NZ Crowd Controller COA cheat sheet

A crowd controller is a person employed to undertake duties at premises or events for the purpose of screening, vetting, observing, or monitoring patrons and controlling or restraining behaviour; the COA is the licence class for this work.

The COA licence is issued under the Private Security Personnel and Private Investigators Act 2010 and administered by the Ministry of Justice; the licence must be carried and produced on demand to a police officer, licensing inspector, or client.

Licence classes are separate: crowd controller (COA), security guard (CO), and personal protective equipment (PPE) or bar manager certificates are different credentials; a COA holder cannot lawfully perform duties outside the class.

Key duties: act within the law, comply with the Act and licence conditions, maintain confidentiality, avoid conflicts of interest, and report serious misconduct to the licensing authority.

The Privacy Act 2020 governs collection, storage, use, and disclosure of patron information; CCTV and incident reports are personal information subject to the privacy principles.

The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 sets host responsibility and prohibited-entry rules; a crowd controller cannot admit a person who is intoxicated, violent, or a prohibited person under a trespass notice.

Trespass Act 1980 allows a lawful occupier or their agent to warn a person to leave; a warning must be given verbally or in writing, and failure to leave after warning is an offence.

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, the PCBU must ensure so far as reasonably practicable the health and safety of workers and others; a crowd controller is a worker with duties to take reasonable care and follow instructions.

Licensing conditions can include restrictions on the premises or event type, hours, and supervision requirements; breaches can result in suspension or cancellation of the COA.

Crowd density thresholds: below 2 persons/m² movement is generally free; 2–4 persons/m² movement becomes restricted; above 4–5 persons/m² risk of crowd crush rises sharply; above 6 persons/m² is dangerous.

Crowd flow and counterflow: opposing streams in a confined space cause turbulence and pressure build-up; design routes to separate ingress and egress and avoid bottlenecks.

Emergent behaviour: crowds are not inherently violent; behaviour is shaped by context, leadership, perceived legitimacy, and whether the crowd feels heard.

Deindividuation and anonymity increase the likelihood of antisocial acts; visible staff presence, lighting, and clear rules reduce it.

Risk assessment cycle: identify hazards, assess likelihood and consequence, apply controls in a hierarchy (eliminate, substitute, engineer, administrate, PPE), record, monitor, and review.

Pre-event factors: event type, expected numbers, alcohol availability, demographics, ticketing and capacity, venue layout, weather, and transport egress.

Dynamic risk: monitor crowd mood, density, queue length, and alcohol consumption; escalate controls early rather than waiting for a trigger event.

Trigger events include a decision perceived as unfair, an injury, a power failure, a performer no-show, or a weather change; plan contingency responses in advance.

Crowd management is not crowd control: management designs the environment and flow to prevent problems; control responds to disorder once it emerges.

De-escalation sequence: assess the situation, approach calmly with open body language, introduce yourself, explain the reason for the interaction, offer choices, give time, and escalate only if necessary.

Use a calm, low, slow voice; keep hands visible; maintain a safe distance (roughly 1.5 m) and position at an angle rather than directly face-on.

Active listening: paraphrase, reflect feeling, ask open questions, and summarise; this lowers perceived threat and gives the person a sense of being heard.

Give clear, specific instructions in plain language; avoid jargon, sarcasm, threats, and arguing about facts in front of a crowd.

When refusing entry, state the reason briefly and offer an alternative (leave quietly, return later, speak to the duty manager); do not negotiate endlessly.

Use the person's name if known; avoid touching unless necessary; touching can escalate and create a use-of-force incident.

For groups, address the leader or the person most receptive; separate the loudest person from the audience to reduce performance pressure.

If a person is intoxicated, use short sentences, repeat key points, and allow extra processing time; do not attempt reasoned debate.

Record the outcome of the interaction in the incident log if it involved refusal, force, or a complaint.

Notebook entries should be contemporaneous, written in ink, factual, chronological, and free of opinion or hearsay; corrections are struck through and initialled, never erased.

Record the 5W1H: who, what, when, where, why, and how; include exact times, locations, descriptions, and actions taken.

Descriptions should cover height, build, age, hair, clothing, distinguishing features, and direction of travel; avoid conclusions such as 'looked suspicious'.

Incident reports should distinguish what you observed from what you were told and from what you inferred; label each.

Preserve evidence: CCTV footage, photographs, statements, and physical items; note chain of custody and who accessed them.

