Store security - what powers, if any?

[numtumfutunch]

Hi

My local supermarket has slashed the number of manned tills and replaced them with 4 self service ones watched over by uniformed security people, a small number of whom seem to think they are Robocop and glare at the customers at close range through dark glasses

Im surprised the manager tolerates this, and hes just lost a customer in me, but what powers do security staff at supermarkets etc actually have to detain you?

I would imagine the catch all is the "reasonable grounds" thing but I dont know how this translates into practical law

If I get challenged I imagine failing to engage with him would then give reasonable grounds to do whatever he fancies
But assuming Im innocent how can he make the initial "reasonable grounds" accusation as I wouldnt have actually put anything up my jumper?

Or is looking like the sort of person who posts topics like this reasonable grounds too?

Dont get me wrong, Im not a shoplifter and Im not about to leg it when asked to show the young man the contents of my shopping bag - but what would happen if I decided I wasnt going to talk to him and tried to leave the shop getting roughed up in the process of being detained?

Cheers

[numtumfutunch]

TNTom said:

Being a guard myself in retail i'll answer that for you, Security have no more powers than you average joe on the street. We have to work on civil law. We have no powers to search unless we gain consent of who we are searching. If we make a stop and detain a person we would of had to follow a process called SCONE, Selection Concealment Observation Non-payment Exit.

In my opinion the law favors the criminal, in theory someone could walk out of the store exit with items in their hand, and according to the law i would of had to see them pick the items off the shelf to be able to ask them to stop.

Thanks for that, I sense the frustration

[numtumfutunch]

deckster said:

Just to get this straight and ignoring the rest of the discussion - you stopped shopping there because you think somebody looked at you a bit funny?

Yes, that and the fact they've replaced people with machines which don't feel pity or remorse or fear