Jewellery Store Robberies: How Security Guards Can Respond to High-Risk Incidents

A security guard may have only seconds to respond when a serious incident begins.

That’s especially true during the smash-and-grab style jewellery store robberies that have received attention across Canada.

Several suspects may enter a store together, smash display cases, take high-value merchandise and leave almost as quickly as they arrived. Some have carried chemical irritants, knives or other weapons.

For a security guard working in a busy retail environment, an incident like this creates an immediate challenge:

How do you respond without making an already dangerous situation worse?

For current and aspiring security guards in Manitoba, these incidents offer an important lesson in situational awareness, risk assessment and professional response.

Security isn’t always about physically stopping a crime. Sometimes the most important thing a guard can do is recognize the danger, protect the people around them, communicate clearly and gather information that can assist police afterward.

A Robbery Can Unfold in Seconds

Smash-and-grab robberies are designed to happen quickly.

A group may enter together, use hammers or other tools to break display cases and immediately begin taking merchandise.

Within moments, they may already be heading for an exit and a waiting vehicle.

For a guard, that doesn’t leave much time to think.

There may also be factors that aren’t immediately obvious.

How many suspects are involved?

Are there additional suspects elsewhere in the building?

Are weapons present?

Is someone waiting outside?

How many customers are nearby?

Where are the safest exits for employees and members of the public?

A professional response requires the guard to take in information quickly and make decisions based on the entire situation — not simply react to the theft happening in front of them.

Situational Awareness Starts Before the Incident

One of the most valuable skills a security guard can develop is situational awareness.

That doesn’t mean treating everyone as suspicious.

It means knowing your environment and paying attention to changes within it.

A guard working at a retail property should become familiar with entrances and exits, vehicle access points, emergency routes and areas where crowds tend to gather.

They should also understand where employees and members of the public can move if an emergency occurs.

Behaviour can provide useful information too.

One observation on its own may mean very little. But several unusual observations together may be worth additional attention.

For example, a guard may notice individuals repeatedly looking at security cameras, someone lingering near an exit, or a running vehicle positioned near an entrance.

Good situational awareness allows security personnel to communicate concerns early and be better prepared if circumstances change.

Understanding the Security Guard’s Role

When the public sees someone committing a crime, the instinctive reaction may be: Stop them.

Security professionals have to think beyond that immediate reaction.

A security guard is not a police officer.

Guards work within their legal authority, their training, and the policies and procedures established for their assignment.

That means the appropriate response to a jewellery store robbery isn’t automatically to chase or physically confront the suspects.

A guard needs to consider the potential consequences of that decision.

If several suspects are involved and weapons may be present, confrontation could turn a property crime into a situation where employees, customers or the guard are seriously injured.

Professional security requires judgement.

What About Citizen’s Arrest?

Security guards do have arrest authority in certain circumstances.

Under Section 494 of the Criminal Code of Canada, private citizens, including security guards, may arrest without a warrant in specified circumstances.

However, having authority doesn’t mean it should automatically be exercised.

Imagine a guard is facing six suspects during a robbery. Several are carrying hammers, and one appears to have bear spray.

Even if circumstances exist in which an arrest could legally be made, attempting to physically apprehend one of those individuals could escalate the incident and put everyone nearby at greater risk.

Guards must understand not only the authorities available to them, but the risks and responsibilities that accompany them.

Use of Force Is Not a Simple Decision

The Criminal Code of Canada contains provisions relevant to the use of force and situations involving self-defence or defence of property.

Section 25 addresses circumstances involving force used in the administration or enforcement of the law. Section 34 addresses defence of a person, while Section 35 addresses defence of property.

The circumstances surrounding an incident matter when determining whether force is legally justified.

Those circumstances can also change very quickly.

A suspect who initially appears unarmed may produce a weapon. Someone attempting to flee may become violent when confronted. Members of the public may move into the area unexpectedly.

Security guards need to understand their legal authorities while continually assessing the risks around them.

Protect People Before Property

Jewellery can be extremely valuable.

But recovering property should never become more important than protecting people.

Consider a robbery happening inside a crowded shopping centre.

There may be children, seniors, employees and families nearby. Broken glass could cover the floor. Suspects may be carrying hammers or chemical irritants. People may panic and begin running.

Now imagine a security guard begins chasing the suspects through that crowd.

What happens if bear spray is deployed?

What happens if someone produces a weapon?

What happens if a customer is knocked down?

What happens when the suspects reach a waiting vehicle and accelerate through a busy parking lot?

A guard has to consider the risks an intervention could create.

Sometimes the safer professional response is to protect people, observe carefully and allow police to pursue the suspects.

What Should a Guard Focus on During the Robbery?

Every incident is different, and a guard’s actions need to reflect the circumstances, their training, and site procedures.

However, life safety should remain the priority.

