What is a guard tour system?

Checkpoints scanned on each patrol round to prove the patrol happened.

Guard tour system: definition

A guard tour system proves that security guards patrolled the places they were meant to, when they were meant to. Guards scan checkpoints placed around a site on each round, every scan is recorded with the time, and supervisors can see, or are alerted, when a scheduled round is missed or late.

Guard tour system explained

Guard tour systems started as mechanical watchclocks the guard carried and keyed at each station. Later came electronic wands touched against metal buttons, then NFC tags, Bluetooth beacons and QR codes scanned with a phone.

Each method trades cost against tamper resistance. QR codes cost almost nothing and work on any smartphone; NFC tags and beacons are harder to copy but need compatible hardware. Whatever the checkpoint, the value comes from the software: tours with time windows, alerts when a round is missed, and reports clients can trust.

A guard tour system is the main way to produce proof of patrol.

How ForceVera handles it

ForceVera's guard tour system uses QR codes you print and place at each checkpoint. Guards scan them with the guard app; each scan is time-stamped and located and only counts while the guard is clocked in on a geofenced shift. Missed and late tours raise alerts, and patrol activity goes into the client's daily report.

ForceVera does not support NFC tags or Bluetooth beacons today.

Related terms
Proof of patrol Evidence that the contracted patrols were actually completed. Mobile patrol An officer in a vehicle who visits several client sites during a shift. Geofencing A virtual boundary around a site, used to verify that a guard is on site. All glossary terms Every security industry term we define, from assignment instructions to timesheets.

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