First three shifts...

Wednesday day, Thursday and Friday night. Pretty interesting and enjoyable so far. Also, I've now finally quit my other job, so the hotel/casino security job is now my main job!

For the first few shifts, we are "buddied up", theoretically meaning that we're paired up for someone and can't do any jobs on our own. In reality, there wasn't enough going on during the day to be paired up for the whole shift, so I ended up walking around on my own a lot getting a feel for the place. The idea is that, through on-the-job training, we learn what is required of us, in preparation for doing the job individually.

Jobs during the day, when things are quiet, generally involve patrols; escorting people with cash; doing 'chip runs' which involve filling up floats on the gaming tables; fire door checks and standing on the main casino entrance doors.

Night shift jobs involve fills; doors; dealing with drunks and suchlike, and it's generally busier than during the day. Thursday night was pretty busy, with one of the pubs attached to the hotel having a couple of incidents.

Last night, I was roaming on my own for most of the night. I came across a fight in one of the bars and called it up. Apparently we're supposed to wait until at least two more arrive before intervening, but as the two were reigning blows on each others heads, I didn't want to be caught on camera observing as one potentially inflicited life threatening injuries. So I shouted for the two to stop fighting, which failed to work. I then pulled one of them apart and tried to place myself in between the two warring factions. The guy I pulled apart from the group decided to try and start fighting with me, until he realised I was security, then stopped. He apologised, said it was cool then tried punching the guy again. I first put him in a restraining hold, which he struggled out of, then I placed him in an armlock. Finally, my colleagues arrived and he was escorted out.

Apparently I've not been taught the 'company's way' of restraining people. Well, until then, I'm using what I was taught in the police.

It would seem that, in Australia, most companies are more concerned about image than anything else, including maintaining effective security. In spite of the fact that we are fully entitled to use reasonable force to do our job, the companies I've worked for and seen that prefer non-intervention over intervention, for reasons of image and liability-prevention alone, is staggering. It seems that people are more concerned about not getting sued than getting the job done properly. I have a feeling I'll be rubbing people up the wrong way, as I still operate along the lines of 'If they shouldn't be here or doing what they're doing, they're going, either voluntarily or by force'. I've talked people down who have drawn knives and knuckle dusters on me before, and am always of the view that people should try to be talked out of something first, but unlike a lot of companies here, I don't hesitate to use force if that fails. And I don't mind doing paperwork for it either if necessary. The contrary prevailing attitude seems to be the case here. It looks like I'll have to put up with it.