Can A security guard stop and search ur bags if?

I see what you mean about being sarched and the story being fishy. but as most guards will know if a EAS barrier goes off, 9 times out of 10 the customer will panic a turn back to the guard and the customer will nearly always hold there bag open, this is when i would ask if the have broght anything in store as i belive they they my have left the tag on. i walk them over to a till and hand them over to a member of staff. on the other hand if the barrier goes off and the turn a run, thats a different story!
 
checked this with pro

Recently talked about this issue with a private investigator that works in our company. He sometimes does "extra" work at shops as store detective and as he explained, guards DO HAVE RIGHT to detain you,but this must gothis way:

1.They must see you stealing
2.They must wait until you leave the shopping mall and stop you outside
3.Ask you politely to escort them to a managers office
4.Tell that they think that you "forgot" to pay for something and ask you to show your receipt and items
5. if you disagree call police asap.

If guards do not follow this rules they may end up with a lawsuit,that guy is professional investigator and this is the way he explained it to me in plain English :) so people better co-op or else you may end up in trouble,and even end up with ban from entering that and other shopping outlets :p
 
By not asking permission before searching someones property or person, the person who carries out the search is guilty of what is called a trespass against a person.

Also if a security guard or store tec does stop someone before they have Exited the building, the person is only guilty of attempted theft (if they have anything that is). The way that the CPS are treating cases at present it may end up being NFA'd. (If it is their first offence or they are not a prolific offender).
 
Well I used to work in the retail environment and as far as we was aware. I f we think someone hasn't paid for goods an get passed all points of payment we was able to search bags. But only shopping bags we was never allowed to search personal bags if we still had suspition they had goods in there personal bags we would detain them until the police came and could search them. But we was told what we can and can't do by our Security Manager it maybe different for different retail stores. I'm not sure

Regards
Jay
 
Well I used to work in the retail environment and as far as we was aware. I f we think someone hasn't paid for goods an get passed all points of payment we was able to search bags. But only shopping bags we was never allowed to search personal bags if we still had suspition they had goods in there personal bags we would detain them until the police came and could search them. But we was told what we can and can't do by our Security Manager it maybe different for different retail stores. I'm not sure

Regards
Jay
Without permission you are not allowed to search person or property. If a company chooses to allow their security teams to stop and search a person's property without permission, then that company is putting themselves at risk of all sorts of litigation that could be taken against them, not only that but they are putting their security staff at risk as well. Thinking that somone has not payed for goods and proving it are 2 different things, P.A.C.E deals with this below 3 sections you must prove to stop and make an arrest
[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, sans-serif]DISHONESTY[/FONT][FONT=Arial, sans-serif]. An honest taker is not a thief. If for instance, a client wrongly believes that he/she has paid for goods, then his/her error does not turn him/her into a thief.[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, sans-serif]APPROPRIATION. [/FONT][FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The goods must have been taken away from their proper place, with the necessary dishonest intent. The moment they have been removed (from the store) you may arrest.[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, sans-serif]AN INTENTION TO PERMANENTLY DEPRIVE.[/FONT][FONT=Arial, sans-serif] This separates theft from borrowing. For instance; the employee who takes goods home to wear for an occasion, with the intention of having them cleaned and put back into stock, is not a thief. She may have earned herself the sack, but there was no “intention to permanently deprive”.[/FONT][/FONT]
 
No one has the power to stop and search in the UK other than the Police.
entry into a store or anywhere for that matter is not on a "condition basis" only exclusion to this is MOD or Millitary establishments. A security guard, door staff etc can REQUEST ONLY refusal may result in detention until the Police arrive to conduct a LEGAL search. please note to detain in this manner the person must have "reasonal grounds to belive IE be 95% possitive, not just a idea or "gut feeling" All search's you agree to can on request be done in private, there is no reason to refuse this. Unless you are a Bobby looking for a knife etc.
 
As far as I was trained before I started working as the security guard in UK [it was in 2004], you are not allowed to search anybody's bags, however if you are 100% sure they stole sth. you stop them and call police to do it. Other way you may be in trouble they may sue you for false accusation.

