When it comes to security, Quest National Security takes a very serious approach. We train our guards to deploy when needed 6 levels of force that we can use to protect our employees, our clients and assets. The level of force we use depends on the security threat that we are facing. In this blog post, we will discuss each level of force and what it is used for.
Quest armed (and unarmed) guards are always trained to observe and report any suspicious activity to their immediate post commanders, supervisors, and local PD. They are also trained to use reasonable force when needed, control the situation and perform an arrest.
Guards are instructed to always use common sense and avoid excessive response when possible as the preference is to have local PD on site rapidly. This is where our direct access to law enforcement agencies plays an important role in our security performance.
However, upon an immediate risk to civilians, the guards, and valuable assets - our officers are fully trained and capable of professionally engaging with the suspects, firing their weapons when needed, and disabling the threat.
Level One - Uniformed Guard Presence
Professional body language, gestures, and non-verbal and non-threatening. This level includes the use of light, vehicle light, horn, and speaker.
Level Two - Verbal Commands
The guard engages with the suspect using verbal communication. Non-threatening and calm yet firm and professional. No shouting is required unless the guard assesses the situation as escalating.
Level Three – Physical Contact
Use of minimum force to hold and guide the suspect, typically using bare hands. This level does not include aggressive moves such as attacking the suspect but it might include some wrist or elbow manipulations in the event the minimum force failed. At this level, the guard might use his weapons for defense self-defense purposes. Handcuffs shall be used on aggressive suspects that pose a real threat or when the suspect might have obtained classified/valuable assets and is at high risk of flight. Generally, we avoid handcuffing the suspect with his / her face on the ground to avoid choking possibilities.
Level Four – Pepper Spray / Tear Gas / Baton
When the suspect is violent but does not pose a deadly threat to civilians and the guard. Typically, this level is applied when other lower levels were attempted and failed. Note that often chemical agents do not stop a violent suspect and even can make them more upset. But it does give the officer more valuable time to calculate their next move.
Level Five – Restraint of The Suspect
Aggressive restraint of the suspect using non-deadly force until the suspect is fully restrained and handcuffed. This level is reserved for violent situations where other measures failed and when the guard was unable to simply wait for local PD. This level includes strongholds, choke holds, heavy wrist manipulations, and minimum baton blows to arms, legs, and joints (avoiding the suspect’s head.)
Level Six – Use of Deadly Force
This level is exercised only when no other solutions exist and the guard or civilians are under an immediate and severe risk by the suspect.
Weapon drawing: Quest guards are trained to avoid their handguns at all times unless they face a lethal force threat to themselves or others. All other threats are handled utilizing reasonable force all while maintaining the focused agenda of observation and report.
Security officers do not face conflict all the time. In fact, in most posts, the guard will hardly ever experience a conflict. This is because the presence of the uniformed guard alone combined with his/her body language and stance is often sufficient to avoid any conflict and to deter crime.
We find that in our experience most crimes are deterred with zero force when the guards on the post are performing their duties as required, have a commanding and professional presence, and are very familiar with the client’s facility layout and particular situations.
Nerveless, security guards should always perform their duties with a high level of alertness and awareness of their surroundings, identifying odd situations and people that behave suspiciously and then proceeding with assessing the situation to decide what would be the safest plan of action with the most favorable outcome.
Need guards? or a change of guards?
If you are not extremely happy with your current security or perhaps you just think that you can do better – please reach out and schedule a professional site-security assessment with no strings attached and a competitive proposal. After all, we have been doing just that, keeping people and assets safe, since 2001.
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