Free Alberta ABST Exam Flashcards

A licensed security service worker's core role is to observe, deter, and report: patrolling, monitoring, and documenting activity for a client or employer. They are not peace officers; their arrest and force powers are the same Criminal Code rules that apply to private citizens, plus any authority a property owner delegates to them.

The SSIA (SA 2008, c S-4.7) is the Alberta statute that licenses and regulates individuals and businesses doing security or investigative work. The provincial Security Programs office issues licences and accredits training courses, and the Act's Registrar can suspend or cancel licences and reviews complaints that employers have first investigated.

Most applicants complete an approved Alberta Basic Security Training (or Accredited Basic Security Training) course and then score 80% or higher on the provincial final exam. Alberta.ca also lists holding a valid security licence from another Canadian province or territory among the accepted training routes — confirm the current scope of that option with Security Programs rather than assuming it is automatic.

Yes. An individual security service worker licence stays valid even if you change employers or work for more than one employer at a time, because the licence belongs to the person, not the job. You must still carry the original licence while on duty and give each employer a copy.

A standard security service worker licence costs $100 and is valid for 2 years; a dual security/investigator licence costs $160. Applying in person at a registry agent adds a $9 service charge, and renewal follows the same application process as a first-time applicant.

The employer. Under the SSIA, anyone may complain in writing to the licensee's employer within 90 days of the incident; the employer must investigate and notify the complainant, the licensee, and the Registrar of the outcome within 90 days. A dissatisfied complainant can ask the Registrar to review it, and the Registrar can vary conditions, suspend, or cancel the licence.

Any person, including a security guard, may arrest without a warrant someone they personally find committing an indictable offence. The ABST manual counts hybrid (dual) offences here but not pure summary-conviction offences, and 'finds committing' means witnessing the act itself — a customer's report or seeing only the aftermath is not enough.

An owner or person in lawful possession of property, or someone they authorize such as a security guard, may arrest a person found committing any criminal offence on or in relation to that property — at the time, or (since a 2012 amendment) within a reasonable time afterward if they believe on reasonable grounds it is not feasible for a peace officer to make the arrest.

Anyone other than a peace officer who arrests someone under s. 494 must deliver that person to a peace officer forthwith. A security guard cannot detain someone indefinitely or decide the outcome themselves — the arrest is a bridge to police custody, not a substitute for it.

A person authorized by law to make an arrest is justified, if acting on reasonable grounds, in using as much force as is necessary for that purpose. Force intended or likely to cause death or grievous bodily harm is justified only when they believe on reasonable grounds it is necessary to preserve themselves or anyone under their protection from death or grievous bodily harm.

No. Criminal Code s. 25(4) lets a peace officer, and anyone lawfully assisting one, use force likely to cause death or grievous bodily harm to stop a suspect fleeing a lawful arrest under strict conditions, and s. 25(5) gives peace officers alone a similar power against escaping penitentiary inmates. A guard making a citizen's arrest on their own gets neither power.

Anyone authorized by law to use force remains criminally responsible for any excess force used, judged by the nature and quality of that excess. Being legally entitled to use some force is never a blanket shield for using too much of it.

Section 27 justifies reasonably necessary force to prevent an offence from being committed, as opposed to s. 25, which covers force used while carrying out an arrest. It applies only where the offence is one that would allow a warrantless arrest and would likely cause immediate and serious injury to a person or property.

Sections 7 through 14 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms are the legal rights the ABST course highlights: life, liberty and security of the person (s. 7), protection from unreasonable search or seizure (s. 8) and arbitrary detention (s. 9), and, on arrest or detention, the right to be told the reason promptly and to retain counsel without delay (s. 10).

It can. The Charter mainly restrains government, so routine private duties usually fall outside it, but Alberta's Court of Appeal treats a citizen's arrest as a governmental function subject to the Charter (R v Lerke, 1986), while a bouncer's investigative detention short of arrest is not (R v Dell, 2005). A guard acting as a police agent is also bound.

