Security guards often face aggression from customers; association urges people to be understanding

The ongoing pandemic has made some people very aggressive. The Association of Security Professionals urges Latvian residents to be understanding and respect security workers and their contribution to public order, the association stresses.
Chief of SIA Sanitex Group company’s security service Artūrs Āmars says tension is very high in Latvia. The reason is because active restrictions influence the lives of all residents, and the implemented changes sometimes cause people to lose their temper. As a result service sector workers suffer the most. This includes workers of the security sector, who often face negative, hateful and unjustified hostility from residents.
The head of the security service says often people who are unhappy with existing restrictions blame security workers, who are often in charge of monitoring compliance with restrictions.
Unfortunately, so far it seems conflicts often escalate into personal attacks and promises to «settle the score» outside of work hours. This is why it is important for all residents to understand that security workers are in charge of making the shopping, leisure and hospital environment as safe as possible.
«Guards are the same as other people. They go back home to their families after their shift is done. They are exactly like us.»
«So let’s respect each other and act responsibly. The more diligently we follow restrictions and follow epidemiological recommendations, the easier it will be for all of us to overcome this difficult time,» stresses Āmars.
Commenting on this situation, SIA Lidl Latvia security service manager Edvards Vērdiņš admits the situation around the world proves security guards play a major role in promoting public order and security. These people honestly perform their duties and just like us they live their lives outside of work, so we should respect guards and their contribution to public safety.
The chief of SIA Depo Diy security service Andrejs Ivanovs believes
everyone is responsible for increased number of conflicts and growing aggression – the people who breach restrictions, the people who follow restrictions and the people who enforce restrictions.
«People are emotionally exhausted. They vent their anger, start arguments and become aggressive towards security guards, forgetting that these people deal with stress and pressure every day. Security workers are not the ones to blame for the rapid spread of the virus and adoption of epidemiological safety restrictions, but it is their duty to control compliance with restrictions,» says Ivanovs.