Clarification on The SIA September 2018 Update [Video]

In this short video I want do address something that’s caused a lot of confusion which came out in an SIA newsletter in September 2018.

In that newsletter they had an article on vascular restraint, and there’s a paragraph in that article that’s obviously caused a lot of confusion because a lot of people have emailed me and called me on this.

And what it stated was the following.

It said, “For best practise we recommend “hat security operatives should only use the techniques that they have been trained to use as part of their SIA-linked training on physical intervention.”

Now as you can imagine a lot of people got very concerned about that, and obviously they’ve been in touch with me. They’re saying, “Is that all we can do?”

So I emailed Tony Holyland at the SIA and we had a conversation over the phone and Tony has very kindly provided further clarification on this.

In fact we actually did this back in 2010 and that information is still on our website, but let me read you exactly what Tony has sent me so I can put your minds at ease.

“Dear Mark, I wanted to clarify a few points of principle with you as I gather that a recent SIA update may not have been as clear as it could’ve been regarding the use of force. You and I have spoken about this issue before, and your advice and expertise in this area has been a real help to us. For the avoidance of doubt, the SIA mandatory training aims to provide operatives with safer skills and knowledge about the risks of physical intervention. Our training in no way removes individual’s rights under the law to use reasonable force when necessary.

We simply couldn’t do this. You helpfully reminded me of a previous email exchange we had where we stated the following. We don’t restrict training. We encourage employees and individuals to get any further appropriate training where it is necessary for their specific needs.

In terms of the legislation, we say that the license-linked qualification in no way changes the obligation of an individual to act in accordance with the law on the use of force that applies to any private citizen, and that the training does not change the employer’s legal obligations with regard to ensuring the safety and security of customers and employees.

We make it clear that this includes the need for any additional training that a door supervisor may require that is identified by an employer’s risk assessment of a particular venue or event. This advice still stands. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to clarify this communication. Tony.”

So there you have it in a nutshell.

The training you get as part of your license-linked qualification, the PI module of the door supervisor’s course, is there to give you some basic training and information on the use of force, but it doesn’t remove your rights under common or statute law and if an employer or a venue identified there is a need for further training as part of their risk assessment, then that training should be given, and that’s consistent with good health and safety legislation.

I hope that clarifies it for you and I hope that puts a lot of minds at rest, and if you have any questions, get in touch.