Velvet Ropes and Red Tape: New Rules for Bouncers
|
The mandatory training has been introduced after a number of high profile deaths and injuries in bars and nightclubs.
This all sounds well and good, and there is no price on public safety. However, many in the trade are not convinced that these measures will do anything other than add to the already over-burdened business of running viable licensed premises. Doubts about the cost of the scheme, as well as whether the lessons are appropriate, have already been raised. |
"We deplore anything that results in an injury," said Nick Bish, the chief executive of the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR), “but if someone commits an assault then the law is there to prosecute them. We do not see the need for door staff to become paramedics or police. It's a step too far."
ALMR has also said that it is concerned that bouncers and other door staff are merely treated as a “cheap alternative to police officers.”
As reported by the BBC, a recent British Crime Survey showed that one in eight regular nightclub visitors is the victim of a violent crime every year, compared to one in thirty in the general population.
A poll of door supervisors by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) found 54 percent had been attacked at some point in their career, rising to 94 percent for individuals with five years’ or more service.
Beware if you are going out on the town in Camden – a survey of door staff in that London borough found 40 of them were arrested for violent crimes while on duty from July 2007 to July 2009.
The SIA is aware of at least ten people who have died after being ejected from venues since 2003, although it accepts there is anecdotal evidence that the real number "could be higher".
Bouncers and other security staff already receive training in non-physical skills before they can legally work in the UK. The SIA believes that it is essential that individuals working in the private security industry undergo a structured training programme that results in a recognised qualification. They have developed a competency (skills) requirement as part of their licensing function. Individuals applying for a front line SIA licence must prove that they are properly qualified to do their job. If they don’t hold one of the SIA-endorsed qualifications, then their licence application will be refused.
The SIA believe that this will result in a more competent and professional workforce. It will also improve the public image of the private security industry and make it more attractive to potential employees.
That training must now also include physical intervention techniques, such as safe restraint and ejection. The move is part of a widespread shake-up of the door supervisor licence, which now includes lessons in first aid and terrorism awareness.
The training is only compulsory for first time door staff who have never worked in the industry before, although the Home Office is now consulting on measures to extend the new training to all existing bouncers, with compulsory top up training every two years.
A final decision on this should be made in the next few months. Watch this space.
Do you think that it’s a good idea that new bouncers get this training (one of the things they’ll be taught is how to use handcuffs for restraint purposes….)?
Have your say and comment at http://www.licentiouslaw.co.uk or 
For expert guidance, contact Maria on meg@silvermansherliker.co.uk or call +44 (0)20 7749 2700. |