That may involve directing customers away from the immediate area or helping employees move toward a safer location.

Police should be contacted as quickly as possible.

At the same time, guards should pay attention to details that may help responding officers.

Useful observations could include:

• Number of suspects
• Physical descriptions
• Clothing
• Tools or weapons observed
• Direction of travel
• Entrance or exit used
• Vehicle make, model, and colour
• Licence plate or partial plate information

A guard who remains observant during a chaotic incident may be able to provide valuable information without physically confronting the suspects.

Clear Communication Matters

Knowing something is only useful if you can communicate it effectively.

During a serious incident, security guards may need to communicate with police, other guards, site management, employees, and members of the public.

Messages need to be clear and concise.

Instead of simply reporting that a robbery is happening, a guard may be able to tell police:

There are five suspects.

Two are carrying hammers.

One appears to have bear spray.

They’re moving toward the west exit.

They’re entering a dark SUV.

That information gives responding officers a much clearer picture of what’s happening.

Communication is one of the less dramatic parts of security work, but during an emergency it can be one of the most important.

Follow Your Site Procedures

Knowing the law is essential, but security guards also need to know the procedures for the property where they’re assigned.

A site may have specific instructions dealing with:

• Violent incidents
• Weapons
• Robberies
• Pursuits
• When guards should disengage
• Contacting police
• Securing surveillance footage
• Protecting a crime scene

Don’t wait until an incident occurs to learn those procedures.

If something in your post orders or site instructions isn’t clear, ask questions beforehand.

Knowing what is expected of you makes it easier to respond professionally when there isn’t time to search for an answer.

Your Work Continues After the Suspects Leave

Once the immediate threat has passed, the security guard’s responsibilities may shift.

Employees and customers may be frightened or confused. Someone may need medical assistance. Broken glass or other hazards may need to be isolated.

The area may also contain evidence.

Depending on site procedures, guards may need to help secure the area, preserve surveillance footage, identify witnesses, and document what happened.

This is also where strong note-taking skills become valuable.

Record what you personally observed as accurately as possible.

What time did the incident begin?

How many suspects did you see?

What did they look like?

What did you observe them doing?

What direction did they travel?

What actions did you take?

Good documentation may later assist management and police in understanding exactly what occurred.

Why Standing Back Doesn’t Mean Doing Nothing

Videos of robberies can create a misleading impression of what security should be doing.

Someone watching online may see suspects running away while a security guard remains at a distance and conclude that the guard failed to act.

But they don’t necessarily know what the guard knows.

Maybe a weapon was seen.

Maybe police are already responding.

Maybe the guard is protecting customers.

Maybe they’re observing the suspects and vehicle.

Maybe site procedures prohibit a pursuit.

Maybe attempting to intervene would expose dozens of people to unnecessary danger.

Professional security isn’t about performing for the crowd or the camera.

It’s about making decisions based on safety, law, training and procedure.

Lessons for Future Manitoba Security Guards

Most security guards will hopefully never encounter a violent jewellery store robbery.

But the skills needed to respond professionally to an incident like this apply to many other situations guards may face.

Know your environment. Learn your site before an emergency happens.

Stay aware. Pay attention to what’s happening around you and recognize when circumstances change.

Understand your authority. Know what you are legally permitted to do — and the limitations of that authority.

Assess the risk. Think about what your actions could cause before you take them.

Protect people first. Property should never take priority over life safety.

Communicate clearly. Provide useful information to the people who need it.

Observe carefully. Details you notice may later become important.

Document accurately. Your notes and reports are part of your professional responsibility.

Together, these skills help security guards respond to difficult situations calmly and professionally.

Prepare for the Situations You Can’t Predict

Security work is unpredictable by nature.

You may spend one shift helping visitors find the right entrance and another responding to an emergency that develops without warning.

You can’t know exactly what you’ll encounter.

What you can do is prepare.

Security guard training provides the foundation for understanding your role, responsibilities, and legal authorities before you begin working in the industry.

For aspiring guards in Manitoba, completing the required training is an important step toward the provincial licensing process and a future career in security.

At Manitoba Guard Training, our goal is to help students build the knowledge they need to enter the industry prepared for the responsibilities of the job.

A high-risk jewellery store robbery is an extreme scenario, but it demonstrates an important principle that applies throughout security work:

Good security isn’t about heroics. It’s about awareness, judgement and protecting people.

Start your Manitoba security guard training and take the next step toward becoming a licensed security professional.

References

Government of Canada. (1985). Criminal Code, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-46. Justice Laws Website. https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-46/index.html

Nielsen, K., & Lieberman, C. (2024, December 18). Jewelry thefts plaguing Toronto area funding ‘other forms of criminal activity’: police. Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/10922836/smash-and-grab-robbery-rates-soar-toronto-area/