Working the Doors

A TOP player for Truro City Football Club hit a bouncer over the head with a bottle during the team Christmas party after going to the aid of a friend who was being ejected from the L2 nightclub.

Marcus Martin pleaded guilty to assaulting Stephen Darby on December 16, 2007 when he appeared at Truro magistrates' court.

Martin, aged 23, who lives in Plymouth, was described as an invaluable player who the team could not do without.

Sarah Topham, prosecuting, said the offence occurred at 12midnight when Martin intervened as Mr Darby was trying to eject another person from the club. Martin grabbed him from behind, ripping his shirt and tearing his earpiece from his ear, before hitting him over the head about five times with a bottle.

Darby received bumps and bruising as a result. There was a general melee and Martin's assault on Mr Darby had also been witnessed by a police officer.

Darby told the police afterwards that he had been drunk, having had about six pints and some spirits. He felt the bouncers had been aggressive towards one of his friends they were ejecting and had responded to that although afterwards he was shocked by his behaviour and had apologised.

Mr Darby, said Mrs Topham, was a scaffolder by day and as a result of his injuries had to take two days off work at a loss of £140.

Mark Charnley, for Martin, who had no previous convictions, said he was a semi-professional footballer who played for Truro's first team having previously played for Plymouth Argyle and Exeter. He was described as a top signing for the team and was normally considered a quiet character who had never been disciplined off the pitch.

Martin, he added, had been hit in retribution several times by the bouncer.

He said he had already received " a massive carpeting" for what he had done and internal disciplinary proceedings were due to start.

"At the very least he will be fined by the club for his behaviour and has also brought shame on the club", he said. He had been banned from all licensed premises in Truro, and embarrassingly for him, that included the club bar.

Martin was told to do 100 hours of unpaid work under a year's community order and ordered to pay £240 compensation to Mr Darby and £43 court costs.

Badge backlog is hitting door staff

A backlog of badges is preventing Cannock's qualified band of bouncers from doing their job, it emerged this week.

Now a leading local light within the security industry, Stu 'Goldcrusher' Goldsmith, who has been working the doors in Cannock and Wolverhampton for almost two decades, is calling for an urgent review of the backlog, fearing that if problems continue, many doormen will be technically unlicensed and therefore unable to work, plunging the industry into chaos.

"You can't work the doors without your badge, simple as that," Stu, 39, told The Post.

"The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is the organisation responsible for regulating the private security industry.After thorough and comprehensive training, you have to wear the badges while working, and it's illegal not to.

"But there is such a backlog of applications for badges within the SIA that lots of qualified bouncers cannot work."

If a bouncer operates without his badge, then both he and the venue will be hit with a hefty fine.

Fellow bouncer Rob Smith said: "I followed up my application with the SIA and they had said they've lost my application form, so I can't work. It's an ongoing problem affecting so many people."

Stu added: "I spoke to Cannock MP Tony Wright who said he is aware of the situation, and shall be getting back to me.

"I also phoned two Wolverhampton MPs who said they would be doing the same thing.

"I think a union needs to be formed for door supervisors, definitely. We've got the public to answer to, as well as police and supervisors.

Man avoids jail for punching woman bouncer

"He believed he was about to be manhandled and accepts he struck out, catching the complainant in the face.

"It was never his intention to strike her but he accepts by hitting out his behaviour was reckless and unlawful."

The court heard Ms Kelp suffered pain for months after the incident and lost over £2,000 in earnings because of what happened.

Smart, of Shrewsbury Crescent, Sunderland, runs his own security firm. The court heard he does not have a record for violence.

Mr Wilkinson told the court: "His remorse was genuine and immediate."

Judge John Evans sentenced Smart to 12 months' imprisonment, suspended for two years, with a six-month curfew between 8pm and 8am.

Smart was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and pay Ms Kelp £2,000 compensation.

The judge said: "This certainly was not an offence committed with a degree of malicious intent."

Female bouncer punched by clubber

A FEMALE Ipswich nightclub bouncer was punched in the face by a man who did not realise she was a woman, a court heard.

Pellumb Duka punched Gemione Warren-Tuck twice in the face at the Pals nightspot, splitting her lip and giving her a black eye, Ipswich Crown Court was told.

David Wilson prosecuting said: “She was approached by two women stating that the defendant was being rude towards them and had started to harass them with various advances.”

He said Miss Warren-Tuck “tapped” Duka on the shoulder and he turned and immediately punched her.

