Personal Safety Training

Why good professional physical intervention skills training is so important

Shoplifter begged for mercy as guard ‘choked him to death.

A shopping centre security guard killed a shoplifter trying to stop him escaping with a bottle of perfume.

Aaron Bishop, 23, turned blue and pleaded ‘please help me’ as he was choked by Sam Bawden, 25, according to witnesses.

Horrified shoppers begged him to let go of Mr Bishop, a former Guardsman at Windsor, but Bawden maintained a firm grip around the throat and when police arrived, Mr Bishop was dead.’

‘Four security guards tried to restrain him after he took the bottle of Joop! from the Debenhams store at the busy Quadrant Shopping Centre in Swansea.
Prosecutor Patrick Harrington QC said; ‘Mr Bishop was seen on CCTV to steal a bottle of Joop! perfume. It was priced at £35 but the cost proved very high indeed.

Bawden, of Neath, South Wales, denies manslaughter in July last year…
The case continues at Swansea Crown Court.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1313952/Security-man-killed-shoplifter-Guard-choked-death-35-perfume.html#ixzz10qCPEXI4

The above tragic news report just goes to highlight the importance of understanding the dangers involved in physical intervention.

As an experienced martial artist who as trained up to black belt standard in Judo and other martial arts I understand just how effective a properly executed strangle hold can be, but also recognise just as lethal this can be.

Many things can go wrong when applying physical intervention techniques (often known as Control & Restraint) which is why training should be of the utmost importance for employers who are likely to have to employees who may need to use  physical controlling techniques such as those working in the security industry.

The Police and Medical profession trainers have for many years known the dangers associated with physical restraint and there have been many incidents of defendants & patients losing their lives whilst restraint techniques were being applied.

Strangulation is a band technique now in any accredited Physical Intervention training course, but there are numerous other potential life threatening issues such as positional asphyxia.

This occurs when pressure is put on an individual’s chest whist attempting to pin them down to the floor etc

This restricts the intake of air causing the individual to panic which is often wrongly interpreted as fighting back and there have been many tragic incidents of this in police custody suites & Psychiatric wards.

The SIA have now recognised that training in physical interventions is important and have introduced this as a new module to be undertaken by anyone now wishing to gain employment in high level security work e.g. a door supervisor in the UK.

As with the other modules that have to be taken delegates will have to demonstrate their competence in this area to receive their pass accreditation.

Hopefully this training will give those individuals now joining this industry the necessary tools they need to carry out the job without putting others or themselves at risk.

Sadly though this would not have prevented the death of Aaron Bishop or the criminal proceedings being brought against Sam Bawden as this training is currently only compulsory for those individuals who are now seeking to obtain the SIA badge and there are no current plans for this to be extended to those already licenced.

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Question: Is the Police Conflict Resolution syllabus suitable for other professions?

Answer: Essentially no, the police conflict resolution syllabus is designed by the police for police personnel who have the advantage of being able to call upon backup and support in the event that a situation escalates. When dealing with violence and aggression or managing conflict the police are able to use a baton, quick cuffs, incapacity spray and can call for assistance if needed.

Now consider the resources available to the local authority enforcement officer; although most will have a mobile phone at their disposal, the likelihood of a rapid response team being dispatched to help an individual manage conflict or deal with violence and aggression is remote. It is for this reason that conflict resolution training needs to be carefully sourced and matched to the needs of the staff on the ground.

Brooks Jordan conflict resolution courses are specifically designed to help staff understand what triggers violence and how to avoid, diffuse, or manage conflict before it can escalate in to violence or aggression. We know non police agencies have fewer options at their disposal in the event of violence and aggression so we give you more practical advice and training in diffusion techniques to help counter problems staff meet when performing day to day tasks.

Question: Will learning martial arts make me better at conflict management?
Answer: The simple answer is Yes & No

Martial arts training will certainly make you fitter, stronger and give you the skills and confidence to handle a conflict situation better should it becomes physical. However the problem with most martial arts is that they don’t actually teach conflict resolution skills. As most martial arts are sports they don’t actually teach conflict resolution skills but concentrate instead on teaching physical skills. So although you might spend years becoming proficient in martial arts techniques, this level of training is more than most people actually need to perform work duties proficiently. Moreover most people carrying out professional duties do not want to get into situation where they need to fight to subdue another individual, most want to be able to talk a situation down and to avoid conflict in the first place.

Research carried out by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) found that individuals given training in basic breakaway skills were also more confident when dealing with angry people and were able to continue to communicate for longer and thus able to talk a situation down better than those who had only received conflict resolution training.

A good conflict management course should therefore take in the bigger picture and include the following elements;

• Dynamic risk assessment prior to, during and after a critical incident.
• An appreciation of the law in relation to self-defence & personal safety.
• Conflict resolution and diffusion skills including practicing verbal & non verbal techniques to calm an aggressor.
• Training on awareness and instinct.
• Tactical escape & disengagement/breakaway skills training
• Dealing with the aftermath; critical incident reporting and review of procedures.

Brooks Jordan can deliver this and more. The City and Guilds syllabus provides a framework for training together with a qualification which establishes that staff who pass the exam have reached the necessary level of competence to manage violence and aggression competently.
Additionally there is sufficient flexibility in the programme to enable us to design training specifically geared to meet the needs of the contracting organisation. With nearly fifteen years experience in designing and delivering Personal Safety & Conflict Resolution training, you can be confident that by employing Brooks Jordan you are buying in real expertise from a team that have an easy, confident style of delivery combined with direct personal experience of managing violence and aggression.

An adapted version of the Brooks Jordan Personal Safety and Conflict Resolution programme is now incorporated in to the National Association of Licensing Enforcement Officers (NALEO) CPD professional training programme and is accredited with BTEC as a Level 5 award.

Best practice guide for purchasing personal safety, conflict resolution & physical intervention training.

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