ABSTRACT
There is one feature common to these work areas that does not apply to employee-orientated in-company security practice. There is no industrial relations breach of discipline safety net to justify unwise security action when members of the public are affected. The consequences may be, at the least, complaints and bad publicity extending to possible civil action to the detriment not just of the offending officer but also of his employer, and, where contract security is in use, possibly even the client. It follows that those expected to work satisfactorily in such environments must have adequate knowledge of their objectives, the legal powers they have at their disposal, the constraints they have to observe and the public relations factors they should bear in mind. All this can only be achieved by training, and by having detailed instructions to which to refer. Contract companies must not allow expediency to persuade them to put an inexperienced officer on such a job, unless accompanied by a competent partner, because doing so could damage the security company’s reputation.
