Laws and regulations for security guard training

Last Updated on December 21, 2021 by Ranga

Security staff will be required to act with authority in order to protect people, property, and information. The country has instituted a series of laws and regulations that the Security professional can rely upon when carrying out their duties.

Detaining suspects

Only law enforcement officials have the legal powers to physically detain a suspect. Security staff may detain a suspect only if they submit to the request. There are 4 main points to follow when detaining a person:

1. Call the police
2. Identify yourself as Security
3. Request that the suspect cooperates
4. Inform the suspect of the reason for detaining them

This procedure applies to suspects who have not been reliably witnessed committing a crime.

The security guard doesn’t have a special power arrest like a law enforcement officer. Civilians have the power to arrest a person who has been caught red-handed committing a crime. This applies to Security staff and enables them to restrain and hold a person until the police arrive and take custody. When arresting a person, you must;

• Witness them committing the crime
• Identify yourself as Security
• Inform the person they are under arrest
• Inform the person why they are under arrest
• Call the police

Use of force 

Use of force is permitted in self-defense when You face the immediate danger of a crime against yourself, your property, or the property others and;

• You have no possibility of resorting to the Police and;
• You have no other means of stopping the crime and;
• The use of force is necessary to stop the danger and is proportionate with the threat being presented

The law and constitution may have provided person rights to every citizen of the country, so, Pay attention first to your legal and personal rights when you decide to someone to detain. The children may below a certain age maybe 16 or 18 according to your country’s law you don’t to right to detain.

Conclusion: As a security guard you should aware of your local laws and regulations, before, considering to detain someone and use force for self-defense. This could be a critical situation you may face on your duty, because, you have to comply with site regulation and the law of the country.

Advance Security Course

Basic security course