Category: Security

Mohammed - “I always go out of my way to help people"

“I always go out of my way to help people, even though on paper it isn’t strictly my job. I can’t just turn around and say to a customer, ‘go find somebody else, I’m a security guard not a sales assistant.’ No, we’re all part of the same team. The only difference is that I’m here to protect also.

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Some of the hardest situations have happened in the retail sector

I’m from Somalia originally. I came to the UK in 2006 and wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do. I had a few friends working in security at the time, so I thought a role like this could be a good fit for me. By 2012, I applied for my SIA badge and from the moment I acquired it, I grabbed work wherever I could, from hotels to construction sites. Later down the line I ended up in retail and that’s the sector I’m currently in. The work is good, and I’ve always gotten along with staff over the years. However, when it comes to the dealing of customers, you need a deft hand. In this role you must consider the possibility that every person walking through the door is a potential thief. So not only do you need to be vigilant, but you must appear non-judging and diplomatic. 

There have been times where I’ve had people scream at me, ‘why are you looking at me!’ or ‘what have you stopped me for!’. Sometimes it’s hard to detect whether a person is a genuine threat or just merely suspicious. Get it wrong, you can end up in hot water.

Some of the hardest situations I’ve had to deal with have occurred within the retail sector. The reason being, the opportunity to steal is far greater, which naturally invites more danger. Before coming to London, I lived and worked in Manchester and provided security for a small branch of Morrisons, situated in Old Trafford, ten minutes from the city centre. Whilst on duty I was completely alone when three Irish guys walked in, each well over six feet tall. One of them had wheeled in this large trolley and started filling it to the brim with whatever he could find; expensive alcohol, various foods, baby nappies, you name it. Straightaway, I sensed something was off. They were loud and aggressive. I wanted desperately to intervene, but I had no backup and was clearly outnumbered. 

All I could do was follow them closely and monitor their every move. Soon, I radioed my manager to alert him of the potential trouble. My suspicion confirmed, I witnessed the three men suddenly wheel the trolley through the doors without paying. I managed to catch up to them and hamper their escape. It was then my manager came running and we all got into a huge scuffle. We had them at the door and gripped onto the trolley tugging and pulling this way and that. But the men overpowered us. They pushed and shoved, shouting abuse at us, ‘move from the door! Move from the f***ing door!’ Eventually they forced their way out, wheeling the trolley to a car parked nearby, flinging everything into the boot.

They got away with over £500 worth of stock and there wasn’t a thing we could do. The police arrived soon after, studied the CCTV footage, managed to get the car’s registration number, but by then the vehicle was probably burnt to a cinder. Thankfully, nobody got hurt and the store was safe. However, this wouldn’t prove the most dangerous situation I’d face. I had worked on a construction site in Salford (Manchester again). It was a huge project involving the demolition of a block of flats and I was based there on a two-year contract. I was part of a two-man security team that would patrol the site. One day, a group of men had snuck in from the rear entrance to steal wires and equipment, that would go on to be sold by the kilo. There were around seven men in total, all white and highly dangerous. When my colleague and I confronted them, one of the men pulled a knife. 

At that moment I raised up my hands and backed away and said, ‘listen guys, we’re only here to work, take what you want. We won’t risk our lives.’ It was a surreal moment, one that really put things in perspective. I have a family, and I don’t think I treasured them more than in that single instance. When the police arrived and saw how shaken we were, they told us Salford is too rough an area to be working in, that we should avoid working there altogether. But if I need money, have bills to pay and mouths to feed, what else am I supposed to do? When the project ended, I took their advice and left Salford for good.

 

I’m now based in London working for a major retailer. It’s been a long journey getting here, and I’m often asked how I cope with all the dangers. The answer is simple: I try not to think about it and just perform the job I’ve chosen to do.”

when it comes to the dealing of customers, you need a deft hand

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Olu – “I enjoy saving people’s lives.”

