Is there really a knife problem in this country? That question is continually answered in Emergency Wards. In blood. The more pressing and relevant question to ask now is: ‘What else can be done to understand and counter the knife problem?’
While many security managers will calmly acknowledge that the country does have a significant blade culture, some might still question whether or not this is a problem that will impact upon their own staff.
In fairness, there are many security personnel who’ll be less exposed to direct, hands-on violence due to the nature of their role or the type of establishment in which they work. In fact, some staff may not even have to interact with members of the public or potential aggressors at all.
Environments can change
Within the security sector, is it only those working in front line roles that require the more in-depth forms of training and preparation? There are some points for consideration. First, taking into account the transient nature of certain security roles, it’s possible that a security officer working within a less exposed environment may, at some point, transfer to a more front line position within the same company.
The second point to note is that risk levels can change very suddenly. Preparation and professional training for staff still needs to be provided, even for those operatives facing what may be regarded as infrequent risks. Just as cabin crews working in the aviation sector are trained for intense, air-based incidents that seldom occur, shouldn’t security staff be given the chance to prepare for rare scenarios?
It’s also worth considering the fact that environments are also prone to sudden change. For example, a newly-qualified door supervisor may be asked to work at a wine bar where aggression rarely manifests itself, but something as simple as the wine bar revamping its image to appeal to a different audience can suddenly affect threat levels.
Back to the physical…
Currently, there are many refined training courses addressing subjects like conflict management, aggression disengagement and self-protection. Indeed, there seems to be a much more cognitive – even academic – influence on some training packages.
At the same time, when striving to address problems emanating from the knife culture, it’s good to remind ourselves that – in its crudest form – knife violence is a physical problem. As such, it should be acknowledged that some components of training need to comprehensively address the actual physical violence or physical encounters security personnel might have to face.
At management level, the effects – and implications – of any specialist training are always going to raise some concern. Beyond trying to figure out if their members of staff actually need training in how to handle edged weapon situations, security managers will also be concerned that the training they provide will genuinely help team members. In other words, will the training proposed assist personnel in reducing their chances of injury? Will it avoid a possible fatality?
Another natural concern is that the extensive physical training might encourage staff to confront rather than de-escalate an aggressive situation. What might help security managers when it comes to selecting training packages is if they further familiarise themselves with the nature of knife culture, considering how this type of violence erupts and some of the reasons behind knife assaults.
The awareness connection
A common mistake sometimes made in the more general forms of self-defence is to assume that the physical component of knife defence training simply involves the moves that help a person to counter an attack. Following on from this assumption is the notion that concepts such as awareness and watchfulness are part of the more analytical, cognitive side of training and, as such, are something that can be transferred or explained in a classroom-style format.
However, concepts like awareness and watchfulness are still very much a part of physical training. While helping security teams to actually prevent or avoid a knife incident, these skills still have to be honed and developed through more physical training. Ultimately, when it comes to surviving an edged weapon situation, it may well be that awareness and physical movement skills are mutually dependent on each other.
Consider a scenario wherein a retail sector security officer confronts two youths. One of the youths, with his hand concealed in a thick jacket pocket, begins to circle the security officer. If that officer has been taught awareness skills, he or she will be more likely to act in an appropriate fashion.
Ultimately, awareness must be trained-in and practised in the same way that physical tactics should. Often, when security personnel apply their awareness skills, the subsequent action is movement. Sometimes, awareness will have to be applied on the move.
Looking for signs of trouble
Another tendency within some forms of self-defence is to train people to deal with the edged weapon attack, starting at that point when the knife is drawn and about to be used.
In many situations, the knife wielder will begin his assault with some kind of movement to establish position or catch the victim off guard. There are hundreds of different tactics that aggressors can use to initiate their attack. Some are influenced by cultural or geographic settings, others are based on the objective(s) of the aggressor and their background.
Either way, as security operatives become familiar with the way in which knife assaults are carried out, it may make it easier for them to read the signs that a situation is escalating and they should then have a better understanding of how they should then have a better understanding of how individuals leave themselves vulnerable to stabbings.
The ‘circle around’ tactic used by aggressors and described previously is a favourite of street gangs across the globe. During the dialogue phase of a confrontation, when security personnel are attempting to communicate their requirements or instructions to potential aggressors, it’s possible that one member of the gang will attempt to move behind the security officer. Sometimes, this will be done to intimidate or show resistance but, in the worse case scenario, it leads to an attack.
Then there’s the ‘look away’. This is a tactic sometimes used against door supervisors. It often occurs during an exchange of dialogue. Standing in front of the door supervisor, the aggressor will turn and look away. This may be done with an expression of resentment or disgust. Or, in crude terms – and rather like a ‘sucker punch’ – it could be used deceptively as if the aggressor is backing down when really the objective is to catch security staff off guard.
Suddenly, the aggressor will step into the security operative with some form of attack. It could be a knife thrust or a punch that’s launched. Either way, the sudden nature of the attack renders it highly dangerous.
‘The Bait’ and ‘The Smother’
Another tactic is ‘The Bait’. This involves the aggressor drawing the knife and employing dialogue and gestures to try and lure the security officer to come forward. It’s used for different reasons. Sometimes, the aggressor simply wants to show that they have superiority. Rather than assume too much, though, there will be many scenarios where ‘The Bait’ is used because the aggressor genuinely wants the security officer to step forward in confrontational mode. Once the security officer closes in, the aggressor will then start to slash and stab.
