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Guard tour control means the security officer confirms checkpoints on a mobile device at the moment they are standing at them. The system records which checkpoint it is, who confirmed it, at what time and where on the site map, and, where it has been set up that way, a photo as well. A patrol confirmed by an entry in a logbook only proves that someone made the entry. Such an entry may be true, and usually is, but it is written at a desk, after the fact, and you can’t work out from it what time the officer was at the warehouse at the far end of the site.
What a checkpoint-based patrol record gives you
In TraxSystem the patrol record is created at the checkpoint, so it is proof of time and place. Alongside the confirmations, a GPS trace of the route and photos from selected checkpoints are kept.
The patrol summary shows the gaps. A checkpoint missed three nights in a row stands out immediately, whereas in the duty log such a patrol looks the same as any other line.
After a break-in or damage, the question is “who was there and when”, and getting the answer from the records takes a minute. A documented patrol also protects both sides, because it is evidence in favour of the person who carried it out as well.
How to place checkpoints on a patrol route
Fewer checkpoints placed sensibly work better than many. Thirty checkpoints on a site you can walk round in twenty minutes means someone will be running or cheating. Checkpoints should dictate the route, not the pace.
A checkpoint goes where there is something to check: by the fire gate, at the compressor station, at the hazardous substances store. In the middle of an empty yard, a checkpoint only makes the route longer.
The order and timing of patrols need to vary, because a completely predictable patrol is useful information for anyone watching the site.
Patrols and lone worker check-ins
On a site where the security officer works alone, patrols and check-ins are two different mechanisms, and they are best used together. A checkpoint confirmation says “I was here”; a check-in says “I’m all right”.
A confirmed checkpoint is not the same as a safe officer. Someone can scan a checkpoint and have an accident three minutes later, which is why confirming checkpoints alone doesn’t replace lone worker monitoring.
What a checkpoint confirmation cannot prove
A checkpoint confirmation doesn’t prove that the officer looked around on the way. It proves presence at the checkpoint at a given time, and the quality of the patrol remains a human matter.
The GPS trace is recorded only during a patrol: recording starts when the patrol begins and ends when it is closed, so the system doesn’t track the officer off duty. Nor does TraxSystem replace CCTV or record camera video continuously. It doesn’t recognise faces, because checkpoint confirmation relies on the officer’s identifier, with no biometrics.
Patrol records are data about when and where specific people worked. Agree their scope, purpose and retention period with the person responsible for data protection and, if your company has employee representatives, with them as well.
Questions and answers
How is a checkpoint confirmed?
By position on the site map in the mobile device, or by a tag placed at the checkpoint. At selected checkpoints the system requires a photo. The device works offline, so having no signal out on the site doesn’t interrupt the patrol.
Can you see that someone skipped a checkpoint?
Yes, in the patrol summary. Catching skipped checkpoints is the main reason for keeping such a summary.
Do patrols cover a security company working for us under contract?
Yes. The security company’s staff are in the system like any other users, with their own permissions. The scope of data the security company sees is set separately.
Are patrols bought as a separate module?
No. Patrols and checkpoints are in the Site security module together with post check-ins, the duty log and the security board, and the module is priced by the number of guard posts. The pricing configurator will work out what that costs for your number of posts. Mobile devices, like all hardware, are priced separately from the licence.
See also: Lone working on site: the employer’s duties and how to meet them · Post check-ins: how monitoring a lone worker works in practice · What is a security duty log