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Carl – “I continued performing CPR as there was no way I was going to let him die.”

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“I imagine a world without security, I’m doing brave and important work” - Joseph

“When you get threatened in this job, half the time it’s either the alcohol or the drugs talking. Often, people don’t mean it, but when they do, that’s when the job becomes scary.

"I always make a special effort to learn people’s names"​

At twenty-one I’m young. I’ve only been working in security for seven months. Some might argue I’m new to this line of work, but in the short time I’ve been doing it, I’ve seen a lot. Originally, I wanted to work for the fire brigade but due to wage cuts and station closures, it became too difficult. So, I started working in pubs, clubs and cocktail bars, doing a lot of tendering. Of the latter, I can say I got pretty good at it, but ultimately, I saw myself working on the other side of the bar. One thing I was able to take away from the job, however, was an ability to detect trouble before it materialised. I quickly learned all the tell-tale signs, from aggressive body language to the tone of someone’s voice. Eventually, I became intrigued by the idea of working in security and decided to pursue it as a career.

I decided to get my SIA license in January of last year and managed to get my badge in June. So, although I’ve had my license for a year, I’ve actively been working for seven months. My first job was working at St. Helier’s hospital. Generally, it wasn’t too bad, but some days were challenging. Particularly when dealing with the homeless. Often, they’d slip inside and plead to be seen to and then refuse to leave. This would sometimes drain us of our resources and cause a lot of aggro. It’s not like we could just turn them away, they’re human after all and entitled to the free service the NHS provides.

Since my first gig I’ve worked at numerous drinking holes, a lot of pubs and bars and the like. Where do I see myself in the long-term? Well, although I’m happy where I am (working on the doors) I’m very interested in expanding my skills and becoming a CCTV operator. The pay is better and the risk lower to myself. I also want to update my first aid training and get a more advanced qualification, I think this could certainly open doors for me. For now, at least, I don’t think I’m doing too badly. After all, I’m twenty-one and already head doorman of this very pub. Two months earlier I worked at another venue called The Milan Bar which was much like this place, chilled and relaxed with very few skirmishes breaking out. Occasionally, I’d witness the odd bit of drug use, but that’s as serious as things got.

Have things ever truly gotten out of hand? Definitely. Working this job, I’ve had all sorts of threats hurled at me, from getting stabbed to getting shot. A lot of the time it’s just intimidation, but every so often you do ask yourself: how safe am I, really? I remember an occasion where I looked after three girls who had been sexually assaulted, just down the road from a bar I worked in at the time. They were understandably distressed and highly shook, so we led them into the venue for safety. Suddenly, their attackers turned up outside the bar, shouting and demanding to be let in. One of them smashed a bottle against the pavement and started waving it around like a weapon. We had to close the doors and lock them. It was a horrible experience, but what made matters worse, was the appalling response time of the police. Despite the severity of the situation (we explicitly told them that there were two men, one of whom brandished a deadly weapon with a clear intent to use it), it took them forty minutes to arrive.

It’s during the more difficult moments where you realise just how invaluable communication is. Wherever my work takes me, I always make a special effort to learn people’s names, and chat to the customers, the staff and managers. Even if I know I’m never going to see them again, it’s always beneficial to have a feel for the people you work with, as well as the venue and area. It not only fuels your confidence but gives you an awareness. I’m sociable I guess, and that can go a long way.

I suppose you could argue that people take what we do for granted. I’m constantly warned that I’m going to wind up stabbed or worse. When I first got into this work, the potential risks were a big concern for me. Walking home late at night after a shift, would often require nerves of steel. Now though, the fear just washes over my head. I think a lot of that stems from growing up in a rough area. I’ve taught myself to keep fear at bay and to always have my eyes open. One night a bloke will threaten to shank me and the next, he’ll apologise and offer to buy me a pint. I’ve come to accept this as the norm and when I worry, I just imagine a world without security. It’s then I realise, I’m doing brave and important work.”


