Can A Security Guard Detain You

Often referred to as the fourth UK emergency service, Security guards play a vital role in keeping the public safe in airports, clubs, hospitals and many other organisations. However, security guards do not have the same powers as police officers. They do have legal authority to prevent criminal actions, but there are many limitations. Security guards have the power to detain you under certain circumstances. 

The powers that security guards have are the same as any individual in the UK, and detention by security guards is granted under the law of citizen’s arrest. This allows security guards to detain a person, but they can only detain someone reasonably suspected of committing a crime. This is while police are called to attend and make a formal arrest if appropriate. Security guards can only detain a person in order to prevent them from escaping or committing further offences. 

Security guards must follow several rules when detaining a person. They can only detain you for a reasonable amount of time. And they must do so in an appropriate manner. If a security guard detains you, they must tell you why you are being detained and make you aware of your rights. Security guards are given specific training on this, knowing they risk their careers and committing a criminal offence themselves if they falsely imprison a person. False imprisonment is a serious offence and would be committed if they detained a person without following rules and without legal justification.  

Security guards are aware of this, and few will act irresponsibly due to the consequences they face if they were to act unjustly. This is why security guards have to be absolutely sure that there are reasonable grounds to detain a person, such as witnessing a theft either on camera or by seeing a person themselves. 

Even if you have stolen something or committed another offence, the security guard must treat you respectfully. If an altercation has occurred and the detained person has sustained an injury, they must seek to get you medical help or administer emergency first aid themselves if necessary. If a person were to come to harm during the detention, the detained person can seek damages if they were to be harmed and suffer a loss of income due to an injury that occurred unlawfully during the detention. If you feel you were detained unlawfully by a security guard, you have the right to challenge that detention with legal representation.  

To summarise, UK security guards have the legal authority to detain individuals but only under certain circumstances. Due to the serious consequences that could happen to security guards, they will usually only detain a person when they are certain a criminal offence has been committed or they have strong grounds to suspect you of committing an offence. If you feel your detention was unlawful or if you think a security guard has breached their rights by treating you with a lack of dignity or harming you, you should raise your complaint immediately with the police when they arrive. You can also take further action later and certainly if the police agree you have been falsely imprisoned.