Pictured: Steve Robertson of Saltaire Security.
The owner of a local security firm whose member of staff was allegedly threatened by a member of the public has spoken out about the ordeal.
And he has expressed his shock that people are still unable to follow social distancing guidelines despite Scotland being in week seven of lockdown.
Steve Robertson of Saltaire Security has chosen to speak out just days after a member of his staff was allegedly threatened by a customer in a supermarket they were working at.
The incident took place on Monday (May 11), on the same day it was announced that male security guards are at highest risk of dying from COVID-19.
Steve said:
“Saltaire has been employed by a number of supermarkets to support their own staff with ensuring that members of the public adhere to social distancing measures.
“You would think that this many weeks in, people would understand the rules by now, but I am sorry to say people are just not adhering to the advice and my staff are constantly having to remind people of the rules.
“This is often leading to verbal abuse and people just ignoring or flouting the rules.
“It is making what should be a job keeping people safe and reassured by our presence into one that is dangerous for both my staff and other law-abiding members of the public.
“Thankfully, most people are respectful, but it seems to be two sides of the same coin, there are those who adhere and then those who do not care one little bit.
“It is these people that are the biggest problem and the biggest risk to everyone else.”
He added:
“On Monday, we faced our worst incident to date.
“A member of staff had stopped a man for stealing a bottle of alcohol in one of the main supermarkets.
“However, when he was stopped, he started to coughing over the guard and said he had the Coronavirus.
“He left the store and was arrested by police.
“Our staff are used to dealing with volatile situations, that is what we are trained to do but given the current situation, this incident left me furious.
“Me and my team are there to protect and advise the public, and here we are on the frontline, putting ourselves at risk and having to deal with abuse on a daily basis.
“We understand this is a tough time for everyone but is it too much to ask to simply stick to the rules?
“They are pretty simple, stay two metres apart and only one person per trolley or basket, but so many people think it doesn’t apply to them.”
This incident occurred in the same week that 48-year-old Inverness man Iain Lindsay became the first in Scotland to be jailed for endangering police lives by coughing at two officers.
Iain Lindsay previously admitted assaulting the two constables by coughing in their faces to the danger of their lives.
Speaking about his profession Steve, who has 16 full time members of staff and at the height of summer can employ up to 50 staff added:
“We are one of the sectors that has been less affected by this worldwide situation, although we have lost all our event work, which is a huge part of the business for us.
“We are proud that we are able to step in and support supermarkets and other businesses who are dealing with this unprecedented situation right now and that we are always able to do so in a professional manner.”