“Have things ever truly gotten out of hand? Definitely.”

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Olu – “I enjoy saving people’s lives.”

Olu
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Carl – “I continued performing CPR as there was no way I was going to let him die.”

Carl
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"Other than the guitar, security is the skill that I’ve truly mastered" - William

 

“To say I’m the Jack of all trades would be an understatement, although you can be sure I’m the master of one.

My journey into the security sector was an odd one, but nobody could argue I got there unsuccessfully.

“Working in the corporate security the hours can be long, and this requires commitment”

I grew up in Dublin, Belfast and in the beginning, it was just me and my sister. I moved to London in my twenties to pursue my dream in music. I played the electric guitar in a Rock and Reggae band, and that was how I met my first wife. She joined the band as a singer and we fell in love instantly. We then had a beautiful daughter together. I still make music today and share videos on YouTube, but I’ve since lost my Rockstar looks.

I fell into the security profession almost by accident. I worked at the Curzon Plaza at Berkeley Square in Mayfair about seven years ago as a maintenance worker. One day I got asked to cover for the receptionist on her lunch break. I was a little nervous at first because I had no experience in dealing directly with customers. It was a strange yet brief transition because I would frequently go from wearing my usual worker’s dusty apron to collar and tie (just for an hour), and then slip back into my worker’s apron. For a while I felt like Clark Kent minus the glasses. This routine eventually became a cemented part of my day-to-day job, and I grew more accustomed to the customer-facing nature of the role.

Following the Curzon Plaza, I moved onto an office block in Holborn, working in maintenance. Surprisingly, I was told on my first day that maintenance work would form the least of my duties, that I would in fact be based mostly behind the reception desk. So out came the collar and tie once again! My boss at the time was very relaxed and would ask me to perform all manner of duties, duties I had little or no experience of – from monitoring people entering the building, checking their ID to using the radio and learning how to operate CCTV. I hadn’t received any formal training because my boss wasn’t there most of the time, I just got thrown into the deep end. However, not only did I fulfil my duties as both security guard and receptionist, but I still performed any maintenance work that needed doing in and around the building. This made me invaluable and I soon got promoted to ‘Deputy Building Manager,’ a title I was proud to carry. It was then I received all my formal training in CCTV, first aid and other SIA training. Now I work in Moorgate in corporate security, where I wear fewer Clark Kent disguises, working in two areas – security and facility management.

Working in corporate security the hours can be long, and this requires commitment. You need to be on the ball for your colleagues. Then there’s the public, sometimes people can be difficult and tricky situations can arise. My current workplace hosts two large companies and one gets a lot of publicity – both positive and negative. When the latter occurs, we attract demonstrators and they gather outside the building to protest, or worse, people sometimes enter the building and refuse to leave. In both cases it’s my team’s job to inform people that they cannot go beyond the security barriers and if they try to do so, measures will be enforced. A particularly hairy moment emerged when there was a demonstration and we had to deal with a large angry mob of people, something I felt ill-equipped to do. It was a nerve-shredding experience, one that required calm and confidence, for we were strongly outnumbered. After a while they left, and things simmered down.

People often ask me, ‘do I still want to be a Rockstar?’ I laugh and tell them I like to think anything is possible, but obviously I won’t hold my breath. Working in security won’t make you rich and it isn’t an easy job for most, but if you care about what you do, you can succeed and enjoy a fruitful career. I believe I’m living proof.

So then, outside of playing the electric guitar, security is probably the one skill I can say that I’ve truly mastered.”

“For a while I felt like Clark Kent minus the glasses”

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Olu – “I enjoy saving people’s lives.”

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Carl – “I continued performing CPR as there was no way I was going to let him die.”

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"My doorman days were memorable, but I've settled for a slower pace of life" - Johnathan

People often ask, ‘is what I do dangerous?’ And I tell them, ‘depends on the postcode.’

