Level 03 – Physical Intervention

Advanced Conflict Management & Physical Intervention Training for Security, Facilities & Enforcement Teams

A comprehensive programme for security officers, corporate and campus security teams, and civil enforcement officers who may need to use physical intervention as a last resort to prevent harm. Designed to strengthen decision-making, risk awareness, and safe, proportionate physical skills to a standard beyond baseline SIA licence training – fully aligned with legal, ethical, and organisational requirements.

 
Duration 2 days
Delivery Methods
  • In person
  • Standpoint
  • Affiliate Trainer Programme
Assessments
  • OBSERVATION
  • PARTICIPATION
  • SUPERVISED PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATION
  • FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Stand2 trainer and client smiling

01COURSE OVERVIEW

Providing staff with the knowledge, judgement, and practical capability to prevent, manage, and safely resolve physical conflict – as a last resort, within a clear legal and ethical framework.

Participants explore the legal, ethical, and organisational  frameworks that govern physical intervention, develop confident communication  and de-escalation skills, and learn a medically reviewed set of safe, non-harmful  physical responses used only when necessary and proportionate. The course  reinforces risk awareness, teamwork, and post-incident responsibilities, ensuring  staff can act decisively while maintaining dignity, safety, and defensible practice  throughout.

This programme is accredited and independently medically reviewed by a consultant in emergency medicine – ensuring every technique taught is safe, proportionate, and clinically defensible.

02 THE IMPACT

How this training helps your organisation

  • More confident, consistent responses to physically aggressive individuals on site
  • Reduced injuries to security staff and members of the public during incidents
  • Improved legal and professional defensibility during SIA, client, or police review
  • Clearer team communication and coordination between security officers during live incidents
  • Stronger adherence to site policy, client contracts, and least restrictive practice
  • Better incident reporting to support client audits, ACS compliance, and continuous improvement
Conflict management training

03.RISKS ADDRESSED

Where physical intervention may be necessary, the cost of poor training is too high to ignore. Without the right training, your staff may:

Checklist icon Use non-defensible or unsafe physical responses that expose your organisation to legal and regulatory risk
Checklist icon Make inconsistent or impulsive decisions under pressure
Checklist icon Fail to recognise medical, positional, or situational risks during physical incidents
Checklist icon Escalate situations unintentionally through unclear communication or poor team coordination
Checklist icon Place themselves, colleagues, or members of the public at greater risk
Checklist icon Struggle to coordinate effectively as a team during high-pressure incidents
Checklist icon Under-report incidents, limiting organisational learning, safeguarding, and oversight

The good news is that this is entirely preventable. That’s what this course is for.

04 LEARNING OUTCOMES

Here’s what your staff will be able to do differently:

Recognise and manage the three types of risk.
04 LEARNING OUTCOMES

Here’s what your staff will be able to do differently:

  1. 01 Recognise and manage the three types of risk.
  2. 02 Identify risks associated with physical intervention, including medical, positional, and situational risks.
  3. 03 Explain the legal, ethical, and organisational principles governing physical intervention.
  4. 04 Recognise their duty of care and professional responsibilities.
  5. 05 Demonstrate situational awareness and early warning recognition to prevent escalation.
  6. 06 Use verbal and nonverbal communication strategies to defuse tension and reduce the need for physical intervention.
  7. 07 Describe the hierarchy of responses, emphasising prevention, deescalation, and last resort physical contact.
  8. 08 Apply decision-making models to choose the safest and most proportionate response.
  9. 09 Demonstrate self-control, emotional regulation, and professional behaviour under pressure.
  10. 10 Recognise personal limits and seek support when required.
  11. 11 Demonstrate safe, non-harmful physical skills designed to reduce risk and increase safety for all parties.
  12. 12 Apply safe positioning, movement, and team coordination principles to minimise harm.
  13. 13 Work effectively as part of a team with colleagues and external services.
  14. 14 Demonstrate safe and effective management of bystanders during high risk incidents
  15. 15 Transition away from physical contact as soon as it is safe and appropriate.
  16. 16 Describe and follow organisational procedures for incident reporting and review.
  17. 17 Contribute to post incident debriefs that prioritise dignity, safety, and continuous improvement.
  18. 18 Reflect on incidents to identify learning, reduce recurrence, and support staff wellbeing.
  19. 19 Apply the programme’s principles consistently across different environments and service users.
05 CASE STUDY

