Page 17 - SyI Quarterly - Q3 and Q4 Edition 2023

One of the simple measures that can be adopted by frontline operatives is the ‘power of hello’ that
will assist with improving Security Officer visibility. Security Officers need to keep their mobile phones
in their pockets and focus on the customers coming through the door. Verbal and non-verbal
communication combined with other soft skills can go a long way to deter anyone who might be
thinking about making a run for it or can provide reassurance to staff and legitimate customers.
Proactive engagement is discussed widely within the context of countering terrorism, but good
communication skills are part of the Security Officer toolbox for daily operations – or at least it
should be.

One of my associates regularly refers to the 3Ps: Position, Purpose, and Posture - consider if you are
standing in the right place to dominate your working area and have the desired effect on those
entering the unit. What is my purpose, and can I achieve it with the resources available to me? Look
in the mirror at the profile you are projecting. If you are slouching or have your hands tucked into the
arm holes of your stab vest and constantly looking at your mobile phone you are probably indicating
that you are not interested and less likely to have the appetite to intervene when required to do so.

Hostile reconnaissance relates to a range of activities used for ‘target planning’ and does not only
relate to terrorism. Opportunist theft will always be something to guard against, but many thefts
are planned and informed by hostile reconnaissance. The See Check and Notify (SCaN) training is a
useful tool for a wide range of security threats and not just terrorism so time spent doing this type of
training is time well spent.

Local convenience stores seem to be targeted regularly by thieves and so local banning notices
might be worthy of consideration when dealing with repeat offenders.

One word of caution following the tragic incident outside a retail unit in Trowbridge in 2017 when a
retail unit Security Officer fell to the ground with a shop thief who was concealing bottles of spirits
under his coat. The bottles broke and injured the offender, causing him to bleed to death. Hindsight
is a wonderful thing but deterring the offence from being committed in the first place is a good place
to start, engaging with potential offenders whilst they are in-store might be enough to deter them,
but once they have left the unit the main effort needs to be gathering suitable evidence via quality
closed circuit television images and recording staff statements that give the police something to work
with.

Finally, an underlying issue across the security industry is the perception that Security Officers are a
low-paid and low-skilled workforce. In many cases, they are low-paid but many of the Security
Officers I encounter have deeply embedded skills and are able to deal with a wide range of security
issues that prevent disruption to the client’s business. Adjusting the client perception is a mammoth
task and will always be influenced by budget, however, frontline security officers can do their bit to
promote professionalism by undertaking regular CPD and maintaining high personal standards in
everything they do as a professional Security Officer.

If you want to discuss this further, head over to the FLOSIG members’ platform and start a
conversation.

Retail Crime is on the rise and is a significant area for dicussion within the security
industry. If any of our members can provide insights into Retail Security and are
interested in authoring an article for our next Institute Quartely Magazine, please e-mail:
info@security-institute.org.

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