On April 10, 2025, in downtown Vancouver, every security guard’s worst fear happened. While performing his duties, an experienced 62-year old security guard was attacked and seriously injured by a man who bit off the tip of his finger. While it could have certainly been much worse, having part of one’s finger bitten off by another human being is pretty traumatic. A news report from Global News provides what little information we know.
Fortunately, the suspect (known to police) was apprehended shortly after the assault and charged with aggravated assault. While the resulting media coverage has focused mainly on the severity of the guard’s injuries, this post will be focusing on the lessons that can be learned to help all security guards to be proactive with their safety when dealing with the public.
While no amount of training can prepare you for every threat, there are key strategies that security guards can use to minimize their risk, stay safe, and manage aggressive behaviour more effectively. This blog post will break down the lessons from this incident, focusing on three critical areas: Situational Awareness, De-Escalation Techniques, and Personal Safety.
A short note before we dive into the lessons. The purpose of this post is not to criticize the security guard, or how he may have handled the incident. It’s about understanding that this can happen to anyone working in the security industry, and we all need to be vigilant and prepared.
Lesson 1: Situational Awareness – Your First Line of Defense
One of the primary skills that every security guard must develop is situational awareness. This means more than just scanning your surroundings. It’s about consciously observing people, looking for and recognizing concerning or out of the ordinary behaviours that may be early warning signs that this person may become a threat.
What Might Have Been Missed?
While the specific details of the encounter are unclear, it does appear that the attack came quickly, and escalated from there. Sadly a more common occurrence than we’d like to admit. This means that the attacker was able to get close enough to the security guard to commit the assault.
Could the attacker’s body language, eye contact, or proximity have hinted that he was escalating and/or preparing to attack? Often, people “telegraph” their intentions through subtle cues, sometimes referred to as Pre-Assault Indicators. These can include clenched or raised fists, glaring, and exaggerated movements. Recognizing these ahead of time can allow a security guard to take deliberate action to keep themselves and others safe.
What You Can Do:
- Use the 10-5 Rule: As you approach someone, take a good look at them. At 10 feet, assess their appearance and behaviour. Do they appear intoxicated or agitated? Do they have any visible weapons on or near them? Where are their hands, and what are they doing? At 5 feet, be ready to engage, disengage, or call for backup.
- Watch for Baseline Deviations: Know the normal, or typical behaviour for people around your site. If someone’s behaviour feels “off” to you, trust your instincts. They are your early warning system.
- Avoid Tunnel Vision: Don’t allow yourself to get so focused on one person or task that you lose sight of the bigger picture. Stress can exacerbate this phenomenon, and being unaware of changes in your surroundings can lead to bad things happening. Remind yourself to look around regularly, use mirrors, or change your position to keep yourself aware of your surroundings.
Lesson 2: De-Escalation – Ease the Tension Before it Erupts
Like many assaults, this attack may have appeared to come out of nowhere, but there are usually precursors. How you interact with others has a direct impact on how they interact with you. While you cannot make people behave a certain way, you can influence them. This is done through your own behaviour. De-escalation is about more than talking someone down. It’s about being in control of yourself…your tone, posture, and choice of words. It’s about delivering your messages in a way that both makes the other person feel safe, and encourages them to match your demeanour.
Security guards are often the first point of contact when someone is upset, intoxicated, or having a mental health crisis. How the security guard begins, and carries through that engagement can be the difference between gaining compliance, or in this case, getting your fingertip tip bitten off. Not that the guard in this incident necessarily used poor communication. He may have, but it isn’t 100% effective 100% of the time.
What May Have Gone Wrong?
We can only guess at what was said or discussed between the security guard and attacker. What we do know though is that the situation did escalate to the point of violence. Many situations have that potential, and using good communication skills can work wonders to reduce the risk.
Verbal and Non-Verbal Strategies That Work:
- Keep your tone calm and even: Do not match an aggressive person’s energy. Instead, keep your voice slightly lower, speak calmly, and use non-threatening and non-judgemental language.
- Use open body language: Maintain an interview stance, with your feet shoulder-width apart, and your dominant leg back slightly. Stand upright with your hands open and above your waist. This signals that you are not a threat, while still allowing you to move quickly to escape or protect yourself. Avoid crossing your arms, clenching your fists, or pointing your finger at the subject.
- Don’t argue…acknowledge: An argument is a contest to see who’s right, and there are seldom any winners. Instead, listen to the other person’s perspective and acknowledge the feelings behind it. Say things like, “I can see you’re really upset about this”, or ”I understand that you feel you’re being treated unfairly.”
- Give options, not orders: People are more cooperative and agreeable when they feel like they have some control over the outcome. Instead of just demanding that they leave the property, try giving them an option or two to choose from. You might say, “If you leave on your own right now, you can come back tomorrow between 9am and 5pm. Or we can assist you off of the property, but you will not be allowed to return tomorrow without being arrested for trespassing.” Not only does this strategy give them options to choose from, it also holds them accountable for the ultimate outcome.
What to Avoid:
- Getting too close to the subject, or allowing them to get too close to you.
- Make threats or sarcastic comments.
- Ignoring pre-assault indicators and/or signs of intoxication or mental health issues.
- Engaging in a power struggle, especially in public place where there is an audience.
Lesson 3: Personal Safety – Know Your Priorities
Arguably the biggest takeaway from the incident in Vancouver is that your safety is a priority. You can’t protect others if you’re not safe yourself.
While the role of security does require a degree of risk, remember that you are not a police officer. Security guards lack the same level of training, tools and resources, and legal authorities as the police. The primary role of security is to observe, assess, and activate the appropriate resources, all while keeping themselves safe.
In the case of the Vancouver security guard, the suspect was able to get close enough to the guard to cause injury. This suggests that the guard may not have maintained enough of a reactionary gap, was alone and without backup, and might not have been expecting such an extreme response from the suspect.
Strategies to Protect Yourself:
- Maintain a reactionary gap and interview stance: Always keep at least 6 feet (2 arm lengths) between you and the subject, especially if they are agitated and escalating. This space will give you time to respond and/or disengage. Keep your hands up and your dominant foot back.
- Use barriers when possible: Position yourself so that there is a physical barrier, such as a table or desk between you and the subject. Part of the decision-making process for the subject is whether it’s worth launching an attack. The more difficult it is, or the lower the likelihood of success, the less likely they are to even try. If they do, the barrier will buy you more time to respond.
- Position yourself near an exit: Always know where your exits are, and keep close to them. Never allow yourself to get cornered, or to let the subject get between you and the door.
- Request assistance early: Don’t wait until you need help to ask for it. The time it takes for help to arrive may be longer than you have. Call for backup at the first sign of trouble, and wait until they arrive before engaging the subject.
- Carry any safety equipment you are provided and trained to use: Depending on your licensing and company policies, these may include handcuffs, radio, flashlight, a body camera, or even an intermediate weapon like a baton.
Key Takeaway: Training Isn’t Just for the New Guards
Even experienced guards can get complacent. The guard in Vancouver was 62 years old, and had likely seen his fair share of drama throughout his career. Age and experience can work for you, and against you. You gain wisdom and confidence, but overconfidence can lead to risky decisions. Also, bad habits can replace training knowledge.
How to Stay Sharp:
- Take refresher courses on tactical communications, legal authorities and safety principles at least once a year. If your organization doesn’t provide annual training, you can find learning opportunities online at places like Security Guard Course Inc.
- Review your organization and site’s emergency procedures regularly. Know who to call, how long it takes for them to respond, and where to go if there is an emergency at your site.
- Use your downtime to play mental “what if?” games. Play out different scenarios in your mind. What if someone lunges at you? What if you get cornered and the person pulls a knife? What if someone suddenly grabs you from behind?
- Practice your communication and de-escalation skills with your coworkers. Create mock interactions and take turns practicing your powers of persuasion.
Include violent incident role plays in your training to sharpen your observation and decision-making skills. Scenario training also helps train your body how to react in stressful situations, without the risk!
Final Thoughts: It’s Your Skill That Protects You
Security work has always carried its share of risk. But as society continues to evolve, and the public experiences increasing frustration, mental health issues, and a growing homeless population, security guards are increasingly facing aggressive and unpredictable people. What happened to this poor security guard in Vancouver serves as a brutal reminder that violence can happen anytime, anywhere, and can happen quickly.
Fortunately, every security guard can take proactive steps to minimize their risk. By using a combination of situational awareness, communication, and personal safety strategies, you can be prepared for the unexpected.
Key Takeaways You Can Use Today:
- Scan and assess everyone around you, especially those you’re about to interact with. Trust your instincts.
- Focus on conflict prevention right from the beginning. A person who does not feel threatened by you is often less of a threat to you.
- Protect your space and don’t let people get too close to you. The more agitated they are, the more space you need between you. More space means more time to respond.
Being a security guard involves so much more than most people think. Yet they’re the first ones people turn to when there’s trouble. Security guards must be able to navigate people, pressure, and unpredictability, all while staying calm, professional, and above all…safe!
References:
Global News (2025, April 14). Man charged after allegedly biting off Vancouver security guard’s fingertip. Retrieved April 23, 2025, from https://globalnews.ca/news/11131392/vancouver-security-guard-fingertip-charged/