Festival Place – Security and Customer Safety Teams

Festival Place is a leading shopping and leisure destination in Basingstoke, home  to over 140 retailers, more than 20 restaurants, and a 10-screen cinema. The centre  combines visible, proactive security with discreet, covert safety measures to  ensure a calm, safe environment for millions of visitors each year. 

Stand2 delivered Advanced Conflict Management & Physical Intervention training  to strengthen the centre’s already well-established commitment to safety. The  programme ensured that Festival Place staff are among the best equipped in the  sector to prevent escalation, make defensible decisions under pressure, and apply  safe, medically reviewed physical intervention only when necessary. 

Staff reported increased confidence, clearer communication during challenging  incidents, and improved coordination when working as a team. The training  supported Festival Place’s ongoing commitment to providing a safe, reassuring  experience for shoppers, visitors, and employees across this large and diverse  environment.

Physical intervention training
06 Course Delivery & Assessment

Two days of structured, medically reviewed training – built around the specific risks your staff face.

Delivery: This two-day programme is delivered in person through structured theoretical input, scenario-based exercises, supervised physical skills practice, and reflective discussion. Every programme is preceded by a Training Needs Analysis to ensure the content, scenarios, and physical skills are directly relevant to your environment, policies, and operational requirements. StandPoint, our online learning platform, supports the programme with additional resources and materials.

Medical review and accreditation: All physical techniques taught on this programme are independently medically reviewed by a consultant in emergency medicine and fully risk assessed by a NEBOSH-qualified practitioner. The programme is accredited, and this level of independent medical oversight is not standard across the physical intervention training sector – it is Stand2’s commitment to ensuring that every technique is safe, proportionate, and clinically defensible before it is ever taught to a delegate.

Assessment: Learning is assessed through observation, participation, and supervised demonstration of techniques. Assessment is continuous and practical – based on how staff apply what they’ve learned in realistic, controlled conditions.

Certification: Every participant who successfully completes the programme is formally certified by Stand2, receiving a uniquely numbered certificate that confirms they have met the programme’s assessed standards. Each delegate is entered onto the Stand2 Training Register, which we maintain on your behalf – giving your organisation a clear, auditable record of who has been trained and when annual refresher training is due.

Training environment: Psychological and physical safety are prioritised throughout. All sessions are delivered with clear consent, trauma-informed facilitation, close supervision, and robust safety protocols. No participant is asked to take part in any activity they are uncomfortable with.

07.Frequently asked questions

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Call us or drop us a message.

