Rights of security guards

[obiter dictum]

Interesting point Surfer01

 

Shoplifting will be a summary offence delt with at a magistrates court, not an indictable offence which is crown court

 

So can a security guard or a member of the public use 24A PACE for a summary offence,

[Ganymede]

If the person was totally innocent the store could be taken to the cleaners on a compensation claim.

 

 

Not sure touching someone's arm is going to cause any damage.

[Markb73]

Unlicensed or licensed........

 

Anyone can arrest anyone whom has committed an offence .........

 

As an ex Sia doorman and security guard

i can tell you now with no reasonable doubt that just because you set an alarm off no one except a police officer has the right to detain stop and search you........

 

If you have and only if you have as a citizen seen selection and concealment of an item or items

then made no reasonable effort to pay for the item

then as soon as you leave the exit you have committed theft .....

then security have the right to detain you on suspicion of theft only and caution you under pace act.........

 

If an sia guard stopped you without evidence as above

it can be and would be false arrest and assault if they touch you ........

.complaint to sia would more or less have their license revoked ..

 

.have seen it happen in the field as well as the person whom was detained paid quite a sum in compo for the assault and false detention ect

security guard could end up with criminal offense ..... ....

 

Unless things have changed

then supermarkets security have no rights to stop you or detain you

unless they are 100 per cent sure they have gone throught the processes above.....

 

.first thing a police officer will ask them is who saw what

 

just saying the alarm sounded in a public place could make some officer turn the book on them for waste of police time..... .

[filrobbo]

Thank you mark just what I have been saying all a long.

[ericsbrother]

Rights of detention are for all,

no-one other than constable (and customs men) has the right to SEARCH.

 

As for theft being a summary offence,

no it is often dealt with as such but it is indictable.

 

Summary offences include being drunk in a public place,

most motoring offences,

action liable to cause a breach of the peace and so on.