"In a crisis, the plan you trained for is the only plan you have."
Armed Intrusion and Active Threats
Instructor Sele: An armed intruder or active shooter scenario is the highest-stakes emergency a security professional will ever face. Your response in the first 60 seconds determines outcomes that cannot be reversed. This module ensures those 60 seconds are not wasted.
Section 1 — Armed Intrusion vs. Active Shooter
An armed intrusion involves a person or persons entering a facility with a weapon — intent may be robbery, intimidation, or targeted violence. An active shooter is specifically a person actively shooting at people, with the apparent intent to cause maximum casualties.
Both require immediate, decisive action — but the responses differ. Armed intrusion (robbery): prioritise compliance and de-escalation to prevent escalation to violence. Active shooter: prioritise evacuation and concealment — there is no compliance with someone intent on mass casualties.
Section 2 — Armed Robbery in Progress
If an armed robbery is in progress at your post: Do not resist or attempt to disarm — armed robbers with intent will fire. Your life is not worth the client's property. Comply with reasonable demands — hand over keys, codes, or access within your authority. Protect life first — ensure civilians are calm and compliant. Activate silent alarms if you can do so without being observed. Observe everything — description, number of assailants, weapons, vehicles, direction of escape.
After the robbers leave: call LNP immediately, preserve the scene, write your observations while fresh. Do not pursue departing robbers — your role ends when they leave.
Section 3 — Active Shooter: Run-Hide-Fight
If an active shooter is confirmed in your building, follow this prioritised response in order — Run first, Hide only if you cannot run, Fight only as an absolute last resort.
If there is a safe evacuation route — use it. Move quickly, leave belongings, guide others toward the exit. Do not stop to help wounded if it compromises your evacuation — alert emergency services to their location.
If you cannot evacuate safely, find a lockable room. Lock or barricade the door. Silence your phone. Turn off lights. Stay away from doors and windows. Do not open the door for anyone until law enforcement confirms it is safe — an attacker may claim to be police.
Only as an absolute last resort, when your life is in immediate danger and there is no other option. Use whatever is available as a weapon. Commit fully — a half-hearted attempt is more dangerous than none.
Section 4 — Shelter in Place
Shelter in place is the directive to remain inside a building as protection from an external threat (civil disturbance, chemical incident, armed threat outside). When shelter in place is declared: all exterior doors and windows must be closed and locked; personnel must move away from windows and exterior walls; communications must be maintained with the IC; do not open the building for anyone — direct them to call the IC for authorisation.
- •Armed robbery: comply with reasonable demands, protect life, observe, do not pursue
- •Active shooter: Run if you can, Hide if you cannot run, Fight only as an absolute last resort
- •Shelter in place: lock exterior access, move away from windows, maintain communication with the IC
- •Do not open a shelter-in-place building for anyone without IC authorisation
- •Observe and report maximum detail during and immediately after any armed incident
"A guard at a client site faced an armed robbery. He told me afterward he nearly reached for his baton. Three armed men with firearms. He would have been shot. He chose to comply, kept everyone calm, activated the silent alarm, and gave LNP a description so precise they apprehended two of the three suspects within the hour. His choices that night saved lives and led to arrests. Compliance is not weakness — it is tactic."
An active shooter situation is reported in your building. If you cannot evacuate, the correct response is: