Cooperation with police and rescue services in practice

A skilled guard solves the vast majority of situations himself with words and presence. But when a situation requires more — an arrest a fire an acute emergency — cooperation with police and rescue services is crucial. Knowing your own role in that cooperation is just as important as knowing your own authority.

§The civil right of arrest is narrow

A security guard does not have a special arrest right beyond the civil arrest right that applies to any citizen in the case of a person caught red-handed or fleeing from a crime. The right is narrow and temporary: if you catch a person in that situation the police must be notified and take over the matter as soon as possible and the detention in between must be as brief and humane as possible. A guard who holds a person back longer than necessary or uses more force than the situation requires can incur criminal liability.

§Handing over — the practical course

When police arrive to take over a detained person, your task is to give a brief, clear handover: what happened, when, what have you observed, and what have you possibly said or done along the way. The more precisely you can recount the course, the easier it is for police to act correctly next. Here the running habit of noting times and observations during the actual incident is worth its weight in gold—memory is far less reliable than notes taken in the moment.

§Cooperation with the rescue service

In case of fire, acute illness or other accidents, the emergency services (fire department and ambulance) are the primary actors, while the security officer's role is to have alerted early, know the premises' escape routes and fire equipment, and be able to guide operations quickly to the right place. A security officer who knows the building can save emergency services precious time by knowing exactly where the fire is, where evacuated people are, and if there are special circumstances — e.g. storage of hazardous substances or people with reduced mobility — that the operations leader should know immediately.

• 01Alert early and precisely – better too early than too late.
• 02Be ready to guide the effort to the right place in the building.
• 03Know evacuation points and where people needing special help typically are.
• 04Always hand over control of the situation to police/rescue services when they arrive.

§Trust built up over time

Good cooperation with the local authorities does not happen in the actual crisis but in daily professionalism: precise messages correct documentation and respect for where the boundary between the guard's and the authorities' responsibility lies. A guard that consistently provides clear factual observations becomes over time a reliable partner for local police and emergency services.

“Security is often the first on scene — but rarely the one who has to solve it all alone. Knowing when to pass the baton is part of the profession.”