I'm a 5 ft usher, not a bouncer

SkipE

If you act in the capacity of security officer you require a SIA front line badge. The SIA states 'security capacity'. Any Police Officer can give a statement stating they believed you acted in such a way. Then you get a huge fine for it. Not worth it in my opinion.

Anihilator

Or going by the fact its happened once in god knows long why dont you shut up and keep doing your job.

For me they are asking you to do what they would expect the patrons to do and that is intervene if there was ever a fight which is extremely unlikely, intervene doenst necessary mean physically break it up either.

Yes you could do all the things in this thread but is it worth it for the hassle it will generate. If they add "security" to your job description then you might have a point.

lynzpower

Anihilator wrote: »

Or going by the fact its happened once in god knows long why dont you shut up and keep doing your job.

For me they are asking you to do what they would expect the patrons to do and that is intervene if there was ever a fight which is extremely unlikely, intervene doenst necessary mean physically break it up either.

Yes you could do all the things in this thread but is it worth it for the hassle it will generate. If they add "security" to your job description then you might have a point.

thats not very good advice to be honest.

What if it did happen tonight, and OP didnt step in. Could OP get fired?

What if he did step in and the perpetrator asked to see his badge after the event. ( or during) OP gets 5k fine.

If it is likely to happen, then the OPs employer can equip staff by asking them to attend & pass the SIA course. I have done this and am badged frontline. It is not a difficult or long course IMO, and focuses on the need to avoid escalation, how to stay protected yourself, etc.

Imagine if OP stepped in to intervene and ended up in hospital for his trouble? What if he gets a permanent disbility thought this. It leaves everyone wide open!

Kay_Peel

I agree that your employer cannot instruct you to intervene in a fight. Not only is your boss putting you at grave risk of injury and prosecution, but s/he hasn't looked at the broader picture - risk assessments, health and safety, liability, training, job descriptions.

We leave intervention to the professionals for a good reason - they are fully trained, equipped, tested and (in the case of police officers) given written authorisation and legal backing to use reasonable force.

However. Sometimes you find yourself in a workplace situation and you need to be prepared, or have some information and tactics to get through it. Pub licensees, doctors and nurses working in A+E or with mental health patients, receptionists/shop assistants/other workers who have to deal with angry clients - the list is endless. They can't walk away because they are in the middle of a situation - a colleague may be getting a kicking and, while no-one would blame them for turning their back, they feel bad about not doing anything. Many workplaces have angry clients and the potential for assaults is ever present.

I would never advocate a self-defence course. You have to practice the techniques regularly to be effective. I would advocate that workplaces have a policy and training on 'Managing Troublesome and Angry people' so that the situation can be defused before it builds up into a violent one. Perhaps you could suggest that to your boss. Prevention is always better.

Hope that helps.

timmmers

Anihilator wrote: »

Or going by the fact its happened once in god knows long why dont you shut up and keep doing your job.

For me they are asking you to do what they would expect the patrons to do and that is intervene if there was ever a fight which is extremely unlikely, intervene doenst necessary mean physically break it up either.

Yes you could do all the things in this thread but is it worth it for the hassle it will generate. If they add "security" to your job description then you might have a point.

The whole reaason that there are Security staff in places like hospitals and shopping centres is because they have different training. The very worst thing anyone can do in a confrontation of any kind is to step in half cocked and make it worse, either verbally or physically. It's kinda the reason why we have police too really.

If they added security to his JD then they would also give him the training and backup he needs, insurance and hopefully pay him more for added responsibilites.

Nice to see the bridges falling down didn't injure you m8..I was worried for a while having not seem you post. :rolleyes:

t

Anihilator

timmmers wrote: »

The whole reaason that there are Security staff in places like hospitals and shopping centres is because they have different training. The very worst thing anyone can do in a confrontation of any kind is to step in half cocked and make it worse, either verbally or physically. It's kinda the reason why we have police too really.

If they added security to his JD then they would also give him the training and backup he needs, insurance and hopefully pay him more for added responsibilites.

Nice to see the bridges falling down didn't injure you m8..I was worried for a while having not seem you post. :rolleyes:

t

If the OP is working somewhere dedicated security is required yours and most other peoples posts are valid but it doesnt sound like they are. It simply seems they have been told if fights occur in future it will be expected they take appropiate steps.

Of course this needs risk assessed but the risks seem extremely low.

hothothot_3

refuse on the grounds of risk to health and safety. It is illegal for your employer to treat you unfavourably due to raising an issue related to H&S at work. Argue that you have not been given any training in conflict resolution.
44. - (1) An employee has the right not to be subjected to any detriment by any act, or any deliberate failure to act, by his employer done on the ground that-
(d) in circumstances of danger which the employee reasonably believed to be serious and imminent and which he could not reasonably have been expected to avert, he left (or proposed to leave) or (while the danger persisted) refused to return to his place of work or any dangerous part of his place of work,

ERA 1996

Indo77

I have been following this forum for a while and it amazes me that anyone would listen to Anihilator for any advice. Just find posts by Anihilator and you will always find similar posts. Sticks his nose in issues he has no clue about, posts either stupid troll comments or pretends he knows anything about employment law. It amazes me no one picks up on this.

dharm999

Its not necessarily true that you need a SIA licence. Do you work for a security company? If so you will need a SIA licence, if you dont then you dont.

It's one of the strange, silly in my opinion, quirks, that if you are employed as in house security, i.e not a third party security company, then you do not need to be licenced. As a result of this stupid arrangement, dodgy people who can't get work as a security officer wth a security company, go and get employment as an in house security officer, circumventing all the vetting rules in place for a security officer employed by a security company.

Fivenations, if I was in your situation I would insist on:

Confirmation that I am fully insured if I am injured at work, so I dont lose out financially if I am injured whilst following the instruction to intervene and off work
Proper training on things like conflict resolution, etc.. It would be useful to ask to go on the 4 day course that security officers have to attend to get their licence
Confirmation in writng that they want you to intervene in fights
The points made by Zazen are very good and you would do well to follow them

As you are 5ft I assume you are female? Apologies if you are not. I work in security and female security officers imo are generally better than male security officers, as because of their size (normally anyway), they diffuse situations through talking rather than wading in with fists and feet.

Anyway without all the things you need to have in place I wouldnt intervene. You have too much to lose to jut accept this without gettin things clarified.