I believe certain areas attract certain types of people. Like, the rougher the neighbourhood, the higher the chance of trouble. But it’s people’s actions that can tarnish a town’s name, not the other way around. People are always saying stuff like, ‘Lewisham is rough, or that they wouldn’t be seen dead walking the streets of Tottenham late at night.’ But everyone seems to forget that an area is only as bad as the people who live there. The same can be said of Croydon. Sure, it’s hardly the safest place on Earth and it frequently grabs the headlines, but it’s also my place of work and the area I grew up.

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a lot of my friends would rock up outside and assume I could get them in

Before working in security, I had a job in retail, working as a sales assistant. I did it full-time to keep my head above water. I’m a father of two adorable kids who like to have all the latest things, and while I did my best to give them everything they wanted, I realised how overworked I was and craved fulfilment. For a while I felt a growing desire to do something different, to challenge myself both mentally and physically. I decided then, a job in security would be it.

I chose not to quit my retail job at the time because I didn’t know how things would pan out. So, I started out working just two nights a week over the weekend. It was tiring juggling two jobs, but well worth the investment.

My first gig was a pub in Putney, south-west London. I worked on the doors and often witnessed many fights. The venue boasted a humongous LCD 98” TV screen that would showcase all major sporting events. This, inevitably, would attract many die-hard sports fanatics and on some of the busiest nights, the place would get jam-packed. I remember, around the time I started working there, a lot of my friends would rock up outside and assume I could get them in and serve them free drinks! I’d jokingly turn them away and tell them to get lost.

Unlike most jobs I had worked up until then, door work proved the most unpredictable. Some nights I would break up fights, others, I’d guide punters safely into the backseat of cabs, to ensure they got home in one piece. 

I felt a responsibility to help those around me, and I became the eyes and ears of my surroundings, forever watching, forever vigilant. But as with any job, complications would arise. One night, for instance, there had been a major rugby game playing and a group of ex-rugby players, the size of ogres, started getting rowdy and kicked up a fuss. 

Tables were overturned, and bottles started flying everywhere. The crazy thing is, while all this chaos was unfolding, I was completely unaware. My back was turned and the radio in my ear had stopped working. Next thing I knew, I felt something hard shatter against the back of my head. When I turned, I saw the shocked faces of my colleague’s rush towards me with concern. 

Surprisingly, I was fine. I had inflicted a gash just above my neck that needed stitches, nothing more. I wasn’t concussed or anything. But when I touched my wound and saw how bloody my hand was after, it dawned on me how lucky I was. My boss insisted that I go home or at the very least get my head checked out at the A and E, but instead I settled for running it under a cold tap and ‘firmed it’ as they say in cockney slang.

My doorman days were memorable, but I’ve since settled for a slower pace of life. I have gone full circle now. I’m back where I started, only this time not working as a sales assistant, but working as a security guard instead. I still work in Croydon and yes, the job can be dangerous at times. But I think no matter where you find yourself, doing a job like this, there will always be risk, no matter the area. The fact is, humans are unpredictable and where there are humans, there is always potential threat.

We’re like time-bombs in a way, slowly ticking away, and I like to think I’m there at the ready when the time comes.”

“It was tiring juggling two jobs, but well worth the investment”

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Olu – “I enjoy saving people’s lives.”

Olu
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Carl – “I continued performing CPR as there was no way I was going to let him die.”

Carl
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"The secret to this job is to give off good vibes" - David

It doesn’t matter whether you’re dealing with the worst kind of person or a saint, the outcome will always be positive. What you give out you’ll receive, pure and simple. So, give off bad vibes, expect a nasty attitude in return.

I think it’s important to have a goal, to aspire towards something

I always dreamed of becoming a police officer, but as I’m not British it’s been tricky trying to make the dream a reality. I’m twenty-five and grew up in Portugal, although originally, I’m from West Africa, Guinea Bissau.

