Shoplifters? Government Clarifies Position

Catch a Thief UK News: 22 November 2025

In a report published on 21 November 2025, the UK Government has clarified the legal boundaries for Security Industry Authority (SIA)-licensed guards when it comes to using force against suspected shoplifters — as well as their rights around self-defence, detention, and response to armed threats.

Image: Catch a Thief UK

What the Request Asked

A formal request was made to the SIA by a government body to outline:

1. To what extent an SIA-licensed guard can physically intervene to stop or detain a suspected shoplifter who is trying to leave a store — and what “reasonable force” means in that context.

2. What the guard’s legal position is if they are assaulted by a suspected shoplifter — specifically, their right to self-defence.

3. Whether a guard may lock a shop’s doors to prevent a suspect leaving (pending police arrival), or if that would amount to unlawful detention or false imprisonment.

4. In the case of an armed robbery: (a) whether SIA guards can legally carry or use incapacitant sprays (e.g. PAVA or pepper spray), and (b) whether they can use improvised items (like shopping baskets or a fire extinguisher) to defend themselves if their life is in danger.

SIA and Government Response: Key Points

The SIA (via the Government’s published response) makes clear that SIA-licensed security operatives do not have special policing powers they are, legally, in the same position as any other civilian.

Citizen’s Arrest and Use of Force

Under Section 24A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), a person who is not a constable can perform what is commonly called a “citizen’s arrest” if they suspect someone of committing an indictable offence.

The lawful grounds for such an arrest include preventing someone causing injury, suffering injury, causing loss or damage to property, or “making off” (i.e. fleeing) before police arrive.

Crucially, an SIA guard may use reasonable force — but only force that is necessary in the circumstances and proportionate to the threat — when making such an arrest or preventing crime.

What counts as “reasonable” is fact-specific, but these principles mirror long-established common-law rights.

Self-defence and Detention

If a suspected shoplifter physically assaults a guard, the guard may lawfully respond using reasonable force in self-defence, just like any private citizen.

The question of locking the shop’s doors to prevent escape is more delicate: doing so may risk being classed as unlawful detention or false imprisonment if it goes beyond what is permitted in a citizen’s arrest. The SIA response warns that such actions must be handled very carefully, within legal constraints.

The SIA also recommends that security providers and retailers draw up a deployment briefing, agreed between them, which clearly sets out what security operatives should do when shoplifting occurs (for example, when to attempt an arrest, when to call police, etc.

Defence Against Armed Attackers

Incapacitant sprays (such as PAVA or pepper spray) remain illegal for security guards in the UK.

The SIA does not include the use of dye sprays or marker sprays in its approved training. Guards should note that misuse of these sprays (i.e. in a way that is not reasonable or proportionate) could potentially be construed as assault.

As for improvised defensive weapons such as shopping baskets or fire extinguishers an SIA guard may use them, but only to the extent that the force used is “reasonable in the circumstances” to prevent a crime or make a citizen’s arrest.

Legal and Practical Implications

The Government’s response strongly underscores that SIA guards are not police officers; they do not enjoy “special” arrest powers or the use of force beyond what ordinary citizens have.

Security companies and retailers are encouraged to formally agree strategies for how their guards should respond to shoplifting especially with respect to when to intervene physically, when to detain, and when to defer to the police.

Guards must be very cautious: using too much force, or locking doors in a way that could be considered detention, may expose them and their employers to legal liability (civil or criminal).

Training remains critical. According to the SIA, approved training focuses on conflict management and de-escalation, rather than on force or self-defence tools.

Finally, in high-risk scenarios (e.g., armed robbery), guards must rely on “reasonable force” and whatever they have at hand but they cannot carry and use illegal defensive sprays.

Expert Commentary

Legal experts note that the law gives some power to private individuals including SIA guards to act when a crime is in progress, but with strict limits:

According to the Criminal Law Act 1967 (Section 3), anyone may use reasonable force to prevent a crime or assist in a lawful arrest.

But determining what is “reasonable” is subjective and highly dependent on the precise facts of each situation; what one person sees as justified restraint, another might deem excessive.

There is also a risk for security companies and guards of overstepping: Netpol (a campaign group) has warned that poorly trained guards may misjudge their powers, especially around citizen’s arrest and detention.

Bottom Line

For Catch a Thief UK readers and security professionals, the Government’s 21 November 2025 clarification is significant: SIA-licensed guards can intervene physically, but only as private citizens doing a citizen’s arrest, using force only when absolutely reasonable, necessary, and proportionate. The legal leeway is narrow, and missteps could expose both guards and their employers to serious risk.