Miss Warren-Tuck, a door supervisor, said she had suffered “great pain” and regular nose bleeds after the attack.

Mr Wilson said: “The defendant was interviewed and said he accepted two punches. He said Wilson did not realise the door supervisor was female.

“He had been tapped on the shoulder and had reacted without a great deal of thought.”

Duka, 38, of Burke Close, Ipswich, pleaded guilty to causing common assault at the Dogs Head Street club on April 13 last year.

The court heard that Duka had a previous conviction for assault causing actual bodily harm at a night club in September 2006.

Jonathan Seely mitigating for Duka said: “He initially acted in mistaken self-defence. He accepts by his plea his reaction was out of proportion.”

He said Duka was a “family man” who was in work.

He added: “These proceedings have caused a considerable amount of strain between him and his wife.”

Mr Recorder Fletcher said: “This is a serious matter and it is not a conduct of behaviour that can continue.”

He followed the recommendation in the pre-sentence report and sentenced Duka to six months probation supervision and ordered him to do 150 hours unpaid work.

Duka was also told to pay Miss Warren-Tuck £600 compensation and £200 towards court costs at a rate of £20 per week.

Licence Delays in the North East

DOOR-STAFF in the region claim they may be forced to work illegally because of a cock-up over licenses.

They say a backlog at the Security Industry Authority has caused a delay in renewing expired badges.

And it’s not the first time bouncers have had to wait. Three years ago, when the licenses were introduced, door staff said they risked prosecution because the SIA were too slow.

Now, with the first batch of licenses due for renewal, it’s happened again.

One Newcastle door man, who asked not to be named, said he was still waiting for an application form two months after applying.

He said: “It is now illegal for me to work and therefore I have no income. Trying to speak to the SIA is almost impossible because their switchboard is too busy.

“The shortest time on hold so far is 47 minutes and the longest is one hour and 33 minutes. I am now stranded by the SIA’s failure to act even though I have done nothing wrong. Many of my colleagues are in the same boat.”

He later received the application form but is expecting a further delay while it is processed. Bouncers without valid licenses face six months in jail, a £5000 fine, or both. And pubs using illegal door staff could be closed and leave their owners facing prosecution.

A spokeswoman for the SIA admitted there was a backlog of six to nine weeks in processing applications.

She blamed the introduction of a new system in November at the organisation’s call centre in Liverpool plus the residual effect of local industrial action by postal workers in Liverpool.

She added: “No one can be given permission to work without a licence. However, our enforcement approach lists certain factors that can be taken into account by enforcing authorities if they encounter unlicensed operatives.

“The police and other authorities have clear procedures for verifying applicant information with the SIA.

“Our application status checker provides an easy way of checking whether an application has been received.”

A spokesman for Phoenix Security — one of the North biggest operatives — said authorities were taking different views.

He said: “Northumbria Police are taking no action as long as an application has been applied for six weeks prior to expiry. Cleveland Police are taking the view: no badge, no work.”

Tim Blades, Acting Chief Inspector of Cleveland Police’s Community Justice Unit said: “We will work closely with the SIA and security companies, and continue to check door staff regularly to ensure they all hold relevant, current licenses.

“Clear abuses of the process will be dealt with. However, where there are genuine attempts to comply with the requirements we will do everything we can to resolve the situation.”

Tribute to Redcar’s gentleman king of clubs

REDCAR was in mourning today for its king of clubs.

The town is expected to grind to a halt next Wednesday for the funeral of much-loved doorman Norman Bushby, who has died aged 66.

Since 1968, “Norman the Doorman” was known by almost everyone who enjoyed a night out in Redcar - and by many others across Teesside.

Firm and formidable but with a heart of gold, he manned the doors at Jigsaw, the Top Deck, the Madison in Middlesbrough, the Coatham, Darcy’s, Philmore’s in Saltburn, Silk’s and O’Grady’s.

He kept working until late last year when, unknown to him, he was being increasingly affected by a liver tumour, even though he didn’t smoke and rarely drank.

Diagnosed in December, the tumour claimed Norman’s life on Monday. His final moments were as he wanted, at home on Redcar’s Mickledales estate, surrounded by loved ones.

Since then, his beloved family, wife Peggy and sons Nick, Chris - known as Citta - and Jason, have been inundated with best wishes from people with their own fond memories of a true Redcar character.