Growing up in Portugal, opportunities were sparse, so I decided to immigrate to the UK and advance my career. Whilst acquiring my GCSEs and A-levels I worked the usual retail jobs to get by. Then, as a temporary solution to my dream I chose security.

Overall, I’ve been working in security for two years and while I love it, the job can sometimes present risks. But the best part for me is the social aspect, I get to meet fresh faces everyday and some familiar ones too. Then there’s the value of working within a team. This is very important. If you have a strong team around you, the work environment instantly feels like home. And I believe good people will always attract good customers. It’s kind of infectious.

Currently, I work on the doors of The Rocksteady in Dalston. I’ve been there for merely a month and already it feels like a lifetime, simply because of the good vibes we’ve got going on in here. I also decided to work in this area because my girlfriend and I recently had a baby. We wanted to live in an area with less people and less trouble. So, we settled in Stratford, London.

I feel fortunate enough to have worked in some very popular clubs in the West End, notably Ministry of Sound and Heaven. While I’ve had a blast there, it’s been challenging at times. Many dangerous incidents have befallen me and I even managed to get stabbed once. It happened at Ministry of Sound. There were a group of Somalians who’d gotten highly intoxicated and unruly. I was forced to intervene when things escalated quickly. It’s a shame because people are quick to judge and being African myself, incidents like this can often paint an unfavourable image when they occur. In terms of the risks involved, I fully accept them. In fact, I believe they’re lower in comparison to those taken by the police, so this alone is reason enough for me to brave them.

Right now, I’m planning to upgrade my license within the next two years and try and get my badge for close protection. Until I achieve my dream of becoming a police officer, body guarding is something else I’d like to try. I think it’s important to have a goal, to aspire towards something. Otherwise, life will just pass you by and you’ll feel unfulfilled.

What appeals to me most about becoming a police officer, is the opportunity to help people and I believe door work provides the perfect training ground for this. Let’s say you find yourself outside my bar and are randomly attacked by a mob of thugs, well I have a duty and a responsibility to protect you from harm, simply because you are within the vicinity of my establishment. This fills me with pride, because I’m obligated to help. I’m here to ensure your safety.

To be successful in this work, you also need to know the area. You’ll be surprised how often people ask me for directions to the nearest tube station or fast-food restaurant. This job isn’t just about playing the silent tough guy routine, it’s about customer service. But on the flip side of that, if you ever appear rude or ‘too busy’, it will only reflect badly on yourself and the establishment you’re representing. Security is all about reading people, understanding and expressing good judgment.

You must appear friendly and cooperative, but also maintain a sharp mind. The streets can be dark and unforgiving places. I often see a lot of loneliness, people wandering with no place to go, their eyes tinged with sadness. In a first world country, I believe it shouldn’t be this way. Then there are the desperate types, chancers, those who have had the misfortune of a tough upbringing. They harbour strong feelings of bitterness and easily succumb to the lure of gangs, drugs and turn to petty crime. Doing this job, you sometimes feel like a spectator to all the chaos, but I like to think I can make a difference. I always try to help where I can. There’s a homeless guy who often hangs around outside the bar a lot. The two of us got talking one day and became fast friends. Now he helps inside whenever we’re short staffed, clearing up empties and the like. It’s always rewarding to offer help to those who need it. I sometimes wish I could take all the troubled kids off the street and show them their true potential. If they did the SIA training, they’d probably better understand the risks we take and see security people in a different light.

Although I can’t solve all the world’s problems, for now at least, I’ll continue to dream and make the streets that little bit safer – one good vibe at a time.”

 

“This job isn’t just about playing the silent tough guy routine”

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Olu – “I enjoy saving people’s lives.”

Olu
READ OLU'S STORY

LICENSED LIFE

Carl – “I continued performing CPR as there was no way I was going to let him die.”

Carl
READ CARL'S STORY