If you want to know what powers security guards have in the UK, the short answer is that they have the same legal powers as any member of the public. A licence from the Security Industry Authority (SIA) confirms that a guard has been vetted and trained to a set standard. It does not give them any extra authority over the public.
That matters in both directions. Members of the public who know where the line sits avoid needless conflict at a venue door or in a car park. Businesses that buy security need the same clarity, because a guard who oversteps can turn a minor incident into a liability claim.
This guide sets out what UK security officers can and cannot do on arrest, force, searching and removal from private property, and where the common myths come from.
What powers do security guards have in the UK?
An SIA licence is a vetting and competency requirement, not a grant of legal power. It confirms that identity and criminality checks and a recognised training qualification have been completed for a licensable role such as security guarding, door supervision, CCTV operation or close protection.
A licensed guard’s legal powers of arrest, search and use of force are the same as those of any other citizen. Under UK law, private security staff therefore work with limited powers. Police officers hold statutory powers that guards do not. So do Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), who have a limited set of extra powers under the Police Reform Act 2002, and that is one of the main sources of confusion.
A guard’s real authority comes from training, written procedures and the conditions of entry the site owner sets, not from the licence itself.
Security guard and police officer powers compared (England and Wales)
| Power | SIA-licensed security guard | Police officer |
|---|---|---|
| Arrest | Citizen’s arrest only, for indictable offences, and only if the conditions in section 24A of PACE 1984 are met | Statutory power of arrest under section 24 of PACE 1984, where arrest is necessary on the grounds set out in the Act |
| Search | Only with the person’s consent, including consent given as a condition of entry | Statutory stop and search powers, where the legal grounds are met |
| Use of force | Reasonable, necessary and proportionate force, as for any member of the public | Reasonable force when exercising statutory powers |
| Detention | Only as part of a lawful citizen’s arrest, until the police arrive | Can arrest, detain and take a person into police custody |
Citizen’s arrest: what a security guard can and cannot do
In England and Wales, a security guard’s power of arrest is the citizen’s arrest provision in section 24A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE). It lets anyone who is not a police constable arrest a person who is committing, or whom they reasonably suspect of committing, an indictable offence. Indictable offences include theft and burglary, but not summary-only offences such as common assault or most minor public order matters. A guard also cannot arrest for something that is not a criminal offence at all, such as a breach of venue rules.
Two further conditions must both be met. The guard must have reasonable grounds for believing the arrest is necessary to stop the person causing injury to themselves or someone else, suffering injury, causing loss of or damage to property, or making off before a police constable can take over. It must also appear that it is not reasonably practicable for a constable to make the arrest instead.
The power also depends on the offence being real. Where a guard arrests someone because an indictable offence has already been committed, the offence must in fact have been committed, so an arrest made on a mistaken belief can turn out to be unlawful.
Scotland has no equivalent of section 24A, because PACE applies only in England and Wales. A citizen’s arrest in Scotland rests on common law, with its own rules about the type of offence and the circumstances that justify it. Anyone buying security on both sides of the border should expect their provider to brief guards on that difference.
Once an arrest is made, the guard must contact the police without delay and hand the person over. Holding someone beyond that point, or for a reason the law does not cover, risks a claim for false imprisonment in England and Wales and a criminal charge.
Reasonable force: a legal test, not a free pass
In England and Wales, section 3 of the Criminal Law Act 1967 allows a person to use such force as is reasonable in the circumstances to prevent crime, or to carry out or assist a lawful arrest. Self-defence and defence of others are covered by common law. Scots law applies its own tests, but the principle is the same: any force must be necessary and proportionate.
An SIA licence does not raise that threshold. Reasonable force means the minimum needed to prevent harm or complete a lawful arrest, and nothing more. A guard who uses excessive force can be prosecuted for assault in exactly the same way as any other member of the public, whatever their employer has told them.
That is why conflict management and de-escalation sit at the centre of SIA training, ahead of any physical intervention skills. In almost every real incident the aim is to resolve the situation without any physical force at all.
Can a security guard search you, detain you or make you leave?
Searching
A security guard has no legal power to search a person or their bags without consent. Many venues make agreement to a search a condition of entry, which is lawful, but a person who refuses can simply be refused entry. Refusal does not give the guard any extra power to carry out the search.
Detaining
There is no 10, 30 or 60 minute rule that lets a guard hold someone. The myth survives because it sounds like the kind of precise, official detail that ought to exist. The only lawful basis for holding a person is a valid citizen’s arrest, and even then only until the police can take over.
Asking you to leave private property
On private property, the owner or someone acting for them can ask a person to leave. If the person refuses, the occupier or their agent may use no more than reasonable force to remove them, but trained teams prefer to call the police rather than put hands on anyone.
The same principle applies to ID checks at age-restricted premises. They are conditions the site owner has set, not powers the guard holds.
Why this matters for the businesses we work with
A security team that understands its legal position is a lower-risk team. Clients who assume guards have police-style powers sometimes expect a level of physical intervention that is not lawful, and that is where liability problems start.
Anubis holds SIA Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) status for door supervision and security guarding, and our operatives are SIA licensed. Clear escalation to the police for anything beyond a guard’s lawful powers applies whether the role is manned guarding on a commercial site, door supervision at a licensed venue or event security managing entry to a crowd.
If your current provision relies on guards asserting authority they do not have, that is worth reviewing before it becomes an incident. A security risk assessment is a good place to start. When choosing a security company, ask how its guards are briefed on these limits and what they are told to do when an incident goes beyond them.
Frequently asked questions
Can a security guard legally touch you?
Only where it is genuinely necessary and proportionate, for example to prevent harm or carry out a lawful citizen’s arrest. The same rules apply as for any member of the public, and a guard cannot use force simply to make someone comply or to punish them for an earlier incident.
Can a security guard arrest you?
Only by way of a citizen’s arrest, which in England and Wales is limited to indictable offences and the conditions in section 24A of PACE. A guard has no power to arrest for minor matters, or because someone looks suspicious.
Can a security guard search your bag?
Not without your consent. A venue can make agreement to a search a condition of entry, in which case refusing means being refused entry rather than being searched against your will.
Can you walk away from a security guard?
In most situations, yes. A guard has no power to hold you unless they are making a lawful citizen’s arrest. On private property you can still be asked to leave and refused entry.
Does an SIA licence give a security guard police powers?
No. The licence shows the holder has been vetted and trained. Their legal powers remain those of an ordinary citizen.
Can security guards carry handcuffs or weapons?
A guard’s licence does not authorise either. UK security guards are unarmed, firearms are tightly controlled by law, and any restraint must meet the same reasonable force test. Routine handcuff use is not part of security guarding.
What is the difference between a security guard and a door supervisor?
Both roles are licensed by the SIA, under different licences. Door supervisors work at licensed premises such as pubs and clubs, and security guards cover premises such as shops, offices and sites. Their legal powers are the same.
What happens if a security guard uses too much force?
They can be prosecuted for assault, and their employer may face a civil claim, whatever the guard’s licence says and even if the incident happened during their work.
To review how your current security provision handles these limits in practice, call 0800 121 6576 or contact us for a free security risk assessment.
