On 1 March 2026, Gary Stanley, a 52-year-old security guard known as “Stan” to everyone around him, went to work at the Centre:MK shopping centre in Milton Keynes. He never came home. Stan was fatally stabbed while on duty. A man has since been charged with his murder.
His death has shaken the entire security industry. But for many working on the frontline, the shock came with a painful familiarity. This wasn’t a surprise. It was a fear realised.
In the weeks since, a Change.org petition calling for “Stan’s Law” has gathered over 25,000 signatures. It’s a demand for change, and it’s something every security professional in the UK should know about.
What is Stan’s Law?
Stan’s Law isn’t asking for anything radical. It’s asking for common sense.
The petition, started by a local resident and directed at the Home Office and the SIA, calls for two things: mandatory protective equipment for security officers working in high-risk environments — at the very least, stab-proof vests and body-worn cameras — and mandatory training on how to use that equipment properly.
That’s it. Basic protections for the people standing between the public and harm.
What the Industry Is Saying
The Security Industry Federation (SIF), the trade union representing thousands of UK security workers, has gone further. In an investigation by the BBC published on 9 March 2026, SIF General Secretary Daniel Garnham called for assaulting a security worker to be made a stand-alone criminal offence — similar to the existing offence of assaulting an emergency worker.
Garnham also revealed that between September 2023 and January 2025, the SIF documented over 950 instances of violence against security workers. And he highlighted a troubling reality: many clients actively ban PPE like stab vests because they believe it makes the public feel unsafe.
We’ve got to have PPE. It’s not a case of it looks bad: what looks bad is someone bleeding out on the floor.
— Daniel Garnham, SIF General Secretary, speaking to the BBC
Voices From the Frontline
The BBC’s investigation also spoke to security officers across the UK, and their accounts paint a stark picture.
David Barr, a former prison officer now working in private security in Southend-on-Sea, told the BBC he bought his own stab vest and body camera because his employer didn’t provide them. His words were striking: “I felt safer as a prison officer working on a wing with hundreds of convicted dangerous criminals than when I’m working security.”
Geoff Savage, who has worked security in Northern Ireland for over 20 years, said he felt less safe now than he did at the end of the Troubles. He described retail security as “the worst kind of security to be doing,” citing lone working and a lack of protection. In the past year alone, he said he’d been needle-pricked, physically assaulted, and verbally abused, and was told it was an “occupational hazard.”
Lyndsey Higgins, 31, who has worked in security since she was 18, was attacked on the job two years ago and is still waiting for the case to go to trial. She supports the call for a stand-alone offence. “Security officers feel like they’ve been left behind a bit,” she said.
Recommended Reading: Personal Safety for Security Officers
What Does This Mean For You?
Whether Stan’s Law leads to legislative change remains to be seen, but the conversation it has started is already overdue.
What’s clear is that the skills you develop through your SIA training, like conflict management, de-escalation, situational awareness, understanding your legal powers, are not just boxes to tick on a course. They are the tools you carry with you on every shift. They’re what allow you to read a situation before it escalates, to protect yourself and the people around you, and to go home safely.
No one should go to work and not come home. Stan’s death is a reminder of that. But it’s also a reminder of the professionalism and courage of the thousands of security officers who put themselves on the frontline every single day.
If you’re considering a career in security, or you’re already working in the industry and thinking about your next step, investing in quality training is the single most important thing you can do. Whether that’s a door supervisor course, a security guard course, or adding a CCTV qualification to your skill set, the right training doesn’t just open doors. It keeps you safe behind them.
