If you’ve wondered if a security guard service can save you money? Keep you from “negligent security” or lawsuits? In the article, “Analysis of Correlations Between Private Security Presence and Insurance Claims & Security-Related Lawsuits”, answers those questions. Written by International Security Ligue, who conducts research in the private security industry to shape a safer world.
Related Lawsuits and Security Presence
Civil litigation against property owners for “negligent security” is one of the fastest-growing segments of premises liability law in the U.S. Jury verdicts and settlements in these cases have risen sharply over the past decade; average settlements and median jury awards exceed one million dollars per incident for most industries.
Such lawsuits are far less common in Europe, but while there is no single European dataset that tracks all negligent physical premises security lawsuits, anecdotal evidence suggests—if there is a trend—that is probably indicates growing risk for premises owners who fail to provide security commensurate with foreseeable threats.
Do more officers reduce risk? In the U.S., negligent security cases and premises liability lawsuits increasingly cite the absence, insufficiency, or poor training of guards as proximate causes for failing to prevent injury, loss, or death. Several major verdicts have explicitly linked insufficient security staffing to liability.
Especially in known “hot spots,” which make criminal acts “foreseeable,” courts have repeatedly ruled that under-staffing, cost-cutting (hiring one guard when four were deemed needed), and skipped patrols represent a breach of duty for property or business owners.
Sectoral analysis shows businesses that employ and retain professional guards with ongoing training face fewer and less severe claims—a trend noted in insurance underwriter guidance.
Especially in high-risk sectors, data suggest that the density and professionalism of private security officers correlate with measurable reductions in liability incidents, insurance claims, and associated legal costs in U.S.
