BASIC KNOWLEDGE FOR THE SECURITY GUARD
A policeman's lot is not a happy one according to Gilbert and Sullivan but
a security guards lot is even worse, you do not have the same powers as a
policeman and only have the rights of any citizen to make a citizen's arrest
if you see a crime being committed. One of the myths a security guard soon
learns is the abuse he or she has to take and the only thing they can do is
eject the trouble maker or thief from the place you are guarding, if they have
caused you too much offence you can call the police, if you have another
witness, and make a complaint about the trouble makers conduct then the
policeman or women can arrest them for a breach of the peace, or not depending
on the time they are called, when the police are changing shifts or the
dedication of that particular policeperson. The use of the law of a breach of
the peace is a common law offence, brought in along with the vagrancy act to
control returning soldiers and sailors from the Napoleonic Wars in the
nineteenth century, from becoming a nuisance. The second myth that is believed
by shop staff is that you can stop and search someone if you or they believe
they have stolen something, you cannot; even if you have detained someone and
they ask you to search them don't, you could find yourself later on accused of
planting evidence upon them or making improper contact with them whilst you
are searching them. The only exception is if they are employees of the firm
you are working for as security and the employees have a clause in their
contract which permits you to do that, remember males search males and females
search females don't mix this up or you can be brought up for molestation, it
is all right searching their handbag but have a female member of staff present
as your witness. One of the things that England and Wales have over Scottish
Law is that you have not ratified the European Convention of Human Rights law,
Scotland has. It means now that if you make a complaint to the police about a
person, that they have committed a crime and should the police find that they
don't have the stolen article on them, then by law the person who was stopped
by the police has a legal right to know who accused them, he or she can then
sue you in the civil courts.
A security guard has to develop a thick skin, people
nowadays believe it is their right to be rude to you, to threaten you with
violence, your family with violence and your property. One of the reasons I
don't have a car is that I don't want it set on fire, it happened twice to
another security guard who worked with me, they could not get my car so they
set his house on fire and also set fire to his front door when his family were
in his house. All because they were put out of a shopping centre for fighting
by me. It is also a reason I am difficult to find I have a flat and sometimes
I stay with my mother in her house so people are not sure where I will be,
perhaps I am being paranoid but I don't believe in taking chances. I have been
attacked in the street by people I have put out of the shopping centre where I
work on more than one occasion.
The first thing a security guard should have is a witness
if the situation becomes violent, try to have another person present who may
give a statement in your favour if the situation becomes physical, ideally
another security guard, but I have found that certain of your fellow
employees, when the going looks to become violent suddenly have to give
directions to a mythical member of the public or give a good impression of
Michael Jackson moon walking, walking backwards while pretending to go
forward, if they have useful skills management will choose to believe their
story even if you have become injured due to their lack of moral fibre, so it
is not worth complaining, just remember this fact, make sure he is in front of
you not behind when you are going to an incident. When you attend, decide
beforehand who is going to be the primary and who is going to be the
secondary, that is who is going to do all the talking and who is just going to
back him up. Decide or the person will play a stratagem of divide and rule, he
or she will say that they like one of those present but detests the other,
this is sometimes seen if they don't want to be put out of the centre, they
start a dialogue with one of the guards, usually the one who arrives second
(the secondary) never, I repeat never contradict the primary if he or she has
determined that they are going out, they are going out; if you have a problem
with the primary's decision take it up with them later but never when the
person who has been ejected is still there.
A primary should try to approach the suspected trouble
maker from a forty-five degree angle at the trouble makers left side, the
majority of people are right handed, therefore the power hand, his or her
right hand is to the rear, it is safer for you (they will have to move their
body to get a clear shot at you with their right hand or foot). The primary
should stand with their feet in a L shaped position, in my case I prefer my
left foot forward toes pointing towards their body, my right foot is pointing
away, right toes are at a ninety degrees from my left toes and the heels of my
feet are under my shoulders, this means that I have a stable stance, which
turns the front of my body away from the potential attacker. My hands are in
either two positions, the first has my right hand stroking my chin, if an
attack is launched to my head I can parry the attack with my right palm or the
back of the same hand against a circular roundhouse attack from a left handed
attack from the attacker. The advantages of this is with the right elbow
against your ribs, it protects them against a strike to the ribs, the right
hand to the right elbow are in a vertical position; the left forearm is in a
horizontal position covering the belly, the right elbow rests on your left
hand, the advantages of this position is that the left forearm and palm can
sweep an attack away to your left using the little finger edge of your arm or
to your right using the back of your left arm (never use the inside of the arm
to block an attack, that is where all the major blood vessels are near the
surface, remember they may have a knife) another advantage of this position is
that it is non confrontational, to any witness from among the public, you
don't look menacing, it has the advantage also that you can raise your left
shoulder to protect your chin, that as well as burying your chin in your left
chest protects your throat. The latter method is to have your open palms of
your hands in front of you from the L stance position elbows near your ribs,
left palm slightly in front of your right, the advantage of this is if the
person comes too close, and fearing a head butt you can push them backwards;
the disadvantage is that you can be charged by the police with assault if they
complain and they have a witness to your actions.
I hope these notes gleaned from my years in security
will help anyone involved in retail security.
Yours in budo
Ian " Lurch
" Durie.
LETTER