The Littlehampton security guards, who unofficially protect the Town Centre at night

Security officers randomly check the building at Anchor Springs, which used to be a Waitrose several years ago but is now unoccupied, at around 4–5am most mornings.

Copyright: Dwayne Hards.

One security guard acknowledged their limitations on the powers available to them but said they’d perform a citizen’s arrest on any criminal they stumble across under Section 24A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and the common law made by judges, which is the supreme law that gave Parliament the right to make laws (Acts of Parliament) several decades ago.

While it’s not the guards’ official duty to keep the external area of the building safe, they said they’d use whichever powers the law permits them to use if a crime took place in their presence. For example, robbery or assault. And they are friendly, professional, and approachable and will answer any questions provided they have the time to do so.