The Roles and Problems Experienced by the Security Guards of the Selected Schools in Cagayan de Oro City

The study aimed to: a) determine the roles of the security guards for the safety management of the schools they serve; and b) find out the problems experienced by the school security guards in the implementation of their roles. The descriptive research design using the qualitative approach was used in the study. According to Sevilla (1997), descriptive method describes and interprets what is. It is concerned with condition or relationship that exists, opinions that are held, or processes that are going on. The study was conducted in selected schools in Cagayan de Oro City which comprised one non-sectarian university and one sectarian college. The respondents were composed of five (5) security guards assigned in each school. A total of ten (10) security guard respondents were chosen through the purposive sampling technique. The criteria of selection were: a) at least three years of experience as a school security guard; b) assigned in the entrance and exit gates; and c) willing to be included as respondents of the study. The study was conducted after approval was given by the Security Supervisor of the Agency with an endorsement of the Research Adviser and the Dean of the College of Law Enforcement and Public Safety. The data were presented on a matrix format and analyzed through frequency counts and ranking of frequencies. The roles of the school security guards for safety management are categorized into implementing basic school policies, monitoring visitors and vehicles, and maintaining safety assurance of the school vicinity. The basic school policies are centered on allowing entry to students who have fulfilled the necessary requirements of displaying a valid ID and proper dress code. The most pronounced roles in monitoring visitors and vehicles are focused on a thorough search to ensure a condition free of dangerous weapons and illegal purposes. Meanwhile, to assure the maintenance of safety of the school, the security guards take a cognizant emphasis on monitoring any person’s “ins and outs,†watch school properties, constant roving for safety and security inspections, and security check of all deliveries, checking baggages/bags of incoming visitors, and a thorough search of the trunks of all vehicles for hire. In performing their roles, the security guards keep log books for all transactions.

 

Keywords: Security Guards, Roles, Problems, Schools, Safety Management