By Security Guards I am talking about anybody in the NZ Security Industry because in New Zealand everyone is refered to as a guard.
Why this question?
Well last week we had figures for injuries of Police & Corrections officers, this week the likelyhood of Ambulance officers been given stab proof vests as assaults increase.
But when talking to OSH after my attack they put it down to an assault, so it was a police issue. I pointed out it was also a work place issue for security as all these other groups have statistics, but not the security industry.
Part of that is the attitude of the industry (many regard the injuries from a weekends work at bars as a work out), part companies not acknowledging any injuries (to the extent that they won't even acknowledge ACC payments or have forms for injuries) & part society not regarding security as even people at times.
As far as many people are concerned security is untrained labour. Much of security is about experience, often that means getting things wrong & learning from them the hard way.
Over the weekend I was talking to some security guards, one who has brought his own stab vest, another was looking to buy his own(as most have too & the rest don't think they need it) as one of them came past for another check on his patrol he received a call. His mate had gone into a check at a location where they had been threatened by a group of people in the past. A vehicle had followed them in & comms had been lost.
In the end it was just some miscommunication, but the average security guard is often first to dangerous situations & more often than not alone.
Safety Watch: Conflict Resolution
They are also often left on site after a dangerous situation but get no recognition. For example what was not well documented was after the boy racers attacked a police vehicle in Christchurch over a year ago, a lone security guard was left to watch over the area once the police left.
The people in security are often passionate about the industry, but are never given enough recognition or protection.
http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz
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Nice to see someone else taking issue with the lack of interest in the dangers security guards in New Zealand face. There seems to be almost a stigma about security in NZ, a situation that is not helped by some of the larger companies employing anybody that can tie their laces and not much else. It is a difficult job which is poorly paid, badly regulated and generally seen as a job for "wanna-be police" or power hungry blokes. Which is a pity as you mentioned there are a lot of passionate people in the security industry who are let down by bad management and a bad public image. I don't think you will find anyone whose been in the industry for more than a few months who hasn't been physically threatened or assaulted while trying to do their job. Personally I have been assaulted numerous times while on duty and have noticed that the risks of assault have increased dramatically over the last few years while the protection offered and training given to guards has not moved with the times (in most cases).
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