Every year security officers throughout the UK get injured in the line of duty.  The security service  covers a wide range of jobs from static guards, cash in transit to close protection. 

Security officers are working on the front line and are the first response on the scene to violent incidents, serious assaults and criminal activies. Security guards often work alone and have no back up whatsoever. A guard is unarmed and they could be faced with anything from a minor incident to a serious armed robbery, most cases when criminals carry out a robbery they tend to be in a group and are equipped with tools and weapons. Security officers are risking their lives everyday with no protection while the criminals are armed with weapons.

With the police cuts and knife crime rising we as security guards don’t have any way to protect ourselves. Every incident a security officer is involved with the police are called and time is vital, with continuous police cuts police response times are now even longer and while security officers wait for police to arrive on scene many lives are at risk. If laws changed and allowed security officer to be armed with a self defence equipment their lives also the public lives will not be at such a high risk as what they are now. 

I propose establishing a government approved training course to properly train security guards in using self defence equipment such as batons or pepper spray. The government will therefore be able to monitor the correct restraint techniques are being implemented by the security industry. 

Police officers get attacked weekly just like security guards and if someone could hurt a police officer who have powers then they could hurt anyone. However unlike security guards, police officers are equipped with telescopic batons, mace/pepper/pavra spray and x26 taser. Security guards are only allowed to carry a torch, notepad and pen. 

I want to implement change within the security industry, I want the UK government to adapt their laws and allow security officers to carry self defence equipment personally for their protection and safety of their own life in the line of duty.

Security officers in other countries carry some sort of personal protective equipment from a side arm, baton, spray and taser. Security officers in Britain make us look weak as a nation compared to other countries.