Occasionally treated with contempt and judged merely as ‘hard men in a suit’ – working in retail security can be tricky.
But is the job actually much harder than the general public realise?
As providers of qualified, experienced, and professional retail security across the country, T-Class UK, reveals all.
Undoing years of bad reputations
How many people do you know that have a story about a dreadful bouncer?
Retail security, doormen, and bouncers have long been lumped together, despite the fact they complete very different jobs and have vastly different skills, which has led to the tarnishing of their reputation and their highly specialised abilities.
But what skills does a retail security officer need and is the job hard?
Is retail security hard?
Although the vast majority of the general public is pleasant and doesn’t give retail security cause for concern, the economic climate has meant that more people than ever are turning to crimes like shoplifting to make ends meet.
This, combined with the usual criminal element that is looking for the opportunity to take what they can get means that retail security now has their work cut out for them, as they have more people than ever to monitor and intervene with if they commit a crime.
They are also able to complete additional duties, including:
- Security patrols
- Monitoring CCTV
- Intervene in difficult or anti-social situations
- Compile reports for the emergency services
- Helping members of the public
- Assisting staff and event workers with members of the public and troublemakers
- Ensure all safety and emergency procedures are followed
- Working within the extent of the law at all times – even when faced with extreme behaviour and violence
As a result, put most simply, working as a retail security guard can be much more complex than you ever thought possible – with the need for reasonable, rational, professional responses to all situations – no matter how intimidating and violent.
Do you have what it takes to be retail security?
To give them the background they need to do their job with professionalism and competency, retail security guards are highly trained and have a number of personal qualities that are beneficial to their job.
These are outlined further below.
Specialist training
All retail security guards must hold a valid SIA Door Supervisor Licence, that must be renewed every 3 years.
This training covers four key modules, which must all be passed to gain the licence, including:
- Principles of Working in The Private Security Industry
- Principles of Working as a Door Supervisor
- Application of Conflict Management for the Private Security Industry
- Application of Physical Intervention in the Private Security Industry
Unlicenced retail security guards may be cheaper to hire but do not meet the legal qualifications for working in that capacity with the public – which can lead to very costly court cases if things go wrong.
Personal skills
While anyone can study for the SIA Licence, it takes a very specific type of person to have the skills needed to maintain professionalism in the face of anti-social behaviour and violence.
These personality traits and qualities include:
- Versatility
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Empathy and understanding
- Patience
- An interest in helping people
- Organisation
- Confidence
Among many more!
Do you need retail security guards for your establishment?
If you need retail security you can trust that work with professionalism, confidence, and experience while representing your brand seamlessly – contact T-Class UK.
Here at T-Class Security UK, we provide the highest-quality retail security for premises of all kinds, creating bespoke packages that give you everything you need to rest easy.
For more information or to book retail security services, contact our helpful team today. You can call us on 0203 7948182 or use our online contact form and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