A predictable patrol pattern lets anyone watching learn exactly when a post is unguarded. Varying the route, direction, and timing of patrols increases the deterrent effect and improves the odds of noticing something out of place.

Check every credential against the access rules — making sure an ID photo matches the face — and deny entry to anyone not authorized, however persuasive their argument. If they persist, call your supervisor or site contact; if they are told to leave and refuse, deal with them as a trespasser rather than using force to settle the dispute.

Weigh yourself (fitness, fatigue, injuries, training), the situation (threat to others, urgency, lighting, footing, bystanders), and the subject (weapons, size, mental state, impairment). Use force only if verbal tactics have failed and force is truly necessary, use no more than needed, and stop once the person stops resisting.

Respond to every alarm and start from the assumption that it is genuine, even though many turn out false. Tell your supervisor you are leaving your post, find the source, and follow the post-order protocol for that alarm. Never silence or shut down an alarm system without clear direction; resetting normally follows the site's key-holder protocol.

A logged, restricted key system that records who holds which key and when limits who can access a space without authorization and creates an audit trail if something goes missing. Losing track of a master key can compromise an entire site, not just one door.

A venue bag or person check is a search with consent, not a legal power. The person can refuse or withdraw consent at any time, and you must stop immediately; your remedy is to deny entry. You also cannot seize items such as liquor — the person chooses between disposing of it and not entering.

Post orders are the specific written instructions for a site, and they can restrict what a guard is permitted to do well below the outer limit of what the law would allow. A guard with general authority to act under the Criminal Code can still be in breach of their job if they exceed what their post orders authorize.

LEAPS stands for Listen, Empathize, Ask, Paraphrase, Summarize — a structured way to work through a tense conversation. Listening and paraphrasing show the other person they have been understood, which lowers the emotional temperature before any decision gets made.

Tone of voice, posture, and distance often communicate more than the words chosen, especially in a confrontation. An open, non-threatening stance can de-escalate a situation that an aggressive tone or crowding posture would otherwise inflame.

Security professionals must address everyone consistently regardless of personal characteristics and adapt their approach for communication barriers such as language or disability. Treating people differently without a legitimate, job-related reason exposes both the guard and the employer to complaints and liability.

Radio traffic should be brief, clear, and confirmed as received, and sensitive details such as names, exact routes, or codes should stay off channels that aren't secure. Cluttered or ambiguous radio calls slow down the exact moment a clear call matters most.

The goal of a verbal interaction is usually voluntary compliance, not a show of authority. An escalating tone or body language tends to escalate the other person's response too, increasing the odds the encounter turns physical and, with it, the odds of a use-of-force problem.

For many members of the public, the security guard is the only representative of a business or property they interact with. How a guard communicates shapes the client's reputation directly, so professionalism is part of the job even when no rule is being enforced.

Contemporaneous notes, written as soon as possible while details are still fresh, are far more reliable than a reconstruction made days later. In a later proceeding, a guard's own notes are typically used to refresh their memory, not as a replacement for their live testimony.

"Slurred speech, smell of alcohol, unsteady on his feet" is an objective entry describing what was directly observed. "He was drunk" is a conclusion. Notebooks should record what was seen and heard, not the writer's inference, so the facts can support whatever conclusion is actually warranted.

A mistaken entry should be struck with a single line through it and initialed, not erased, blacked out, or torn out. A notebook that looks altered undermines the writer's credibility far more than an honest, visible correction does.

A notebook is the guard's personal, chronological record made in the moment; an incident or occurrence report is the more formal summary submitted afterward for the employer or client. Both can be requested later, so the two should never contradict each other.

Chain of custody means documenting who held a piece of evidence, when, and in what condition, from the moment it is collected onward. A gap in that record can make it hard to establish that the evidence wasn't altered or swapped before it mattered.

