The presence of armed soldiers at the gates was intimidating to the public, and soldiers were targets for frequent attacks. Visits to the city centre were typically avoided unless absolutely necessary. This, and increasing pressure to deploy the Army to other districts as the conflict developed, led to the formation of the Civilian Search Unit (CSU) in 1974.

The CSU was a force of around 300 civil servants who were a new kind of government employee recruited by the NIO and administered by the RUC. Core CSU hours were 8am to 4pm Monday-Friday with all working hours outside of this paid as overtime. They were responsible for staffing entrance gates, (open 7am-11pm Monday-Saturday, 8am-11pm Sundays) and conducting full body searches of pedestrians and vehicles entering the Segments.

Both men and women were recruited for the CSU, as pedestrians were separated by gender and frisked at the gates. The CSU was supported by static military guards and Army patrols. Gates with higher threat levels, such as those close to the Grand Central Hotel on Royal Avenue or leading to the west of the city, like Castle Street, continued to be staffed exclusively by the military.

Segment B was removed in 1974, as night-time businesses within the area had been losing trade and the cost of security in this lower-risk area was prohibitive. This area would no longer be controlled by the Security Forces, and pedestrians were able to come and go freely at any hour without being searched. The barriers across Skipper St remained in place, however, for the next few years, with the owners of local bars holding keys allowing access for delivery vehicles.

Various issues surrounding the barriers impacted ongoing business in Belfast. Among these was the overall appearance of the gates, fences and barriers, which were widely considered to be an eyesore and a deterrent to the public. Efforts were made to tone down the security infrastructure to try and eliminate the oppressive atmosphere in the city centre.