NFPS Ltd

Complacency can be dangerous.

Personal safety is not about fear.

It is about awareness, preparation and recognising risk before it is too late.

How Far Can I Go to Defend My Property?

This question comes up quite often during conversations.

Some responses are thoughtful and measured.

Others are, let’s say, very interesting.

I'm sharing this information as a useful reminder around self-defence, reasonable force, and how these incidents are viewed in England and Wales.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Police have produced guidance to help better understand:
- The self-defence rights for householders
- How incidents involving force are investigated
- The difference between instinctive self-defence and excessive retaliation
- Why people acting in fear are not expected to make perfect decisions in the heat of the moment

Importantly, self-defence investigations are not based solely on hindsight.

A key consideration is what the person honestly believed was happening at the time and whether the force used was reasonable in the circumstances as they genuinely perceived it to be at that time.

This is where issues such as fear, perception, stress, confusion, and decision-making under pressure can become highly relevant.

The guidance also reinforces important themes around:
- Fairness
- Proportionality
- Public trust
- Decision-making under pressure

One area many people still struggle with is understanding the difference between:
- Reasonable force
- Disproportionate force
- Excessive force (ie; retaliation)

These distinctions do matter.

Many incidents are judged calmly afterwards, even though they were experienced in chaotic moments.

Wherever you work, this is an important topic to understand.

Do you think the public properly understands where lawful self-defence ends and unlawful retaliation begins?

Read the CPS and Police guidance here:
https://www.cps.gov.uk/publication/householders-and-use-force-against-intruders

NFPS is helping shape what the future industry standard should look like.

Read more: https://nfps.info/ligature-management-and-room-search-do-not-sit-in-isolation-from-the-wider-realities-of-frontline-practice-can-your-organisation-evidence-that-it-is-prepared/

Or feel free to DM me for more information: [email protected]

Ligature management and room search do not sit in isolation from the wider realities of frontline practice. Can your organisation evidence that it is prepared? Competent ligature management and room search training has been identified as an increasing necessity within many front-line sectors. This blog is particularly useful for senior managers and those charged with commissioning fit-for-purpose training in this field. Can your organisation evidence that....

Check out the BTEC Level 3 Self-Defence Trainer course benefits that you will receive when you choose to train as a Self-Defence Trainer with NFPS Ltd: https://nfps.info/self-defence-trainer-training-2/