What an in-house security team does
Security controls who and what enters and leaves the premises. Guards at the main gate check employee ID cards, register visitors and contractors, issue passes and inspect vehicles, and check outgoing material against gate passes and delivery challans. Patrol guards cover the perimeter, stores and parking on a set route, and control room staff watch CCTV and alarms. The team responds first to fires, medical emergencies and thefts, keeps the fire extinguisher checklist with the safety team, and escorts cash or sensitive material. Supervisors brief each shift, check guard posts and write the shift report. The security manager investigates incidents, runs drills and stays in touch with the local police station.
- Access control: ID checks, visitor and contractor passes, vehicle checks
- Material control: gate passes, returnable and non-returnable challans
- Patrolling and surveillance: routes, CCTV, alarms and night rounds
- Emergency response: fire, first aid, evacuation drills and incident reports
Security structure at 50, 500 and 5,000 employees
A 50-employee company with its own guards usually has a handful of watchmen covering the gate in shifts, reporting to the admin executive or the owner, with no separate supervisor. At about 500 employees, a plant or campus typically has a security officer or security in-charge, a supervisor or head guard on each shift, gate guards, patrol guards and a CCTV operator, with the security officer reporting to the admin manager or plant head.
Across the plants, warehouses or hospitals of a 5,000-employee company, a chief security officer, often a retired armed forces or police officer, leads security managers at each site, shift supervisors, head guards, guards, women guards for frisking and women's areas, fire staff, and a central control room. The CSO sets standard procedures, audits sites and handles investigations. Some companies keep a core in-house team and add agency guards for extra posts, with the in-house supervisors directing both.
How security works with admin, HR, stores and safety
Security enforces rules that other departments write. HR shares the list of active employees and tells security the same day someone leaves, so the ID card is blocked at the gate. Stores and dispatch issue gate passes that security checks against every outgoing vehicle. Admin handles visitor policy, uniforms and the security budget. The EHS team trains guards in fire fighting and emergency response, and guards are often the first to spot unsafe acts at night. Finance and internal audit rely on security records when material goes missing. Women guards can be posted on night duty only with their consent and under the government's safety conditions for night work.
Shift reporting lines and incident handling
Guards report to the head guard or shift supervisor, who reports to the security officer, then the security manager and the chief security officer, who usually reports to the head of administration, the COO or the managing director. Many in-house teams work 12-hour shifts in two rotations. Under the OSH Code the ordinary day is eight hours, so the extra four hours count as overtime and earn double wages, which needs the guard's consent, and that cost belongs in the security budget. Material going out without a gate pass is stopped and reported to the security manager. Incident reports reach the security manager within the shift, and serious ones go to management the same day. Shift swaps and leave are approved by the supervisor so no post is left empty.
Typical security team structure
Security designation hierarchy
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Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
What is the hierarchy in an in-house security department?
Guards sit at the base of an in-house security department, followed by head guards, shift supervisors, the security officer, the security manager and the chief security officer. Control room operators, fire staff and investigators sit alongside the guarding line. The CSO reports to the head of administration, the COO or the managing director, depending on how sensitive the sites are.
What is the difference between an in-house security team and agency guards?
In-house guards are on the company's own rolls: the company hires, trains, pays and disciplines them directly, and they follow its HR policies. Agency guards are employed by a security agency that supplies them under a contract and remains their employer. Companies choose in-house teams for control and loyalty at sensitive sites, and often combine both.
What does a security supervisor do?
A security supervisor runs one shift. They brief guards at the start of the shift, assign posts and patrol routes, check that each post is manned and alert, verify registers at the gate, handle incidents and escalate them, arrange relief for breaks and absences, and write the shift report for the security officer.
How many shifts do security guards work?
Security posts that need round-the-clock cover run either three 8-hour shifts or two 12-hour shifts. With 12-hour shifts, four hours a day are overtime under the OSH Code; the guard has to agree to them, and they are paid at twice the ordinary wage rate. Three 8-hour shifts need more guards but avoid daily overtime and fatigue.