John MacDonald: Guarded approach to security needs to change

Security guards can make a citizen’s arrest but Gary Morrison from the Security Association says there are some rules that limit what they can do. Photo / 123RF

OPINION

Sometimes I look at security guards and think “the only difference between you and me, is that you’re the one wearing the uniform”.

No disrespect to security guards, but you do wonder sometimes what they would actually do if there was trouble.

Because it seems when it comes to security guards there are two types: the ones who look like the real deal who you wouldn’t take on, and the others, who have no more of a threatening presence than I do.

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But it doesn’t really matter, because security guards pretty much have no powers and they’re just a bit of window dressing to try to put people off doing bad things.

You may have heard Gary Morrison from the Security Association on Newstalk ZB. I was very surprised to hear him say that security guards aren’t even allowed to detain shoplifters and he’s calling for change.

And I’m with him on this.

Because you think of those poor retailers who are dealing with those shoplifters day in/day out. So frustrated with the Police being next to invisible that they’ve gone out and hired security guards to try to deal with the problem.

But it seems those security guards - because of the limited powers they have - aren’t much more use than a cardboard cut-out of a police officer that you sometimes see in retail stores. Because it turns out they pretty much have no more powers than you and me.

They can make a citizen’s arrest but, as Morrison said on the radio, there are some ridiculous rules around it that limit what they can do.

They can only make a citizen’s arrest if it’s night time, or if a police officer tells them to, and only once they’ve worked out in their head whether the creep stealing the stuff could be sent to prison for three years or more.

Talk about nuts. Because most of these retailers operate during the day; and do you really think a security guard has time to get on the blower to the cops to get permission to detain the shoplifter, plus work out what sort of sentence might be likely?

That, in itself, is crazy because you’re not going to be sent away for stealing chocolate bars and a can of coke and can you imagine a security guard thinking to themselves: ‘Okay, I can see what that guy’s doing. I should intervene here but if he goes to court, is he going to get three years?

“I’ll need a report first on what things were like for him as a child and he could get diversion or he might even get off. Hmmmm, not quite sure what I should do. Ooops, he’s gone now anyway’.

See what I mean? No wonder the Security Association is calling for change.

And no wonder retailers and businesses are pleading for more police patrols.

Because, the way things are at the moment, they can hire as many security guards as they want but if the security guards don’t have the powers to make a difference, don’t have the powers to actually step in and do something, then it’s just a waste of time and money.