What a security guard can and cannot do

Law 2518/1997 gives security staff obligations, not powers. Article 4 §2 says a guard:

• Does not use the title “police officer” («αστυνομικός») or any words that could mislead the public into thinking they represent a public authority, especially the police (§2 γ).
• Does not infringe citizens’ constitutional rights of any kind in the course of the work (§1 στ, via §2 α).
• Does not use means or methods that may cause damage, harm or nuisance to others or endanger citizens’ safety (§1 ζ, via §2 α).

A guard carries the security-staff ID card and wears the badge on the left of the chest — showing the company name, the guard’s name, «Ι.Ε.Π.Υ.Α.» and “PRIVATE SECURITY” — whether in uniform or plain clothes (art. 6 §1). The badge tells everyone exactly that: private security, not police. For the entry requirements of the job, see how to become a security guard.

If someone takes you for a police officer, correct them straight away: “I’m a guard with the security company, not the police.” Never let the impression stand that you represent an authority.

None of the legal texts this guide cites contains a provision giving a guard the power to search a bag, a person or a vehicle, to demand ID, or to hold anyone. What happens at a site entrance rests on something else: the owner’s condition of entry.

• The condition (“entry with a bag check” or “entry with visitor details recorded”) is written into the post orders and announced before the entrance.
• The visitor chooses: accept and enter, or refuse and stay out.
• The guard asks, never takes: no grabbing the bag, no searching it themselves, no blocking the way of someone who wants to leave.
• If someone refuses and insists on entering, or there is suspicion of an offence, the guard calls the police on 100 and informs the supervisor.

For how to organise visitor entry properly, see the guide to visitor access control.

Article 275 §1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure says that for felonies and misdemeanours caught in the act, investigating officers and every police officer have a duty, while every citizen has the right, to arrest the offender, respecting the Constitution and article 279. A guard has exactly that citizen’s right — nothing more.

• In the act only. Apart from article 275, no one is arrested without a warrant or a judicial council decision (article 276 §1). If the offence did not happen in front of you just now, an arrest is not yours to make.
• Offences prosecuted on complaint. For offences prosecuted only on complaint, arrest is not allowed unless the complaint has first been made, even orally, to the person entitled to arrest (art. 275 §2). Which offences fall in this group is not for a guard to judge on the spot.
• Straight to the police. Anyone arrested in the act is taken without delay to the competent prosecutor, within 24 hours at the latest (article 279 §1). In practice: the guard calls the police at once and hands the person over. No “keeping them until…”, no questioning, no going through their belongings.

A right is not the same as the right move. An arrest means physical contact with a stranger, with risk to the guard and everyone nearby. Follow your post orders; if they do not provide for arrest, the safe choice is to observe, record and call 100.

Article 22 of the Penal Code says an act done in self-defence is not unlawful — that is, the necessary harm done to an attacker to defend oneself or another person from a present and unlawful attack. The necessary measure is judged by how dangerous the attack was, the kind of harm threatened, the manner and intensity of the attack and the other circumstances. Exceeding those limits is punishable (article 23).

The job gives a guard no extra right to use force. Limits, excess, necessity and de-escalation are covered in detail in the guide to self-defence and use of force.

1. Observe from a safe distance: what is happening, how many people, where they go, descriptions, times.
2. Call: the police on 100, the line for immediate police response (Hellenic Police), or 112, the single European emergency number, when someone is hurt or people are in danger (Civil Protection).
3. Inform the supervisor or operations centre, as the post orders say.
4. Record it straight away in an incident report: facts, times, witnesses, who you called and when.
5. Hand over to the police when they arrive — your account and everything you recorded.

In a real incident, the police decide. In a real legal case, you need a lawyer — this guide is not legal advice.

• No police look or language: the guard does not claim to be an authority (art. 4 §2 γ, Law 2518/1997).
• No forced checks: a bag check is a condition of entry the visitor can refuse.
• No dogs in public places: the law bans dogs in public and publicly accessible spaces; they are allowed only inside guarded buildings or properties, or in enclosed spaces (art. 4 §1 ζ).
• No “holding them until the manager arrives”: anyone arrested in the act goes straight to the police.

Good post orders spell out what the guard does in each scenario — and when they stop and call the police. For shoplifting specifically, see retail loss prevention.