NZ Crowd Controller COA flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

COA licence meaning

A New Zealand certificate of approval for crowd controllers, issued under the Private Security Personnel and Private Investigators Act 2010 and administered by the Ministry of Justice.

Licence must be carried

A COA holder must carry the licence while working and produce it on demand to a police officer, licensing inspector, or client.

Trespass warning

Under the Trespass Act 1980, a lawful occupier or agent may warn a person to leave; failing to leave after a verbal or written warning is an offence.

Privacy Act 2020

Governs collection, storage, use, and disclosure of personal information, including patron details, CCTV footage, and incident reports held by crowd controllers and their employers.

Crowd density threshold

Below 2 persons per square metre movement is free; 2 to 4 is restricted; above 4 to 5 crowd crush risk rises sharply; above 6 is dangerous.

Counterflow hazard

Opposing streams of people in a confined space create turbulence and pressure build-up, so ingress and egress routes should be separated.

Risk assessment cycle

Identify hazards, assess likelihood and consequence, apply controls in a hierarchy, record the assessment, monitor, and review it regularly.

Crowd management versus control

Management designs the environment and flow to prevent problems; control responds to disorder once it has emerged.

De-escalation sequence

Assess, approach calmly, introduce yourself, explain the reason, offer choices, give time, and escalate only if the situation requires it.

Active listening

Paraphrasing, reflecting feeling, asking open questions, and summarising to lower perceived threat and show the person is heard.

Refusal of entry script

State the reason briefly in plain language, offer an alternative such as leaving quietly or returning later, and avoid endless negotiation.

Safe approach distance

Roughly 1.5 metres, positioned at an angle rather than face-on, with hands visible and a calm, low voice.

Contemporaneous notes

Notebook entries written at the time in ink, factual and chronological, with corrections struck through and initialled rather than erased.

5W1H reporting

Record who, what, when, where, why, and how, including exact times, locations, descriptions, and actions taken.

Observed versus told

Incident reports must clearly distinguish what you personally saw from what you were told and from what you inferred.

Chain of custody

A record of who handled evidence such as CCTV footage, photographs, or physical items, and when, to preserve its integrity.

Citizen's arrest power

Under section 39 of the Crimes Act 1961, anyone may arrest without warrant a person found committing an imprisonable offence or a breach of the peace, and must deliver them to a constable promptly.

Reasonable force test

Force must be reasonable, necessary, proportionate, and the minimum required in the circumstances, and must stop once the person is compliant.

Positional asphyxia

A fatal risk when restraint restricts the airway or compresses the neck or chest; the person must be monitored continuously and restraint ceased once compliant.

Detention notification

A detained person must be told the reason for detention, not left unattended, and handed to police or released as soon as possible.

Worker duty under HSWA

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

Near-miss reporting

Reporting events that could have caused harm but did not, so hazards can be controlled before an actual injury occurs.

Fatigue management

Long shifts, night work, and rotating rosters increase error and injury risk, so scheduled breaks, hydration, and reporting impairment are required.

Duress procedure

A site-specific plan using radio codes, duress alarms, and first-aid locations that a crowd controller must know before starting a shift.

Emergency response sequence

Raise the alarm, ensure safety of self and others, call 111, follow the site emergency plan, and assist evacuation.

Fire exit rule

Fire exits must remain clear and unlocked at all times while the premises are occupied; they must never be locked or blocked during an event.

DRABC first aid

Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing, Circulation; call 111 and start CPR if the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally.

Crowd evacuation principle

Dense crowds move slowly, so stagger release and avoid creating a surge toward a single exit; direct people away from the hazard.

Human Rights Act 1993

Prohibits discrimination on grounds including race, colour, ethnicity, sex, religion, age, disability, and sexual orientation in the provision of goods and services.

Implicit bias

Unconscious assumptions that affect split-second judgements; crowd controllers counter it by using objective criteria and documenting the reason for each decision.

Confidentiality duty

Patron information, incident details, and CCTV footage must not be disclosed except as required by law or authorised by the client.

Ethical use of force

The test is necessity and proportionality, not what the person deserves; every use of force must be reported and justified.