What are the legal limitations of private security, regarding the use of physical force?
<p>I am just wondering what are the legal limits to the extent to which private security can use physical force?</p>

<p>For example, if I am in a private establishment (let's say, a shopping mall); a security guard asks to me to leave and I refuse. Is he legally allowed to beat me up and break my arm?</p>

<p>Another example, if I am on a facility owned by a private company and a security guard asks me to hand over my cell phone and I refuse - can he beat me up and take it?</p>

<p>More extreme examples might be if I was damaging property or trying to harm someone on the private premises. I would assume private security would have some powers to use force to defend people/property from damage?</p>

<p>In terms of jurisdictions, it is US/UK I am primarily interested in.</p>

<p>Private security have no special powers in the UK. They are just ordinary citizens like you are. Touching you is likely to assault at the very least.</p>

<p>Asking you to hand over your phone, or open your shopping bags for inspection or anything like that is the same as if any other random person did it, i.e. they have no authority to force you to do so.</p>

<p>All they can do is call the police, but even then they are subject to the same rules about wasting police time and so forth, and can't detain you until they arrive.</p>

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