Private Security: A Shift In Industry Responsibility

The role of physical security has expanded and grown rapidly over recent years. Below are some of our observations, particularly throughout the pandemic, and a look towards the changing times ahead. 

The new era of physical security

The role of private security has shifted dramatically over the last decade and beyond. Historically, the focus was on protecting assets such as property and goods, but more frequently now the sector is being asked to play an even bigger role in protecting the public from physical danger. During the current coronavirus pandemic this has increased to high profile marshalling in city centers and public areas to ensure social distancing is in place, as well as managing people and traffic through COVID-19 Testing Sites.

The role of private security has shifted dramatically over the last decade and beyond

As these responsibilities have changed so to have the expectations on the industry, which are now wide ranging. However, this is not a new phenomenon, as we have seen how this has specifically impacted on the role of door supervisors in recent years. Whereas this primarily used to be focused on protecting the venues themselves, this role has now expanded with the same door supervisors finding themselves responsible for areas beyond merely the front entrance. Not only are they fulfilling the traditional role, but they are increasingly relied upon to provide welfare and support far beyond the traditional remit.

Credit needs to be given to the industry and those within it who have driven these changes, particularly with regards to what can be termed ‘safeguarding’. Whilst mandatory SIA license training includes specific guidance and instruction for 'safeguarding', or how to help vulnerable people, it was instigated by the industry itself. As a result, now the person being refused entry to a venue due (for whatever the reason), now finds themselves often being helped by the door supervisor, for example, by arranging a taxi for them, rather than allowing a young and/or vulnerable person - perhaps separated from their friends, to wander off alone into the night.

Pandemic constraints

Throughout the pandemic, security operatives are being deployed to provide a positive physical presence to support and instill the importance of social distancing, mask wearing and to ensure the safety of the public. Who would have thought that in 2020 it would be commonplace to see the vast majority of supermarkets, large and small, with an obvious security presence!

Filling a void (changing responsibilities)

Alongside this, and for some time increasingly private security has been asked to fill a vacuum created by greater demands on policing and consequently they have naturally moved towards contributing to what can be termed 'place management'. The latter was a concept that primarily came about as efforts increased to 'revive' towns and city centers where a safe, welcoming, inclusionary environment was seen as critical to attracting a wider demographic, rather than the dominant economy being centred around night-life, which was seen as the domain of the 'young'. You may have read about efforts to diminish the distinction between the day, evening and night-time economies and replicate what was happening in the large out of town ‘retail’ centers e.g. the Trafford Centre in Manchester. There you can shop, eat, drink, watch a film, bowl almost at any time in the day. Towns and cities have increasingly tried to replicate this, for example asking other venues, such as museums to stay open longer.

Responsibilities have also shifted towards enforcing legislation when appropriate, particularly at a local level

Consequently, with greater expectations placed on private security operatives today, as well as their traditional role of protecting property and people, their skill set is extending to include a greater emphasis on customer service and being well voiced in welfare issues. Also, responsibilities have also shifted towards enforcing legislation when appropriate, particularly at a local level, which is further evidence of security operatives increasingly taking on duties and responsibilities which have previously always been in the remit of the police or other enforcement personnel.

Framework schemes to facilitate this have transited online, and been under public scrutiny, most notably the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS). CSAS allows Police Chief Constables to 'allocate' powers to accredited security providers operating in their geographical regions, which whilst it has been in existence for many years isn’t probably widely known about beyond the industry itself.

Training must meet the need

This leads to the question of training: we need to talk about training and what’s necessary in this new era of security, in line with the increased expectations and responsibilities of the security operative.

Where does the role of private security start and stop? All regulated security operatives have been given specific training to gain their SIA license, and many companies operating in the field of large-scale crowd management offer their own bespoke learning and development. Such training can include:

• Stages and pits (area found in front of the stage)
• Externals (often outside the footprint of the licensed venues)
• Directional stewards
• Roaming response operatives

With such courses being optional and unregulated, how do we create an adequate baseline skills base?

Whilst some of this training can be accredited and/or included in recognized qualifications it can be the case that security providers have developed their own ‘guidance’, which for some companies is used to respond to emerging risks. The industry being asked to be integral to the pandemic response is an example of where companies are putting together guidance, which may be based on emerging central Government thinking.

The science of large-scale events

Over the years we have seen a real boom in events. Specifically, large scale (50,000+) music events are no longer restricted to festivals and have been seen as a lucrative source of income, for example, the use of soccer stadia in the closed season, to maximize year round usage.

For example, a number of years ago Manchester City Football Club staged the return of Take That resulting in a wider demographic attending events, from your older fan, probably with children the same age as they were when they last saw them live, to young children attending their first live music event and everybody in between. Safely managing these types of 'diverse' event and crowd management has become a science in its own right with many considerations including crowd dynamics, crowd behavior, ingress and egress planning, transport plans and of course, contingency planning for the unexpected.

Maintaining public safety – applying the science

Consequently, if the overarching aim for any pandemic response is public safety, then the objective for the security industry should mirror this, aiming to maintain complete safety for the public.

If the overarching aim for any pandemic response is public safety, then the objective for the security industry should mirror this

This should always include managing the flow of people in highly charged environments, now with the added consideration of social distancing in what are worrying times for the average person on the street. Private security has a pivotal role to play as social conventions are rebuilt and the world grasps its new normal. Where you want to gain compliance by cooperation then it needs to be certain that the security operatives are: "the right people, in the right place, at the right time, doing the right things and working alongside the right partners". We believe that this can only be achieved by applying science to these situations, a skill that that is second nature to those who routinely deliver effective security.

We need to clarify the role of manned security providers covering the limitations and extent of their responsibilities. This needs to be unanimous across the licensing bodies, employers and public in order for operatives to fulfill the role and an industry benchmark set. Security firms are not the police, BUT it is important to note that their role is integral to keeping people safe.