What Is the Legal Authority of Security Guards?
Before hiring security guards, you must understand the legal powers they own. The job of a security guard is to secure an individual, asset, or premise from a potential security threat. In addition, these armed professionals are hired to ensure no suspicious or criminal activity takes place under their watch.
The law has provided security guards with some legal powers they can practice when the need arises. Before hiring a security service, you must be familiar with these legal powers to avoid conflict in the future. In this article, we are going to highlight the legal powers possessed by security guards. So without further ado, let’s get into the details.
Legal Powers Possessed by Security Guards
Before hiring Security Guard Services, you should know their limitations and the powers law provides them to keep an individual or a premise secure. Following are some of the powers possessed by security guards:
Power to Arrest Citizens
It is believed that only police officers own the power to arrest citizens. However, that’s not true. For example, if a security guard witnesses an actual crime, he has the legal right to arrest the criminal on the spot. However, upon witnessing a felony, the security guard is only allowed to detain the suspect until the police arrive.
The power to detain the suspect is referred to as a citizen arrest. In case of a felony, security guards have the ability to impede the trespasser. They are required to call the police right after. Once the police arrive, the proper arrest is made. The security guards can use restraints to hold up the suspect before the police arrive.
Security in Incharge Of a Private Property
Non-police Unarmed Guard Services is limited to the private property they are paid to guard. They are the in-charge of the property and have the power to restrain trespassers or anyone suspected to be involved in criminal activity.
They have the authority to restrict suspicious individuals from entering the property. They have the power to stop people from performing prohibited activities on their designated premises. They are authorized to ask people to leave the property if they are involved in a prohibited activity. They can arrest the citizens if the behavior persists or refuse to leave the property under citizen arrest.
Using or Forcing Weapons
Security guards have the authority to use weapons to detain or eject a person from private property. However, they are only allowed the reasonable use of force. Before using or forcing a weapon, the security guard must assess the severity of the crime. He should analyze the situation to see if the issue can be resolved through verbal communication. He should also consider the risks associated with the use of an arm in a situation.
Suspect Search
Security guards have the power to search an individual if they suspect possession of a weapon. In addition, they have the authority to disarm and detain him under citizen arrest. It is also permissible to explore if the employer has granted the permission, and it is mentioned on the contract.
Security guards are hired to prevent security issues. They have the authority to detain trespassers. However, before practicing their powers, they must assess the situation at hand. They should only use arms if it is utterly necessary.