified, appointments or guest lists might be consulted. In short, access control appears to take place right at the entrance, at a distance of a few feet between the two parties. And though this type of dynamic is a crucial part of access control, it is only the last part of it.