Are Civil Security Service patrol officers armed?

Mobile security officers patrol numerous sites, each with specific requirements and public safety challenges.

As part of our premium patrol service, NVCSS officers are trained and equipped to address dangerous situations. We ensure they have the necessary tools to respond to threats, and the service pistol is a necessary part of that.

Vehicle operations present particular risks in both security and policing because operators can quickly become trapped or ambushed. Consequently, NVCSS does not permit nor offer any type of vehicle-based service unless personnel are fully equipped.

Safer Conditions, Backed by Data

Unarmed security became popular in the 70s and 80s when companies realized it was an easy way to cut training and equipment costs while justifying lower wages — even for employees working in the same areas as their armed counterparts.

As the market flooded with low-paid, unqualified personnel, clients chose cheaper unarmed services, giving rise to the "useless security guard" stereotype that persists today.

This shift had deadly consequences. Allowing security workers to operate without proper training or equipment led to steadily increasing injuries and deaths. In 2007, over half of all security officer deaths were caused by homicide.¹

Since that time, public safety experts have acknowledged that the "bare presence" approach is not an acceptable substitute for the training and equipment security personnel need to protect themselves and the public.

While the vast majority of security companies still offer primarily cheap, unarmed personnel, the trend is starting to fade as demand for better trained, qualified and equipped officers steadily grows.

Sources

_{1. "Security guards are more likely to be fatally injured while working, especially by homicide ... Homicides made up a large percentage of fatal work injuries to security guards, much larger than in the total working population. While only 11 percent of all workplace fatalities in 2007 were the result of homicides, 51 percent (43 fatalities) of security guard fatalities were due to homicides." — Bureau of Labor Statistics, Fatalities to Security Guards, by Event, 2007}