Gary Morrison: NZ Security Association CEO comments on ACT proposition to give security guards more power

ACT wants to grant security guards more powers, with industry concerns not many would want the extra abilities

The Party says police are overstretched and security staff can fill the gap - protecting retailers, transport hubs and businesses.

They'd like them allowed to detain and remove people, issue exclusion notices, and use force.

Security Association chief executive Gary Morrison says he doubts most security staff would want to be in that situation.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Kerry Wood a morning's podcast from
news Talks HEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
As we've heard, ACT wants to give specially trained security
guards stronger powers to tackle in some case I literally
crime and mall's shops and transport hubs. The police would
allow accredited guards to detain offenders, issue exclusion notices and
use reasonable forced with ACT arguing it would help businesses
stay safe while police resources are stretched. To discuss I'm

(00:34):
joined by CEO of the New Zealand Security Association, Gary Morrison.
Good morning to you, Gary.

Speaker 3 (00:40):
Yes, good on, Good to talk to you Kerry, and good.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
To talk to you again. When it comes to security
guards having extra powers, do they want them?

Speaker 3 (00:52):
I think it's important to note here this would only
be for those security staff who want to be involved,
have the right skills, the capability, can go through the
necessary training to have that ability to have those powers.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
So just because you want to doesn't mean you will
be able to.

Speaker 3 (01:13):
No, not at all. It really requires a small group
of people who are well trained, have the right skills,
the right contents, the right capability. It would not be
for all security staff, and a vast majority of security
staff probably wouldn't want to be put in that situation.
So we're talking about a reasonly small cohort of people.

(01:33):
I think we've got about twenty seven thousand licensed security
staff currently. We would see this as probably a maximum
of maybe a thousand and two thousand people.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
Wow, okay, And so they would apply and go through
a process similar to the police in terms of vetting.

Speaker 3 (01:49):
They would certainly go well, they already go through vetting
to work in the industry, they.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
Already go through that, but they probably don't psychological profiles, do.

Speaker 3 (01:56):
They exactly to make sure they're conptent for the role.
They've got the right skills and can do the training,
and that training would be quite stringent as well.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
Is that training ready to go the moment you get
the legal authority to do so.

Speaker 3 (02:10):
It is largely in place. We would certainly want to
get some input from the police and from relevant experts.
It's already been designed by experts, but I think just
getting a wider overview and turning getting a sign off
from police would be desirable. But it is there. It's
really pretty much ready to roll out.

Speaker 2 (02:27):
So you've just been waiting for somebody with the political
cajones to take this kind of legislation through Parliament.

Speaker 3 (02:35):
I think it's important to remember that the Ministry of
Advisory Group for Victims of Retail Crime has been looking
into this for quite a period. We put submissions through.
Our submissions very much aligned with where acts coming from
on it. But I also know that from that advisory
group that we're recommendations four powers for security staff which
are currently sitting with Minister's Goldsmith and McKee. So it

(02:57):
has been in progress for quite a long time. But
the good thing for us is it very much aligned
with the recommendations we put through.

Speaker 2 (03:07):
I'm going to put to you we had a caller
who felt that security guards would be able to just
detain people.

Speaker 3 (03:16):
I did listen. I think the key there is he
was talking about detaining and effectively that detainment is a
very very last resort. If you've got competent staff with
the right training. It's all around focused on preventing that
issue is escalating. To that point of view, the ideal
is you don't let the offenders into the retail store
in the first place, or you take protective measures and

(03:40):
proactive measures whilst they're on store get them out of it,
rather than getting into that situation. Where you do have
to detain, and you'll only detain the offender where it's
really safe to do so, you know, and if it's
had a checkout area, you've got staff involved, you've got
other customers, potentially the elderly, potentially children. The last thing
you want to be doing is causing an issue at

(04:00):
that stage. So a good judgment call may be that
you do have to let defender exit the premise and
take some action at that stage if that is the
safest option there. And again you wouldn't detain an offender
unless it's in an area where you can actually hold
them safely. Yeah, it's all very well detaining somebody at
the checkout, but where you're going to put them, you

(04:21):
can't just leave them there for half an hour until
the police arrives. So there's a lot of proactive measures
and considerations would be in place. We operate to the
very tight SOPs standard operating procedures, and that would outline
all of those requirements you would consider before you went
down that track of detaining.

Speaker 2 (04:40):
And it's not as though they could ruin their lives.
It's not as though they'd be able to falsely imprison
these people. And you know, give them a criminal record.
All they're doing is helping out the police correct and
there are police sort it out.

Speaker 3 (04:57):
Yeah. Yeah, And an interesting part for us, we actually
see this is potentially a pathway for those employees who
would like to move into the police force. It is
giving them some of the skills and some of the
experience for those who would like to work in police
and see that as a future career opportunity for them
as well. So there is that pathway opportunity for people

(05:18):
who want to go down that track as well.

Speaker 2 (05:20):
And a big part of that is using your judgment,
because that's what the police do, is their judgment, and
try not to get it to the point of reason.

Speaker 3 (05:28):
The key focus of the training is key focus of
the vetting right up front to make sure you're getting
the right people. And then part of that training is
very much around that focus and building situational awareness, but
making sure you're aware of potential offenders coming on site,
keeping them under observation, being aware if they may be

(05:49):
carrying weapons, etc. They may be in an area within
the store that gives them access to weapons, so all
those thought processes have been aware of it before you
look to take any action.

Speaker 2 (06:00):
Tool, lovely structure. As always, you are the voice of reason.
You're a perfect antidote to Matt. You've calmed me, Darren.
Thank you, Gary Morris and the CEO of the New
Zealand Security Association.

Speaker 1 (06:12):
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