What are manned guarding activities?

Manned guarding activities involve a physical presence to deter unwanted behaviour. This could involve safeguarding possessions, grounds or individuals against a number of undesirable events, such as:

• Being damaged, manipulated or fraudulently obtained (possessions)

• Unauthorised presence or activity (grounds)
• Assault or harmful behaviour from themselves or others (individuals)

Manned guarding workers undertaking safeguarding activities have a responsibility to carry out their relevant duties to or above the required standard. Where this applies to safeguarding grounds, the suitability of the individual seeking admission must be assessed reliably. This does not, however, include checking for relevant documentation granting admission, or that the individual has paid for admission.

Licence exemptions:

Generally, an individual seeking work in manned guarding will need to obtain a licence. However, it must be established which activities necessitate a licence and which do not. If manned guarding activities are carried out wholly in response to an unexpected or sudden occurrence, a license is not required. Similarly, an example can be given of a teacher supervising children on a school excursion – no license is required here, a situation extending simply to maintaining order in a group of individuals.

In-house employees working in relation to an employer’s use of a certified sports location, (grounds, stadium etc), are exempt from licensing, granted that a safety certificate covers the intended activities. Any visiting organisations – and employees thereof – are also exempt, granted that they themselves have a certified sports location.

Further information:

For complete, detailed descriptions of manned guarding license exemptions, visit:

• Private Security Industry Act 2001 Section 4(6 – 12)
• Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 Section 63 (notes)
  

For full details, the Private Security Industry Act is recommended as a reference point.