Maryland Security Professionals provides businesses and other facilities with professional armed security operatives that are specially trained in de-escalation and resolution of conflicts. Our goal is always to avoid violence by applying effective strategies to keep conflict situations from spinning out of control.
Our hand-picked, extensively vetted security professionals have 10+ years of experience in law enforcement and/or the military. There is no substitute for experience when it comes to remaining level-headed as a conflict intensifies. Having the right security officers on your side can mean the difference between resorting to the use of force and reaching a peaceful resolution. If you are interested in adding an armed guard contingent to your security strategy, please contact Maryland Security Professionals today to schedule a free security audit. Based in Annapolis, MD, we serve clients in Baltimore County, the Washington DC metro area, and throughout the mid-Atlantic region including Virginia and Delaware.
The Basics of De-Escalating a Conflict
Within every conflict situation, opposing parties run the risk that their disagreement will escalate either to an unwinnable stalemate or to violence. In an individual security situation, such as confronting a thief or protecting someone from external physical threats, de-escalating a growing conflict requires one party to initiate a process that alters the conditions of their interaction. A trained security professional that is assigned duty as a bodyguard, for example, might accomplish this by:
- First recognizing the individual dimensions of a conflict, and removing the less critical dimensions from consideration;
- Managing the interaction without ceding control of the situation to either party;
- Acknowledging each party’s strengths and weaknesses within the interaction;
- Resolving the basic issues that catalyzed the conflict.
De-escalating a conflict can begin even before the conflict arises, for example, when a security professional identifies known threats and develops strategies to avoid those threats before they become conflicts.
Conflict Resolution
In addition to firearm and physical defense training, our security specialists are also trained to exercise threat reduction with intelligent planning and situational awareness. In the arena of armed executive protection, for example, planning can involve determining the safest transportation routes, sweeping areas for incendiary devices, and remaining sensitive to cultural issues that can create greater exposure to his or her client.
When confronted with a threat, a trained security professional will first employ non-violent tactics. Those skills include listening to the threat source and acknowledging the source’s issues, creating areas of agreement and demonstrating empathy as needed, and clarifying the threat source’s demands before laying out each party’s options.
In all cases, a trained security professional will constantly work to achieve small reductions in the threat level, as those small reductions often lead to better overall conflict resolution.
Maryland Security Professionals: Experienced Private Security Consultants for Conflict De-Escalation and Resolution
All of the armed guards at Maryland Security Professionals have a minimum of ten years of security or law enforcement experience. They receive further training in conflict resolution and threat de-escalation techniques and work continuously to maintain and update their skills as threat sources evolve.
For private security, executive protection, and armed guard services, call us today to speak with one of our expert security consultants.
Additional Resources:
- Beyondintractability.org, Limiting Escalation/ De-Escalation. https://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/limiting_escalation
- Correctionsone.com, The 8 Most Effective De-Escalation Techniques in Corrections. https://www.correctionsone.com/corrections-training/articles/355621187-The-8-most-effective-de-escalation-techniques-in-corrections/