The tragic death of 20-year-old security guard Harshandeep Singh at an apartment complex in Edmonton on December 6, 2024, serves as a stark reminder of the importance of situational awareness and personal safety skills for security professionals.
Singh, a business administration student at NorQuest College with aspirations of becoming a police officer, was working his third shift as a security guard when he was fatally shot while on patrol at a downtown apartment building where crime was a common occurrence. Whether inadequate training and support played a role in Singh’s death is currently a topic of discussion, this post takes a broader look at the risks that security guards face and the importance of having the training and skills to keep themselves safe.
Understanding the Challenges of a Security Guard’s Role
Security guards play a vital role in protecting people and property. They are often the first on scene when things go bad. Yet, compared to other first-responders like the police and paramedics, the role of security comes with significant limitations. The most significant differences between a security guard and a police officer are training, equipment and authority.
Training Gaps Between Security Guards and Police Officers
Police officers undergo expensive and rigorous training, spanning several months at designated training facilities. In Ontario for example, new police recruits spend three months at the Ontario Police College before attending further training with their respective police services. Topics covered include tactical decision-making, de-escalation techniques, legal authorities, advanced situational awareness, lethal and non-lethal weapons, and more.
Security guards, by contrast, are only required to complete a forty-hour online course, and pass a written exam to obtain their security licence in Ontario. Many provinces have similar processes in place. This training is much less extensive and intensive, focusing on more basic observation, communication and legal knowledge. The differences include:
- Police Training: Includes high-intensity drills, scenario-based training, firearms training and qualifications, and certifications in defensive tactics. Police officers receive training to deal with active shooter situations, armed subjects, and other violent incidents.
Security Guard Training: Typically focuses on basic patrol techniques, use of force legal authorities, basic emergency response, and communication skills. High level training in self-defence, safety principles, or situational awareness is not typically mandatory. In many cases, the level of training provided is at the discretion of the employer.
Equipment Disparities
Police and other public law enforcement agencies also have training in, and access to tools and equipment that far exceeds those of security guards. This often leaves security guards with fewer options when faced with high-risk situations. This is particularly evident in environments with a high probability of violent crime, as was the case with Harshandeep Singh.
- Police Equipment: Police officers typically carry firearms, batons, conductive energy weapons (Taser), OC spray (pepper spray), bullet-resistant vests, and handcuffs. They also possess advanced training in communication and team-based response. These tools and training equip them to de-escalate, and if necessary, neutralize threats.
- Security Equipment: Security guards typically do not carry firearms, tasers, or pepper spray. They may carry a flashlight, radio, and handcuffs. While some are equipped with bullet-resistant vests, many are not. The same is true for intermediate weapons such as batons. As a matter of policy, many security guards are required to avoid all physical engagement unless absolutely necessary.
Legal Authority and Responsibility
Another significant difference between the police and security are their legal authorities.
- Police Officers: They have broad powers of arrest and detainment, search and seizure, and act as agents of the government. In other words, they are public peace officers.
Security Guards: In contrast have only a citizen’s power of arrest, very limited search authority, and are restricted to enforcing only the laws that pertain to the protection of the people and private property they work at. Noticing when something is happening and reporting it to the police is their primary responsibility, rather than taking direct and independent action.
The Importance of Situational Awareness and Personal Safety
The role of security guards, and the expectations on them create something of a contradiction. They are hired to protect people and property, but are also not expected to get too involved when these people and property are put at risk. They are the first on scene, when the most critical decisions and actions must be taken, but are given little training on how to make good decisions, or take decisive action.
Both the public and the criminals view a security guard as a quasi-law enforcement agent. This means that the public expect them to act, yet are quick to criticize them for doing so. Criminals perceive them as a threat, which makes the security guard a target. Sadly, this is likely a contributing factor in Singh’s fatal shooting.
Given the reality that security guards will repeatedly find themselves in situations they are not equipped to handle themselves, it is of critical importance that they have the situational awareness, and personal safety skills necessary to keep themselves out of harm’s way.
Key Components of Situational Awareness
- Perception: Noticing unusual or suspicious behaviour. Recognizing unauthorized individuals within the environment they are responsible for.
- Comprehension: Understanding the significance, implications and risks associated with their observations.
- Projection: Using their perceptions and comprehension to anticipate what might happen next, and consider options to respond effectively.
Personal Safety Strategies
- Maintain Safe Distances: Establish a reactionary gap, which increases along with the level of risk. Utilize barriers such as furniture, walls and doors to increase safety and allow for time to disengage if necessary.
- Emergency Communication: Have reliable methods for calling for backup, or summoning police assistance when situations escalate beyond their capabilities.
- Avoid Physical Engagement: Focus on observation, communication and de-escalation whenever possible. Disengage from confrontational situations before they escalate to violence.
- Proactive Risk Assessment: Security guards must be continuously reassessing their environment, the subject’s behaviour, and other risk factors. Things can change very quickly, and security guards must be vigilant and prepared to adjust their approach.
Lessons from the Edmonton Tragedy
Harshandeep Singh’s death, which occurred in a building where someone else had been shot only two-weeks earlier, illustrates the dangers that security guards face when working in high-crime areas. It also emphasizes the importance of additional training and resources to address the challenges of such environments. It is incumbent on security companies to address the following:
- Conduct Risk Assessments: A comprehensive assessment of the risks and other challenges presented by the site should be completed prior to deploying security guards. The guards should then be regularly briefed on known threats.
- Enhanced Training: Guards working in high-risk areas should receive advanced training in de-escalation, situational awareness, personal safety and awareness, so that they are prepared to safely fulfill their role.
- Equipment Upgrades: Provide security guards working in high-risk environments with protective gear such as bullet-resistant vests, handcuffs, and if permitted by law, access to intermediate weapons.
- Collaborative Relationships: Build strong relationships with local law enforcement. This helps ensure rapid responses to emergencies and improved communication between agencies.
Acknowledging the Burden on Security Guards
It is important for all parties, from public law enforcement, to law-makers, private business, and the public at large to recognize the emotional toll and physical danger that accompany security work. Security guards often find themselves working alone, without the resources or authority to effectively handle the situations they face, yet they are still expected to handle them and keep others safe.
It is an often thankless job, where the risks far outweigh the rewards. Yet, thousands of security professionals are out there doing it, day after day, making the world safer for everyone. Security companies must make training and support a priority for their staff. This includes having the equipment, procedures and post-incident support available.
The Path Forward
The tragic death of Harshandeep Singh is a stark reminder of the vulnerability of security guards in Canada and around the world. While there will always be risk, investing in significantly better training, equipment and resources can help bridge the many gaps.
Efforts to elevate the public’s perception of the role of a security guard to one that actually reflects the reality of the profession, along with legislative changes to make it easier for security professionals to fulfill their duties are desperately needed; if we can ever hope to avoid another needless death.
Employers, policymakers, and training organizations such as SGC all have a vital role to play in protecting the security guards tasked with protecting others.
References
CTV News. (2024, December 8). Building where security guard died saw shooting 2 weeks earlier. CTV News Edmonton. Retrieved from https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/building-where-security-guard-died-saw-shooting-2-weeks-earlier-1.7144761
Global News. (2024, December 7). Vigil held for Edmonton security guard killed on the job. Global News. Retrieved from https://globalnews.ca/news/10915686/edmonton-security-guard-harshandeep-singh-vigil/