Deciding Between Armed Officers or Unarmed Officers

Whether you have an event or a location that necessitates having the services of an experienced security firm, one question that is always important to ask yourself is whether it is better to have armed or unarmed security officers as part of the security team. Our officers go through vigorous training to ensure that they are well-equipped to handle any situation, whether they are armed or not, but different jobs require a different set of thinking. First, let’s distinguish between the two types of officers.

Unarmed officers

Besides of obvious difference that one is armed and the other is not, there are differences in how armed and unarmed officers help mitigate threats to your business, location, or event. Unarmed security guards aren’t actually unarmed. Usually, they will have some sort of tool that can be used to de-escalate a situation through force, whether that is pepper spray, a taser, or a blunt melee armament. Unarmed officers are excellent for situations that have a low chance of violent threats, or are used in a technical fashion. For example, you wouldn’t need an armed officer for a CCTV position, would you?

Armed officers

Armed security guards, on the other hand, are classified by one particular type of arm: a firearm. Any officer that carries a lethal weapon is considered armed, but that is almost always going to be a gun. Armed security guards are necessary for areas that have a high risk of experiencing a violent threat, such as government property.

Things to consider

Risk of job: If the job has a high-risk level for a violent situation, then it is definitely worth having an armed officer that can deter or respond to threats. This doesn’t mean that it is more likely than not that a situation that needs force will occur, but it is easier to see a violent situation arising at a bank than at a wedding.

Tone of job: Speaking of weddings, it is probably going to be offputting to have armed security guards at your wedding. That brings us to the next point, that the tone of the event is going to be affected, depending on if you have armed security or not. Going above and beyond with your security team is probably not where you want to splurge on events where the biggest risk is going to be guests who overdrink.

Budgetary constraints: Because there are higher risks associated with having an armed security guard, and there is probably more stress that an armed officer needs to address, they are a bit more expensive to employ than unarmed officers. As such, you’ll need to decide if having an armed officer necessitates the extra cost.