Carry out searches of people and their property for unauthorised items LEGACY
Overview
This NOS is aimed at security and loss prevention service providers and sets out the skills, knowledge and understanding for you to carry out searches of people and their property.
This NOS covers the following activities:
1. Search people and their property for unauthorised items
2. Respond to finding unauthorised items
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
Search people and their property for unauthorised items
1. maintain your own health, safety and welfare while carrying out searches of people
2. take prompt and appropriate action, in line with your organisation’s policies and procedures, when you find unauthorised items during a search
3. make sure you have consent to search, before you search individuals
4. give clear reasons for the search to individuals that have been selected to be searched and confirm that the reasons given have been understood
5. carry out searches of people at frequencies and in patterns that are in line with your organisation’s policies and procedures
6. carry out searches in locations and in the presence of witnesses in line with your organisations guidelines, policies and procedures
7. be polite, professional and courteous while you carry out searches of individuals
8. take appropriate and permitted action when a person refuses to give consent to a search, in line with your organisation’s policies and procedures
9. complete the required documentation accurately, legibly and within timescales set out within your organisation’s policies and procedures
10. report the details of searches in line with your instructions and organisation’s policies and procedures
Respond to finding unauthorised items
11. maintain the health, safety and welfare of yourself and others
12. correctly identify unauthorised items found during searches
13. politely and courteously ask suspected persons to explain the possession of unauthorised items
14. securely retain unauthorised items found during a search as potential evidence
15. apprehend people suspected of having unauthorised items when this is appropriate, following your instructions and approved policies and procedures
16. record and report the relevant details relating to the unauthorised items to the appropriate person
17. complete the required documentation accurately, legibly and within timescales set out within your organisation’s policies and procedures
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
Legal and organisational requirements
1. current relevant legislation (in particular Data Protection Act), regulations, codes of practice and guidelines relating to your authority to search people and their property
2. your organisation's policies, procedures and instructions you should follow when finding unauthorised items
Search people and their property for unauthorised items
3. the procedures and instructions you should follow when searching people or their property, including:
3.1 why it is good practice to have witnesses during searches
3.2 searching males and females
3.3 different types of search, including access to and egress from premises
3.4 the implications of carrying out searches incorrectly
3.5 the use of specific search equipment
4. interpersonal skills and how to use them during searches of people and their property
5. the possible reactions to the request to submit to a search and how to deal with them
6. the range of unauthorised items that you should look for during searches
Respond to finding unauthorised items
7. the possible reactions of suspects to finding unauthorised items and how to deal with them
8. how to retain and log unauthorised items safely so that they may be used as evidence if required
9. what you should do when you find unauthorised items, and to whom this should be reported, in line with your organisation's policies and procedures
Scope/range
Scope Performance
1. searches of:
1.1. people
1.2. personal storage areas
1.3. personal effects
2. individuals who you could search:
2.1. employees
2.2. visitors
2.3. contractors
3. actions that you could take:
3.1. apprehend suspects
3.2. retain unauthorised items as potential evidence
3.3. call for other authority
3.4. report the incident
4. unauthorised items:
4.1. illegal substances
4.2. alcohol
4.3. weapons
4.4. stolen property
4.5. banned items
4.6. explosive devices
5. details that you should record:
5.1. identity of suspects
5.2. description of unauthorised items
5.3. time, date, place of search
5.4. witnesses to the search
6. appropriate person to whom you could report:
6.1. client representative
6.2. police
6.3. your manager
7. documentation:
7.1. reports
7.2. notebooks
7.3. statements
7.4. identification labels
7.5. search forms