Run, Hide, Tell vs Call, Contain, Counter / Why Ireland Needs Stronger Security

When serious incidents happen, the public are often told to Run, Hide, Tell.

That advice is simple, clear and important. In the event of a firearms or weapons attack, Counter Terrorism Policing advises people to run if it is safe, hide if they cannot run, and tell police by calling 999 when it is safe to do so.

For members of the public, that advice makes sense.

But for professional security, businesses, venues, schools, construction sites, hotels, retail centres and public-facing organisations, Run, Hide, Tell cannot be the whole plan.

Ireland needs a stronger security culture. Not a panic-driven one. Not an aggressive one. A professional, trained and prepared one.

At C&T Security Group, we believe the next step is a more capable approach:

Call. Contain. Counter.

Not as a replacement for emergency services. Not as vigilante action. But as a trained, lawful and controlled security mindset designed to protect life, reduce harm and keep incidents from escalating.

The Difference Between Public Advice and Professional Security Response

Run, Hide, Tell is advice for people caught in immediate danger.

It tells the public what to do when they are not trained, not equipped and not responsible for managing the wider site.

That is very different from the role of a professional security team.

A licensed security officer may be responsible for:

• Identifying suspicious behaviour early
• Controlling access points
• Managing evacuation or lockdown
• Protecting vulnerable people
• Communicating with Gardaí and emergency services
• Preserving evidence
• Preventing panic
• Keeping staff, visitors and contractors away from danger
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In Ireland, Gardaí advise calling 112 or 999 where there is danger to life, risk of serious injury, a crime in progress, or an offender still at or near the scene.

That call is essential.

But what happens in the minutes before help arrives?

That is where professional security matters.

Call: Fast Escalation Saves Time

The first duty in any serious incident is to call.

This means more than simply ringing emergency services. It means giving accurate, calm and useful information:

• What is happening?
• Where exactly is it happening?
• Is there a threat to life?
• Are there injured people?
• Are there weapons involved?
• Where is the suspect or threat moving?
• What access points should emergency services use?

Bad information costs time. Good information saves time.

Security officers need to be trained to assess, communicate and escalate quickly. In a real incident, panic spreads fast.

A trained officer can become the difference between confusion and control.

Contain: Stop the Incident Spreading

The second principle is contain.

Containment does not mean confrontation. It means controlling the environment as far as reasonably possible.

That could include:

• Locking down part of a building
• Moving people away from risk
• Preventing people from walking into danger
• Closing or controlling access points
• Protecting a scene for Gardaí
• Keeping staff and visitors informed
• Directing emergency services to the right location

Most incidents become worse when nobody takes control of the space.

Retail centres, offices, schools, hotels, hospitals, events and construction sites all have different risks.

But they all have one thing in common: when something serious happens, somebody needs to take charge until emergency services arrive.

That cannot be left to chance.

Counter: A Last Resort, Not a First Response

The word counter needs to be understood properly.

It does not mean looking for a fight.

It does not mean acting outside the law.

It does not mean security officers trying to replace Gardaí.

Counter means that where there is an immediate threat to life, trained personnel may need to take proportionate action to reduce harm, protect people or disrupt the threat long enough for others to escape.

That may be as simple as creating distance, using barriers, moving people behind secure doors, preventing access, or using teamwork and communication to stop a situation getting worse.

The key point is this:

Counter must be trained, lawful, proportionate and controlled.

Without training, people either freeze, panic or overreact. None of those outcomes are good enough in a modern security environment.

Ireland Does Not Need Fear. It Needs Preparedness.

It is important to be honest.

Ireland is not a country where every business needs to operate like a military checkpoint.

But Ireland has changed.

Public-facing staff deal with more aggression. Retailers deal with repeat theft and anti-social behaviour. Event organisers face crowd management challenges. Construction sites face trespass, theft and vandalism. Offices, schools and public buildings need better emergency planning. Private clients and executives are more conscious of personal risk.

The statistics show a mixed picture. Recorded crime fell across most offence groups in 2025 compared with 2024, including burglary and robbery categories. However, Weapons & Explosives offences rose by 6% in 2025 compared with 2024, and were up 19% from 2022 to 2025. Theft & Related offences were also up 11% over the 2022–2025 period. Source: Central Statistics Office Ireland, Recorded Crime Q4 2025 — Key Findings

That matters because security is not only about whether crime is up or down overall.

It is about whether organisations are prepared for the incidents that can cause the most harm.

Why Security Needs to Be Strengthened in Ireland

Security in Ireland needs to move beyond the idea of simply “having a guard on the door”.

A modern security function should include:

• Proper risk assessment
• Clear assignment instructions
• Emergency escalation plans
• Trained and licensed personnel
• Access control procedures
• Incident reporting
• CCTV and alarm integration
• Lockdown and evacuation planning
• Communication with Gardaí and emergency services
• Post-incident review and improvement

A uniform alone does not create safety.

A trained security officer with a clear plan does.

Security Standards Are Being Held Back by a Race to the Bottom

Another issue affecting private security in Ireland is the race to the bottom culture within parts of the industry.

