It is an established fact. More and more private security agents are insulted, attacked or injured in their workplace by malicious, brutal or even armed people. This problem is all the more thorny in that the regulations and the code of ethics formally prohibit these professionals from using violence.
In fact, the Verspieren legal department has noted an upsurge in requests for assistance for gated community guard or security guards who are victims of physical or verbal aggression in the performance of their duties and whose perpetrator has been identified and against whom a complaint has been filed.
In the eyes of security professionals, the benefits of this assistance offered to security guards via a professional civil liability insurance contract no longer needs to be demonstrated. This allows them to obtain fair damages from the convicted aggressor.
To move the regulation of your profession, Verspieren draws your attention to the need for your company to actively participate in the National Observatory of Delinquency and Criminal Response (ONDRP). As a reminder, it is the duty and responsibility of the business manager to protect his employees against such threats (employer’s security obligation) and to take appropriate measures.
THE ORIGINS OF THE CREATION OF THE ONDRP
Under the aegis of Prefect Jean-Louis Blanchou, then in charge of private security at the Ministry of the Interior, work was undertaken in June 2013 to define the outlines of a future statistical observatory of physical and verbal attacks on the against private security agents. These professionals are all the more exposed to threats of physical or verbal aggression as they ensure, at all hours of the day and night, the surveillance and security of a wide variety of places and private spaces receiving public.
The Observatory pursues the objective of consolidating the statistics of attacks against private security professionals. Furthermore, it is intended to be a tool at the service of companies in the sector, particularly in terms of risk prevention and communication with the CHSCT (Health, Safety and Working Conditions Committee).
The first assessments of the inventory of aggressions challenge and demonstrate the dangerousness that weighs on security professionals.
In order of frequency of these attacks, the following professions are the most exposed:
- security officers in the distribution sector,
- nightclub doormen and physiognomists,
- fund carriers.
To enable the public authorities to collect as much information as possible with a view to changing the regulations governing security professionals, it is important for the managers of a private security company to actively participate in the collection of information concerning each breach or attack. , with or without a complaint, of which their private security agents are victims.
To better identify these attacks and improve employee protection measures, the National Council for Private Security Activities (CNAPS) and the National Observatory for Delinquency and Criminal Responses (ONDRP) have created the Observatory of Attacks on Security Officers.
GUARD OR SECURITY GUARD?
The notion of “vigil” appeared in ancient Rome, when the Emperor Augustus created a specialized corps responsible for night policing and firefighting: the corps of urban vigilantes. The term watchman therefore entered common language very early on, and we see that it is still frequently used today, especially by the media.
Commonly associated with a rather negative image, stemming from a time when everyone could claim to join the ranks of the profession, the ” vigil ” gradually evolved into the security officer under the notable influence of the players in the profession ( private security companies, unions) and the French State, which has implemented legal and regulatory changes and created the National Council for Private Security Activities (Cnaps).
PROFESSIONALIZATION AND SPECIALIZATION
Now largely professionalised and regularly checked, the security professions are today recognized for their usefulness, as well as for the competence and efficiency of their personnel.
Beyond the mandatory initial training, security officers are also trained in the specificities of the sites on which they work. They are found today in all sectors of activity; within airports, construction site security guards large industrial groups (in particular Seveso classified sites ), in the tertiary sector (high-rise buildings, amusement parks, banks, theatres, stores, etc.), or even during cultural or sportsmen.
During Euro 2016, we saw the involvement of some 12,000 security agents mobilized across the country, and everyone remembers the action of this security agent who, by driving back one of the three terrorists in Stade de France avoided a major tragedy.
REQUIRED QUALITIES
The first quality required to exercise the profession of security guard is integrity. Each private security agent must demonstrate flawless ethics and unfailing honesty.
Sense of observation and responsiveness are also essential qualities. The attention paid to the details of his work environment regularly allows the arrest of ill-intentioned individuals by the police services. Suspicious behavior, unusual changes, must be detected quickly in order to act effectively.
Finally, empathy and the ability to maintain self-control are also required, especially in potentially aggressive situations. Specific training in the management of aggressiveness has developed to help security officers understand its mechanisms
ROLE OF THE SECURITY GUARD
The security guard’s essential role is to protect people and property. This task covers both the general concepts of safety (prevention of malicious acts) and security .
He is also the guarantor of the proper application of the safety and security rules on the site which he supervises
The security guard is sometimes given a reception role: this is a big mistake. The law [1] clearly establishes that the exercise of private security professions must be exclusive. Failure to comply with this obligation entails the legal penalties provided for the illicit loan of labor or the offense of bargaining (if harm to the employee involved).
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