Be ready for your Certificate of Approval training.

The individual credential required for licensed security work in New Zealand under the Private Security Personnel and Private Investigators Act 2010, issued by the Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority once minimum training requirements are met.

No. A certificate of approval requires mandatory training delivered by an approved provider. Asessly is preparation and practice that helps you arrive ready. It is not a substitute for that training and it does not issue any licence or credential.

The conflict management standards carry no exemptions. Prior experience elsewhere, including a military or policing background, does not substitute for them.

No. It authorises you to do licensed security work. A crowd controller has broadly the same legal position as any other person, with use of force limited to what the law allows in the circumstances.

Legislation and the certificate of approval, conflict management and de-escalation, use of force and its legal limits, observation, patrol and threat identification, and incident reporting that stands up later.

For crowd controller, property guard and personal guard work you can apply to the PSPLA for a temporary certificate, which is granted only where you have not yet completed the required training for those classes. Applications are made online or by mail, and online is both quicker and cheaper — though temporary certificates and trans-Tasman mutual recognition applications have to go by mail. You still need photo identification and evidence of competency for the classes of work you apply for.

Reports are read months later by people who were not there, in complaints, employment matters and occasionally in court. A vague report protects nobody, least of all the person who wrote it.