Although they are responsible for the security of the store, the security guards do not have all the rights and customers are able to refuse certain things.
In most stores and supermarkets, they do not go unnoticed. Often, they are at the entrances to see customers arrive. They have eyes everywhere, observe everything and use cameras to spot suspicious behavior. Security guards are there to ensure the surveillance of people and premises. For store managers, these professionals are essential to prevent thefts and also defuse possible conflicts while ensuring the safety of customers.
But sometimes, their presence does not please some consumers who feel insistent glances or a proximity perceived as intrusive, creating a feeling of distrust where there was none. Some consumers, who have simply come to do their shopping, can feel watched or judged, which can transform an ordinary shopping experience into a moment of discomfort. There are also customers who have one day been stopped by a security guard at the checkout or in the aisles. The latter, suspecting something, then asked them to open their handbag or backpack to check its contents.
An action that seems trivial, but in the eyes of the law, security agents do not have all the rights. They must also respect certain rules. According to article L613-2 of the Internal Security Code, they “may carry out visual inspection of baggage” but they cannot search them with their hands if they do not have “the consent of their owner”, indicates the law.
Similarly, they cannot perform “security pat-downs” if they don’t have “the express consent of individuals”. Furthermore, they “may only exercise their functions inside buildings or within the limits of the places under their care, including within the established protection perimeters”specifies article L613-1. Also know that in the event that you refuse the search, the security guard can call in the police or the gendarmerie.