Preserve the scene rather than tidying it up: avoid unnecessary contact with items, note who else was present, and record the time and exact location. Evidence a security guard disturbs, even with good intentions, can become unusable later.

Incident reports and the personal information they contain should only be shared with people who have a legitimate need to see them under company policy and law. Passing a report or its details to an unauthorized person can create privacy liability independent of whatever the report describes.

Activate the fire alarm immediately, then clear occupants from the area and close doors and windows to slow the spread, following your post orders. Only once everyone is out should you consider fighting it — and only a very small fire, with the right extinguisher and training, no dangerous chemicals nearby, and an escape route behind you.

PASS stands for Pull the pin, Aim at the base of the fire rather than the flames, Squeeze the handle, and Sweep side to side. Aiming at the flames instead of the fuel source is a common mistake that wastes the extinguisher's limited discharge time.

Class A covers ordinary combustibles such as wood and paper, Class B flammable liquids and gases, Class C energized electrical equipment, Class D combustible metals, and Class K commercial-kitchen cooking oils and fats. Check the rating label before use: a BC-rated extinguisher will not put out a Class A fire.

Stay calm and polite, listen without interrupting, and use a bomb threat checklist to capture the exact wording, the claimed time and location, voice details, and background noise; start a call trace if you can. Alert your supervisor or police and don't discuss the call with others. Whether to search or evacuate is decided by your supervisor or police, not you.

Check that the scene is safe before approaching, call for emergency medical help, and provide only the first aid you are actually trained and certified to give. Moving an injured person unnecessarily can turn a manageable injury into a serious one.

Direct people to the nearest exit you have confirmed is safe (or the next closest), tell them to move quickly but not run, and arrange help for anyone with mobility needs. If you are last out of an area, close the doors but do not lock them, then go to the meeting point, keep people calm, and watch for signs of shock.

Alert others, move people to a secure area if possible, and avoid direct confrontation unless there is no other way to protect someone. Contact police immediately and be ready to give responders a clear description rather than trying to resolve the situation alone.

In Alberta, once someone has had notice not to trespass — given orally or in writing by the owner or an authorized representative such as a guard, or by signs at each normal entrance — trespassing is an offence. The owner or authorized representative may apprehend the trespasser without a warrant but must deliver them to a peace officer as soon as practicable.

Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) labelling and Safety Data Sheets (SDS) give workers, including security staff who may encounter chemicals on site, the information needed to identify a hazardous product and handle it safely. Not knowing a product is hazardous is not a safe default; check the label or SDS.

Security work often involves night and rotating shifts, which increase fatigue and can slow reaction time and judgment. Recognizing fatigue in yourself and coworkers, and using scheduled breaks for rest, hydration, and food, is a safety responsibility, not a convenience.

PPE such as gloves, high-visibility clothing, or eye protection reduces risk from a known hazard, but it does not replace following the actual safety procedure for the task. Wearing the right PPE while skipping the procedure it was meant to support still leaves the real hazard unmanaged.

Before entering an unfamiliar or reported-hazard area, assess for structural, chemical, or personal-safety risks from the doorway rather than walking straight in. Entering an unknown hazardous space alone removes the chance to call for backup if something goes wrong.

Keep a load close to the body, bend at the knees rather than the back, and avoid twisting while lifting. Security work often involves moving barricades, equipment, or supplies, and poor lifting technique is a common, preventable source of injury.

Workplace injuries and close calls should be reported to the employer promptly, not just logged informally, so the hazard can be investigated and corrected. A pattern of unreported near-misses hides the warning signs that would otherwise prevent a serious injury.

Under Alberta's Occupational Health and Safety Act, a worker may refuse work they believe on reasonable grounds poses an undue hazard to themselves or others. They must promptly report the refusal and reasons to the employer or supervisor, who must remedy or inspect the hazard; the refusal must not endanger anyone else, and disciplinary action for it is prohibited.