Security guards want thugs to face tougher penalties over assaults
Thugs who bash security guards could face tougher sanctions, as a push is under way to quell the number of attacks by patrons who may be under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
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Security guards want thugs who bash them to suffer harsher penalties amid claims the industry is increasingly doing the work of police.
The push follows a series of violent attacks involving security guards and crowd controllers.
It’s hoped tougher laws would deter violent patrons, who can be under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Security manager Naomi Oakley, a former police officer, said crowd-control staff were used to “fill the gaps” of police, enforcing public order at major events including the football.
“If someone assaulted a security guard they get charged the same if they assaulted someone on the street,” Ms Oakley said. “Patrons may think twice if we had stronger laws; more serious penalties will act as a deterrent.”
Guards were acting as substitute police, she said.
The state government last year introduced laws meaning anyone who assaulted an emergency services worker faced a minimum six months’ jail. The laws cover police, firefighters, paramedics, doctors, nurses and prison officers.
Security guard Matt Irving, who has worked in the industry for two decades, said he had been assaulted dozens of times and was regularly spat on.
“People don’t have any respect,” he said. “Getting spat on is my biggest thing — when someone spits on you they do it from a distance.”
A petition has gained more than 400 signatures and the Victorian Security Industry Advisory Council will look to lobby the government in coming weeks.
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Mark Pasquale, of the Security Providers Association, said any measures to improve safety for security guards was welcome.
“The most common incident is when there is an altercation because patrons are intoxicated and security are trying to escort them from the premises,” he said.
Last month, a 45-year-old football fan allegedly assaulted a security guard before attacking a policewoman as he exited Geelong’s GMHBA Stadium; separately, two machete-wielding bandits allegedly bound a security guard’s hands during an armed robbery at an Ascot Vale pharmacy.