Is this course suitable for staff with no prior physical intervention training?
Yes. The programme covers all foundational communication, de-escalation, and risk assessment principles before introducing physical skills. No prior physical intervention training is required.
Are any pain-based techniques taught?
No. Stand2 does not teach, endorse, or permit pain-based or harmful techniques under any circumstances. Every physical skill taught on this programme is designed to reduce risk and minimise harm – to staff, service users, and members of the public.
Are the physical intervention techniques medically safe?
Yes. All techniques are independently medically reviewed by a consultant in emergency medicine and fully risk assessed by a NEBOSH-qualified practitioner before they are taught. This level of independent medical oversight is not standard across the physical intervention training sector – it is Stand2’s commitment to ensuring every technique is clinically safe and defensible.
Is physical intervention training a legal requirement?
Employers have a legal duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to assess and manage foreseeable risks to their staff. This is a well-evidenced risk in security roles: HSE data shows protective service occupations – security guards, police officers, and prison staff – experience workplace violence at a rate roughly six times the national average. The HSE is explicit that where staff face a serious or credible risk of physical aggression, appropriate training – including physical intervention skills – is a required control measure, not an optional one. For organisations where physical risk is foreseeable and regular, this programme provides the most direct and demonstrable way to meet that obligation.
What is a Training Needs Analysis and why is it required?
A Training Needs Analysis is a structured assessment carried out by Stand2 before any Level 3 programme is delivered. It confirms that physical intervention training is appropriate, necessary, and proportionate for your specific environment, staff group, and risk profile. It also ensures the content, scenarios, and physical techniques are directly relevant to the situations your staff face. The TNA is a professional and legal safeguard – for your organisation and for Stand2 – and is included as part of the process when you get in touch.
What sectors is this course suitable for?
This course is suitable for organisations where physical aggression is a genuine and regular occupational risk. Stand2 regularly delivers this programme to NHS trusts, ambulance services, mental health and learning disability providers, probation services, security teams, prison and custodial services, and other high-risk public and private sector environments. If you are unsure whether Level 3 is appropriate for your organisation, the Training Needs Analysis will confirm this.
How does this training support legal and professional defensibility?
Every element of this programme is designed with defensibility in mind. Staff learn the legal, ethical, and organisational frameworks that govern physical intervention – including duty of care, proportionality, and least restrictive practice. This matters directly for SIA-licensed teams and contractors working towards ACS (Approved Contractor Scheme) standards, where training records and defensible decision-making are subject to regular audit. The independent medical review, the Training Needs Analysis, the assessment process, and the Stand2 Training Register all contribute to an auditable, defensible record of training that stands up to regulatory, legal, client, and safeguarding scrutiny.
Does Stand2 training come with a certificate?
Yes. Every participant who successfully completes the programme is formally certified by Stand2 and issued with a uniquely numbered completion certificate. Each delegate is also entered onto the Stand2 Training Register, which we maintain on your behalf – providing your organisation with a clear, auditable record of who has been trained and when annual refresher training is due.
How do you ensure psychological and physical safety during training?
All sessions are delivered with clear consent, trauma-informed facilitation, close supervision, and robust safety protocols – particularly important given that security staff face workplace violence at around six times the national average, and many will already have experienced physical aggression in the course of their work. Physical skills are practised in a controlled, supervised environment with appropriate safety measures in place throughout. No participant is asked to take part in any activity they are uncomfortable with.
How often should staff refresh this training?
Stand2 recommends an annual refresher interval of 12 months for this programme. Physical intervention skills are among the most perishable of all workplace competencies – research consistently shows that physical and decision-making skills deteriorate significantly without regular practice. The annual refresher follows a condensed one-day format. Stand2 will proactively notify you when your staff are approaching their refresher date through the Stand2 Training Register.
08.Start the conversation

This course is ideal for organisations whose staff may need to use safe, proportionate physical intervention to prevent harm.

If you’re responsible for staff safety, safeguarding, or operational risk, we can help.

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Google Reviews

At Stand2 we go above and beyond to understand and meet your expectations. Here are some of our recent reviews.

As the trusted leader in conflict management, personal safety, and physical intervention training, we aim to elevate standards across the UK and beyond by bringing evidence-based practice, operational credibility, and expert instruction to every sector we serve.
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Excellent. Done a few courses over the years regarding conflict management and this was the best. Relaxed teaching and no one was afraid to make a mistake or ask any questions. Enjoyed this much more than my recent SIA renewal in all honesty.

Really thoughtful and experienced teachers. After the training I felt really confident in conflict resolution and physical intervention. Thank you now I know how to protect myself, the general public and my organisation if a situation comes up.

Very well structured course and effectively taught. Techniques and solutions were very helpful.

Very good! Other security companys should learn this Easy to learn


Fantastic course, gave a really easy to remember process for handling conflict management. Trainers were great, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Really course, tutors were great especially Chris who made it fun and interactive

Really enjoyed the training Dave and Chris are very engaging

Engaging PowerPoint, really good instructors, time to practice techniques

I recently completed training at Stand2 and had a great experience. The course was well organised, engaging and delivered by Chris C, who explained everything clearly using practical, real-life examples. The training has given me greater confidence in managing conflict, assessing risk, and keeping myself and others safe. I would highly recommend this course to anyone looking to develop these important skills.