The thing to note with tactics such as this is that there’s also a psychological element. The aggressor may be trying to disrupt the security officer’s composure such that he or she commits to a rash course of action. If ‘The Bait’ sounds like quite a calculating tactic, there are others that are far more direct and explosive.
For instance, ‘The Smother’ involves the aggressor(s) simply closing-in on the targeted individual by the use of overt physical force and intimidation. The aggressor(s) may try to force the security officer against a wall or door, and then launch an attack from close range.
So far, we’ve looked at tactics that might unfold out of some type of confrontation. It’s also worth considering those knife assaults that occur without some form of immediate confrontation or verbal exchange. There will be times, though, when edged weapon attacks are far more premeditated.
For example, prison officers sometimes have to deal with sudden, hate-based attacks involving an edged weapon. There have also been situations where door supervisors have had to face unexpected attacks from individuals they previously confronted.
The type of incident where a disgruntled individual plans to carry out a revenge attack may be rare, but they should serve to remind those in high risk security environments of the importance of maintaining vigilance even outside of working hours. In other extreme scenarios, edged weapons may be used to take a person hostage with a view to claiming a ransom or for some other form of coercion.
Different uses of the knife
Next up for consideration is the fact that, just as the aggressor’s objectives may be different, the way in which they use a knife or other weapon may also vary. For example, the hostage taker’s approach may involve putting the victim in a hold and then placing the knife against a vulnerable area. Even in street level violence, there will be aggressors who use this ‘grab and place’ approach. After all, the knife is sometimes used to make threats or intimidate (as in the case of cash point muggings). Street aggressors will often want to make a fast escape, and will use their edged weapon to make the security officer back away.
At street level there are many other reasons why blades will be used. Sometimes, blade-based violence is viewed as an expression of hate. Acts of violence are also carried out by gang members in order to gain a reputation. The aggressor’s violence could also be down to drug use.
Security teams facing unpredictable behaviour have to understand not only the tactics used by aggressors but also the actual physical movements carried out to deliver an attack. Earlier, we mentioned how some forms of self-defence help individuals to handle the knife situation from the point when the knife is drawn. Sometimes, the actual physical move involving the knife is less obvious.
The advantage of most edged weapons used on the street is that they’re easy to conceal. The attacker doesn’t have to draw the blade, take a stance and then attack. He or she may draw the blade and stab in a couple of quick movements. Often, the blade will only be drawn when the aggressor feels trapped.
Security staff must be particularly careful when applying restraining holds. While operatives attempt to escort an individual from the premises, they must make sure that they’re not vulnerable to a sudden knife attack.
Teamwork: it can be all-important Security personnel can reduce their vulnerabilities if they work as a team. The temptation to approach an individual without the support of colleagues sometimes occurs when a security officer perceives the situation as being low risk. The trouble is that when knives are brought into the equation, low risk scenarios soon escalate into a high risk situation. At the same time, if we accept that some aggressors will attack because they themselves feel threatened or insecure, it’s just as possible that even an individual confronted by several security officers will want to attack.
As far as drugs-related aggression is concerned, some individuals will also be less susceptible to certain pain compliance techniques. On this basis, self-protection training has to prepare security teams for acts of extreme aggression, equipping them with effective movement skills and familiarisation of some of the awkward situations that may arise.
Training must also offer some options on how to disengage and even escape from the aggressor. These options cannot be set techniques carved in stone, rather they’re simply as described – they’re options.
The truth is that it’s the security officer involved in the situation who has to adapt and react to events as they happen. There may be a whole host of other factors that could influence the approach they use. That approach may also depend on the security team’s objectives.
Notorious variety on display
When edged weapons are mentioned, most people start to think about the knife. Of course, there are a great many different types of knife used in street violence and aggression. The size and shape of the knife may well affect the way in which the weapon is used. Similarly, each knife will offer its own tactical advantages and disadvantages to the user.
Within the ‘knife family’ are sometimes what’s referred to as ‘improvised blades’. These are weapons used by the aggressor and made with everyday items. They’re often constructed and used in prisons, though certainly aren’t exclusive to that environment. It’s possible that improvised blades made out of non-metallic materials will become increasingly popular at the street level as more and more detection devices are installed within the public sector (in schools, etc).
Security staff working in the aviation sector must always be on the alert for improvised weapons. Those improvised blades can be quite small. A blade the size of a razor will still cause serious injury. Again, this means that they’re easy to carry and can be used in a discreet fashion.
There are also edged weapons that fall into the improvised category but are really hardware tools or domestic implements. The screwdriver is one such tool that makes for a dangerous stabbing weapon.
Highlighting the problem
While the UK’s ‘culture of the blade’ presents some genuine and serious risks to those working in front line security roles, it would seem that personnel today are more aware of the problem. They are able to read the signs of an attack in advance.
Quite often, those with hostile intentions are easy to detect. When gangs of youths gather at train stations, shopping centres or in other central areas, for example, they’ll be monitored on CCTV. Large groups tend to stand out.