But in other countries it may be different for example in Poland, all big supermarkets
including British TESCO have security personel standing right after tills and rutine checking
basked/trolley against bill then stamping it, it is actually more aimed to stop till operators
from cooperating in theft by not scanning items.
 
I wont shop in poland for sure :D

But in other countries it may be different for example in Poland, all big supermarkets
including British TESCO have security personel standing right after tills and rutine checking
basked/trolley against bill then stamping it, it is actually more aimed to stop till operators
from cooperating in theft by not scanning items.
 
As a SG if someone was leaving my store/shop and they Beeped then i would ask them in the most nices way to see thier bag and use the excuse like "Im so sorry about this can i see your bag one of the till girls/guys must have not deactivated the tag and it will go off in every /store/shop you go into" This then gives them the idea im just being a nice person and i dont want them to get embaresed with other SG/stores/shop while at the same time im checking her bag for theft! Now if i asked the same question and a customer said "NO" amd then wanted to leave then this would ring alarm bells within me, and i would request poilce presence, i can not be done as i have not acused him/her of shoplifting. But then again i wouldnt make these mistakes as im to good at my job ;) :)
 
Carl Dowd has got it spot on, I did quite a few years as a SG but to be honest could not wait to get out of it, really is brain numbing work.
 
I've noticed recently some posts have a whole string of one post wonders asking questions never to be heard of again, which for some reason i find a little peculiar, why would anyone ask a question and this disappear and not follow up on the replies ?
 
As a SG if someone was leaving my store/shop and they Beeped then i would ask them in the most nices way to see thier bag and use the excuse like "Im so sorry about this can i see your bag one of the till girls/guys must have not deactivated the tag and it will go off in every /store/shop you go into" This then gives them the idea im just being a nice person and i dont want them to get embaresed with other SG/stores/shop while at the same time im checking her bag for theft! Now if i asked the same question and a customer said "NO" amd then wanted to leave then this would ring alarm bells within me, and i would request poilce presence, i can not be done as i have not acused him/her of shoplifting. But then again i wouldnt make these mistakes as im to good at my job ;) :)


If the beeper goes off, have they not already left the shop?
If still on the premises and the beeper goes off, then this wouldnt constitute as theft would it?

If i have already left a shop and someone approaches to look in my bags, then the answer would definately be no, followed by a swift take down to china town. If you struggled i would escalate my use of force, its amazing what a packet of jaffa cakes directed at the correct part of the anatomy can do. If the struggle then went on i would be left with no option but to terminate the said persons existance.
 
If i have already left a shop and someone approaches to look in my bags, then the answer would definately be no, followed by a swift take down to china town. If you struggled i would escalate my use of force, its amazing what a packet of jaffa cakes directed at the correct part of the anatomy can do. If the struggle then went on i would be left with no option but to terminate the said persons existance.

So you'd assault someone who simply asked to look in your bags. That would be a good way to lose your license and get an assault charge. Also choosing to fight with someone who is no threat to you is very unwise as you never know what their skills are. You seem to assume that you can fight anyone.
 
So you'd assault someone who simply asked to look in your bags. That would be a good way to lose your license and get an assault charge. Also choosing to fight with someone who is no threat to you is very unwise as you never know what their skills are. You seem to assume that you can fight anyone.
I think his reply may be a touch tounge-in-cheek Little
 
So you'd assault someone who simply asked to look in your bags. That would be a good way to lose your license and get an assault charge. Also choosing to fight with someone who is no threat to you is very unwise as you never know what their skills are. You seem to assume that you can fight anyone.

No not assault, end there lives, nada, nish end of no more.

What licence? Id need one to lose it. Dont need licences to leave a shop. Who,s going to charge me, i havnt met a copper yet who can take me down, in fact the opposite is true, i have fought and won Police Forces.

I know there skills = No skills, Fact!

Never assume, i know i can fight and win everyone who dare oppose me. Men, Women and Children.

No littlewomen if youll excuse me, im off to admire my perfect body and have a fight.
 
Back
Top