Aibu to think it was unfair to name the security guards who made mistakes in the Manchester arena bombings

[Newpuppymummy]

They were young security guards and made huge mistakes but I do think it was very unfair to name them. I think one of them was 19 at the time. I wonder about the training they were given. they have to live with what they did or didn’t do for the rest of their lives. The police who went for a two hour food break to a kebab house 5 miles away were not named

I can’t believe they criticised the paramedic! He went in there on his own when it wasn’t know whether or not there were other Devices or bombers. Absolute disgrace.

Whenever anything like this happens, I just think it could have been one of my lads. I thought the same with the Alton Towers tragedy, probably just a young person/ teenager operating the ride. My son worked at a kids theme park and was left running between 3 rides ( only small ones) and had very little training working for a pittance.

I coludn't agree more

Totally agree. They are trying to make them scapegoats. Most ‘security’ work is low paid and they are poorly trained. The blame here lies with the police/security agencies. But of course we probably won’t hear much about that after today.

Absolutely wrong.

@FrankButchersDickieBow

Security companies notoriously treat their staff like shit, to ensure they turn a profit.

Sgite wages, shite training. Minimum pay, minimum breaks, minimum everything else.

I feel sorry for them being named.

This, DP is in events production (in normal times obviously) and it's all casual freelancers with terrible pay, conditions, business practices in pretty much every aspect of 'behind the scenes' of this sort of thing.

I did have a wry smile when I went to a counter terrorism event for my own work and the police were talking about all the anti terrorism measures that had been included in our city's new concert venue. I thought 'thats all well and good but pretty much all the staff working at the event are freelancers employed with no checks on who they are, it's the classic 'my mate's brother's neighbour is looking for work, when can you start' type industry.

@romdowa

Totally wrong , no matter what mistakes they made, they didn't bomb anybody that day. The fault lays solely at the bombers feet at the end of the day.

Totally this.

My point being that there's no training, no continuity so few people get experience because they don't do the work for long when they realise it's a shit way to earn a living and not the glamourous rock and roll lifestyle they imagined and terrorists could do this kind of work as a way to get information about the many weaknesses in the system.

Yep it's absolutely disgusting. And hope they wont be subject to any misguided vigilantism or abuse.

The blame lies with no one but the vile sub human cretin who did this.

Completely agree.

And the report opening admits that if they'd have acted there would still be loss of life but likely less. So basically the young men would be sacrificing their lives. Pretty sure that's not in their job description snd I can't believe it's being suggested that it should be!!

YANBU, I think it’s fair to name the company because any training etc is their responsibility. Naming the individuals who were young, badly paid etc is so wrong. I don’t think anything could have stopped this guy anyway, he was there and could have detonated the bomb at any time.

@miltonj

And the report opening admits that if they'd have acted there would still be loss of life but likely less. So basically the young men would be sacrificing their lives. Pretty sure that's not in their job description snd I can't believe it's being suggested that it should be!!

Precisely ^^

Maybe they should have just named the firm.

It does sound like a lot of mistakes were made before and after the bombing.

I find it interesting that the media try to find a hero angle in these cases, for example at the time there was reports of a homeless man helping the victims, but it turns out he was robbing them.

I think the media do this whole hero angle thing to try to stop the public thinking about what has happened, and then expecting some genuine solutions.

@miltonj

And the report opening admits that if they'd have acted there would still be loss of life but likely less. So basically the young men would be sacrificing their lives. Pretty sure that's not in their job description snd I can't believe it's being suggested that it should be!!

This is what jumped out at me too!!

Are we seriously suggesting that an 18 and 19 year old on NMW with no formal counter terrorism training should put their life on the line?

DS trains security guards and I have just watched the eight slides on terrorism. There was nothing on there which I had not already seen in the media, and yet we, the public, believe they are 'trained'. It appears that the training the two teenagers had was online. There was no trainer to ask questions, no trainer to give valuable examples from their own experience, no trainer to make sure the students had understood.
The entry requirements for security guarding and door supervision are very low, and DS often finds low levels of interest, and frequently comes home and says 'There was only one student I would actually employ'.
I think of the dangerous situations he was put into as an 18 year old by unscrupulous employers and I think those two teenagers were woefully unprepared for the situation they faced. I think the security company should be held to account.
I have read online reviews from their employees and it makes it obvious that little has changed.

The police were named in pretty much every article I’ve read and in the news reports from the enquiry.

I haven’t read this anywhere other than here but it makes me so angry. As if these people wouldn’t be traumatised enough, the media do this? Whoever released their names should be ashamed and the press should have had more morals than to go ahead and print. Absolute gutternsipes.

This is a classic case of the shit rolling down hill, the police would say they put anti terrorism measures in place and the venue didn't follow, venue says they hired a security firm to do it, security firm names the guys and keeps pointing so no one looks at them. Poor lads.

I wondered why British Transport Police were in charge of Policing. Apparently it is because the Manchester Arena is on the footprint of the station.

The anti terrorism training they get? Watch a ten minute video. "spot someone suspicious, call the police, do not approach" "hands off policy" that's the official training.

They do their best, get shit wages and are expected to tolerate abuse and assault daily, and have very little job security, for £10 an hour. Whether they made mistakes or not, these are people who paid a few quid for an SIA and have done a few days training. They have no powers or rights, well, no more than the next person. They are not the police.

I really feel for them, awful situation.

If there had been a larger police presence then maybe the security guard would have alerted them at the time? Guess we’ll never know.

They shouldn’t have been named, only the company they work for!

At the time of the Manchester Arena bombing it would have cost around £200 for SIA training plus £200 for the actual licence. Not exactly peanuts for an 18 year old.

If there had been a larger Police presence the member of the public might have reported his concerns to the Police. He is another person I feel sorry for.

The police who had a 2 hour lunch break were named and the female officer admitted it was unacceptable.