Too often, security is treated as a lowest-price service rather than a professional protective function. Contracts are awarded based on the cheapest hourly rate, not always on training, supervision, equipment, experience or operational capability.

That has consequences.

When the industry is driven down to the lowest possible margin, security officers are often left under-equipped and under-supported. In many environments, officers are expected to deal with aggression, violence, theft, disorder, trespass, medical incidents and emergency situations without the level of protective equipment or backup that the risk may justify.

At C&T Security Group, we believe in investing in protection for our teams as well as our clients.

That does not mean over-militarising private security. It means taking risk seriously. Where a site, role or assignment presents a genuine risk, security personnel should have the correct training, communication systems, supervision, assignment instructions and, where appropriate, protective equipment.

This may include stab-resistant vests, body-worn cameras, radios, lone worker systems, vehicle support, proper reporting systems and clear escalation procedures.

A security officer cannot be expected to protect others if the industry is not prepared to protect them.

Better standards protect everyone: the client, the public, the security officer and the reputation of the industry itself.

The cheapest service is rarely the safest service.

Professional security costs money because proper protection requires people, planning, training, equipment and accountability. If Ireland wants stronger security outcomes, the industry must move away from a race to the bottom and towards a culture of professional standards.

Frontline Security Is Too Often Ignored

Frontline security officers are often ignored, undervalued or forgotten about until something goes wrong.

That is a mistake.

Having worked with hundreds of security personnel across different environments, I have seen first-hand how essential they are to day-to-day operations across almost every sector.

Security officers are often the first person a visitor meets, the first person called when a staff member feels unsafe, the first person expected to deal with disorder, and the first person left managing risk while everyone else steps back.

They support offices, construction sites, retail centres, hotels, events, schools, residential developments, logistics hubs, public buildings and private clients. In many cases, they are not just “watching a door”.

They are managing access, protecting staff, responding to incidents, supporting health and safety, dealing with vulnerable people, recording evidence, preventing escalation and keeping businesses operating.

Despite this, frontline security is often treated as an afterthought.

That needs to change.

If security officers are essential to the safe running of so many sectors, they should be treated as essential.

That means proper training, proper supervision, proper equipment, fair pay, clear assignment instructions and respect for the role they carry out every day.

A professional security industry cannot be built by undervaluing the people standing on the front line.

Security Personnel Need Clearer Legal Recognition

Ireland also needs a serious conversation about the limited legal recognition given to licensed private security personnel.

Security officers are often the first people on scene when something goes wrong. They may be dealing with violence, theft, trespass, disorder, threats to staff, vulnerable people, medical incidents or serious safety risks before Gardaí arrive.

An Garda Síochána will always remain the primary law enforcement authority, and that should not change. However, in the first critical moments of an incident, security officers may already be facing the threat.

That is why properly trained and licensed security personnel need clearer authority, better equipment and stronger legal recognition to act proportionately where there is an immediate risk to life, safety or serious harm.

This is not about replacing Gardaí. It is about closing the gap between an incident beginning and emergency services arriving.

If security officers are expected to protect people, sites and property, then the industry must be prepared to protect them too. That means better training, better supervision, better communication systems, appropriate protective equipment and a legal framework that reflects the reality of modern frontline security work.

Ireland should look at international best practice and consider whether certain defined security roles should have clearer authority in areas such as lawful detention until Garda arrival, removal from private premises, direction of people away from controlled areas, protection of critical sites, evidence preservation, body-worn camera use and the use of appropriate protective equipment.

Any improvement in powers should come with higher standards, not lower ones.

Enhanced authority should be linked to proper licensing, training, supervision, reporting, accountability and professional conduct.

The objective is not to create a private police force.

The objective is to build a professional, accountable and properly equipped security sector that can support public safety in a modern Ireland.

The Gap Between “Observe and Report” and Real Protection

For years, many organisations treated security as a passive function.

Observe. Report. Wait.

That still has a place, but it is not enough for every environment.

A good security team should prevent problems before they become emergencies. They should understand behaviour, access points, crowd movement, escalation signs and emergency procedures.

Security should not be reactive only.

It should be preventative.

That is the real meaning of beefing up security in Ireland: not more intimidation, but better standards.

The C&T Security Group View

At C&T Security Group, we believe professional security should be visible, calm, trained and capable.

The public should follow official safety advice such as Run, Hide, Tell during a serious threat.

But businesses and organisations need more than public advice. They need trained people on the ground who know how to:

1. Call quickly.
2. Contain effectively.
3. Counter proportionately when there is no other option.

Ireland does not need fear-based security.

It needs professional security.

It needs properly trained people, proper planning, proper supervision and a willingness to invest in the protection of both the client and the security officer.

Frontline security officers are not background staff.

They are an essential part of how modern businesses, public spaces and high-risk environments operate safely every day.

A race to the bottom benefits nobody.

Stronger standards, better equipment, clearer legal recognition and better preparation create safer outcomes for everyone.

The goal is always the same:

Protect life. Reduce harm. Restore control.