Fine print · N° 003
This code governs every licensed operator engaged by Vigil Guard. It is short on purpose. It is also enforceable: a confirmed breach removes an operator from our roster, and serious breaches are reported to the regulator.
This code applies to every licensed private security operator engaged by Vigil Guard to conduct patrols, attend a Lookout cluster alert, or respond to a patrol-redirect event. It does not apply to members, Vigil Guard ops staff, or to anyone not on the operator roster.
Engaging with Vigil Guard as an operator means accepting this code in full. There is no separate handbook that contradicts it. If anything in your engagement contradicts this code, this code wins.
The purpose of a Vigil Guard patrol is visible deterrence by way of a slow vehicle pass past a member's property between dusk and dawn. That is the entire purpose. Nothing else is in scope.
Operators are not enforcers, not armed responders, and not police. A patrol is a presence, not an intervention. If a situation requires intervention, the only correct action is to call 000.
The following are absolute. There are no exceptions, no judgement calls, no "circumstances permitting" carve-outs.
Operators may park and observe from a public road. They may not block traffic, block a driveway, or park on private property without the owner's express permission. They may not approach a vehicle, pedestrian, or resident unless that person approaches them first.
If approached, the operator gives their name, identifies themselves as conducting a private security patrol, and offers the Vigil Guard ops phone number for any further questions. They do not argue, do not raise their voice, and do not engage with a hostile member of the public beyond identifying themselves and leaving the area. Walking away from a confrontation is the right answer every time.
Every pass is logged in the platform with GPS coordinates, timestamp, operator ID, and, where the member has requested it, a single pass-photo of the front of the property taken from a public road. No pass happens off-platform. A pass that is not logged did not happen and will not be paid.
Falsifying a log, whether by backdating, logging a pass that did not occur, or attributing a pass to a different operator, is grounds for immediate removal and a report to Consumer Affairs Victoria.
Operators conduct patrols in a marked vehicle bearing Vigil Guard livery or, in the pilot phase, a magnetic Vigil Guard panel applied for the shift. Operator ID is worn visibly. Clothing is plain, dark, and non-tactical. No body armour. No equipment that reads as paramilitary to a passing neighbour.
The look is "private security on a quiet drive-by," not "response team." If a member of the public would mistake an operator for police at ten metres, the operator is dressed incorrectly.
When Vigil Guard ops redirects an operator to attend a Lookout cluster, the operator drives to the postcode, logs the attendance, and observes from a public road only. They do not approach the flagged person or their vehicle. They do not engage. They do not photograph any individual; they may photograph a vehicle plate only if directly requested by Vigil Guard ops for handover to Victoria Police.
After observation, the operator returns a report through the platform. They never share the existence of the flag, the identity of the flagging member, or any detail of the cluster with anyone outside the platform.
If an operator witnesses what reasonably appears to be a crime in progress, the protocol in order is: first, call 000 immediately and give the dispatcher the location and what is being observed; second, do not approach and do not intervene; third, log the incident in the platform; fourth, notify Vigil Guard ops by phone.
Operators are not expected to prevent a crime. They are expected to observe, report accurately, and stay out of it. Heroic intervention is not what Vigil Guard provides and is not what its operators are insured for.
Every member's address, patrol time, pass log, and Lookout flag is confidential. Operators do not discuss specific addresses, times, or flags with anyone outside the Vigil Guard ops platform, including other operators, except where the platform has put them on the same task.
A confirmed breach of confidentiality is grounds for immediate termination from the roster. A breach that exposes a member to harm is reportable to Victoria Police and to the licensing regulator.
Every operator must hold a current Victorian Private Security Licence in the operator (patrol) category and must provide proof to Vigil Guard before their first shift. The licence must remain current throughout engagement. Expiry without renewal removes the operator from the roster on the day of expiry.
Operators must maintain current public liability and professional indemnity insurance covering their patrol activities. Vigil Guard carries platform-level liability cover for Vigil Guard ops decisions; it does not cover operator conduct that breaches this code or any conduct outside the scope of a logged patrol.
A confirmed breach of this code removes the operator from the roster, effective immediately. There is no graduated warning system for the items in section 3. They are not negotiable, and the role does not exist for an operator who treats them as negotiable.
Falsified logs, false incident reports, weapons on shift, confrontation with a member of the public, or any conduct inconsistent with this code may be reported by Vigil Guard to Consumer Affairs Victoria, to Victoria Police, or to both.
Any member of the public, not only Vigil Guard members, may lodge a complaint about operator conduct to ops@vigilguard.com.au. We acknowledge complaints within one business day and investigate within five.
If a complaint is substantiated, the operator is removed from the relevant street without explanation to the operator. If a pattern is found across complaints, the operator is removed from the roster. Complainants are kept informed of the outcome to the extent privacy law permits.
Draft v0.2 · 2026-05-21. Pending counsel review and PSBL licensing approval. This code becomes binding on all engaged operators at first paid patrol.
The hard line
Vigil Guard exists because reasonable people want a calmer, better-resourced version of presence in their neighbourhood. It does not exist as a private police force, a patrol of self-appointed enforcers, or a tool for any member or operator to take matters into their own hands. The instant any part of this becomes that, we are no longer Vigil Guard, and we will shut that part down.
An operator who confronts a member of the public, detains a person, displays a weapon, or pursues a suspect, is gone from the roster the same day. A member who uses Lookout to harass a neighbour, or who fires the panic switch on something that isn't an emergency, is gone from the membership the same day. There is no second chance for these things. We will say what happened, to the regulator if we have to.
The whole product only works if the line is bright. We will hold it.