Security guards could be on the cusp of getting greater powers as the government looks to curb retail crime.
A ministerial advisory group has been established to come up with ideas about how to reduce offending - and one of the possible changes touted by Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is looking at the role played by security guards.
It comes as a Kmart worker lost her job after trying to intervene when a member of the public was attacking two security guards.
The Employment Relations Authority has found that her dismissal was unjustified so she has got her job back - at least for now.
Goldsmith told Checkpoint he would be open to changing laws and wants greater certainty about what security guards can and cannot do.
New Zealand Security Association chief executive Gary Morrison said the organisation was very aligned with Goldsmith's thoughts and had ongoing meetings with Police Minister Mark Mitchell.
Morrison said security guards had some powers under the Crimes Act, but it was "old and poorly worded".
The general advice to staff was to not engage with offenders because of the risk involved.
Sometimes security guards had the ability to detain and obtain property from an offender, but it depended on an array of circumstances that were not always able to be worked though in the moment.
Morrison told Checkpoint demand for security guards had increased significantly since Covid-19 - but so too had the abuse they faced.
That abuse was both verbal and physical, he said.
Despite the risk involved with the job, Morrison said it was still a sought after job and they did not have trouble getting staff - making sure they were well trained and could do their jobs safely was a high priority.
Morrison said he would also be engaging with the new advisory group and seeking clarification around legislation.
In the long term, he would like to see a review of the Crimes Act and "far more" certainty around the powers security guards have and clarity around trespass law.