Observation techniques: scan the whole area, use peripheral vision, note baselines so deviations stand out, and avoid tunnel vision on one person.

Report serious incidents to the police and the client promptly; do not delay to complete paperwork.

Witness statements should be taken separately to avoid contamination; record the witness's own words in quotation marks.

Retain records for the period required by the client and Privacy Act 2020; destroy securely when no longer needed.

A crowd controller has no special police powers; the powers available are those of any citizen, principally under the Crimes Act 1961 and the common law.

Citizen's arrest under s 39 Crimes Act 1961: anyone may arrest without warrant a person found committing an offence punishable by imprisonment, or who has committed a breach of the peace, and must deliver the person to a constable as soon as possible.

Use of force must be reasonable, necessary, proportionate, and no more than the minimum required; force used in self-defence or defence of another must be reasonable in the circumstances.

Restraint is not punishment; once the person is compliant, restraint must cease and the person must be handed to police or released.

Never restrain a person in a way that restricts the airway or compresses the neck or chest; positional asphyxia is a known risk during restraint.

A person detained must be told the reason and not left unattended; monitor breathing, consciousness, and position continuously.

Search powers are limited; a crowd controller may ask a person to leave or refuse entry but generally cannot search without consent or a specific statutory power.

Use of force must be reported immediately to the supervisor and documented in an incident report with times, actions, and witnesses.

Any force used must be justifiable in law and in policy; 'lawful but awful' force can still breach the Code of Conduct and licence conditions.

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, workers must take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others, and follow reasonable instructions and training.

Hazards specific to crowd control: assault, sprains from physical intervention, noise, fatigue, heat, slips, trips, and confrontational stress.

Personal protective equipment must be provided and worn where required; it is the last line of defence, not a substitute for eliminating the hazard.

Fatigue management: long shifts, night work, and rotating rosters increase error and injury risk; take scheduled breaks, hydrate, and report impairment.

Report all incidents, near misses, and hazards through the workplace reporting system; near-miss reporting prevents future harm.

Know the emergency and duress procedures for your site: radio codes, duress alarms, first-aid locations, and the assembly point.

Psychological wellbeing: exposure to violence and trauma can cause cumulative stress; use peer support and employee assistance programmes.

Do not work under the influence of alcohol or drugs; impairment compromises judgement and is a breach of duty and licence conditions.

Manual handling: use team lifts, keep loads close, bend knees, and avoid twisting; report injuries promptly.

Emergency response sequence: raise the alarm, ensure safety of self and others, call emergency services (111), follow the site emergency plan, and assist evacuation.

Evacuation principles: use designated exits, keep routes clear, direct people away from the hazard, and account for people at the assembly point.

Crowd evacuation differs from fire evacuation: people move slowly in dense crowds, so stagger release and avoid creating a surge toward a single exit.

Do not lock or block fire exits during an event; exits must remain clear and unlocked at all times while the premises are occupied.

Fire extinguisher use (PASS): pull the pin, aim at the base, squeeze the handle, sweep side to side; only attempt if trained and safe to do so.

First aid: DRABC - Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing, Circulation; call 111 and start CPR if unresponsive and not breathing normally; use an AED as soon as available.

Bomb threat: treat as genuine, do not use radios or mobile phones near the device, record the caller's exact words, and follow police instructions.

Post-incident: preserve the scene, record statements, and participate in debriefs; do not discuss details with media.

The Human Rights Act 1993 prohibits discrimination on grounds including race, colour, ethnicity, sex, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, and family status in the provision of goods and services.

Decisions to refuse entry or remove a person must be based on observable behaviour and lawful grounds, not on appearance, ethnicity, or assumptions.

Implicit bias affects split-second judgements; use objective criteria (intoxication, aggression, prohibited items) and document the reason for each decision.

Conflicts of interest: do not use the role for personal gain, to settle personal disputes, or to favour friends or associates.

Confidentiality: do not disclose patron information, incident details, or CCTV footage except as required by law or authorised by the client.

Professional boundaries: do not accept gifts, engage in personal relationships with patrons, or use excessive familiarity.

Ethical use of force: the test is necessity and proportionality, not what the person 'deserves'; report and justify every use of force.

Complaints handling: listen, record, acknowledge, and refer to the supervisor; do not argue or retaliate.

Maintain a professional appearance and demeanour; the licence is a public trust and conduct reflects on the whole industry.