Born in 1941 and brought up in Dormanstown with sister Margaret - mum of West Brom boss and Boro legend Tony Mowbray - Norman met the girl of his dreams, Peggy, on the waltzers at Saltburn.

They married at Guisborough Register Office in 1960 - “everyone said it would never last,” smiles Peggy - and remained devoted to each other to the end.

Norman, a grandad of seven, had two working lives. By day, he was a plater, beginning as an apprentice at Dorman Long before spending 25 years at ICI.

But by night, he was a bouncer who commanded respect, not through heavy handedness but through firmness, diplomacy and good humour.

His career on the doors began in 1968 at the Jigsaw behind the Swan Hotel, where he took a job to help make ends meet.

Then a popular haunt of Hell’s Angels, who often turned up with chains and knives, it was a daunting baptism of fire - but Norman took it in his stride.

In the 1970s, players from Jack Charlton’s Boro team regularly popped into the Top Deck and Norman knew them all. Comedian Roy Chubby Brown was also a pal.

And right up to his last shift at O’Grady’s less than two months ago, the respect he generated from pub and club-goers was immense.

The funeral, when Tony Mowbray is expected to be a pallbearer, is at St Peter’s Church, Redcar, next Wednesday feb 13at 12.30pm, followed by burial at Redcar Cemetery.

Son Citta said: “He knew how to handle any situation.

“Through all those years, he was never in trouble with the law or unnecessarily aggressive. He was a gentleman.

“And he never claimed a pound in benefits or had a day off work, even if he was ill. He was such an honest man.”

Peggy agreed, saying: “He wouldn’t even park on double yellows.”

Apart from Redcar, his two favourite places were Whitby, where son Jason runs the Angel pub, and Jersey, which always rekindled memories of happy family holidays.

He loved his sport, and even had a trial for Boro in 1956, but horse-racing was his favourite, pictured in school football team.

More often than not, he failed to back a winner but, perhaps fittingly, the last horse he backed romped home at 16-1.

His popularity around Redcar and beyond is undoubted, with the Redcar.net website inundated with tributes.

Peggy smiled: “If we ever went out, he never had to spend anything because everyone wanted to buy him a drink. People even offered to pay for his medical treatment. He was much loved.”

Nick added: “He was a strong bloke but he didn’t need to use his strength.

“If you ever spoke to him, you wouldn’t have thought he was 66 because he was so in touch with the younger generation.

“I’ve been in different parts of the country and when people hear my name and realise where I’m from, I’m often asked ‘are you any relation to Norman?’”

Jason said: “He lasted so long because he had real respect.”

Recently, Norman spent his days working at Citta’s garage business, Cartech.

But his night-time home was the Redcar pub and club scene where, by common consent, a shining star has gone out.

'Old Style' Bouncers fear over licence delays

South Devon's pubs and clubs will have no choice but to employ 'rogues' as old-style bouncers, according to the doormen themselves.

They say the situation will get worse if delays in issuing doormen new licences carries on.Doormen and club owners say they are angered by the Security Industry Authority's inability to renew licences on time.

The licences have to be re-issued after three years, but delays mean experienced door staff are unable to work while they await the new licence.

This means inexperienced doormen, who received their first licence in the past 18 months or so, are being employed instead.

But where inexperienced doormen are not available, club owners will be forced to employ unlicensed staff.

Dave Jefferies, who has been a Torbay doorman for 20 years, said: "If they don't sort this out clubs will end up employing rogues on the door and then we're back to square one, to how it used to be before the legislation.

"I've spent days, not hours, on the phone trying to talk to the SIA, and I'm getting nowhere. I work in retail security in the day, but I can't do that either because it's covered by the badge.

"I don't think they knew what they were getting into when they started this legislation."

Licensing officer Neil Stanlake told the Herald Express public safety would be put at danger if experienced door staff are not quickly re-instated.

A Torbay doorman, who didn't want to be named, confirmed these fears: "We've got to the stage where clubs are opening without licensed doormen, because if they went by the letter of the law they wouldn't be able to open.

"They're business people - they don't want to take a hit to the pocket. We need the SIA to hold their hand up and say, 'OK, we won't do any door checks until we've sorted this out.'

"My licence ran out in November, and the SIA have been sat on my application since then. Now they've said they're going to send me even more correspondence.

"It's ridiculous. Doormen who would work the whole weekend are missing out on £120 to £150. They can't afford to lose that."

An SIA spokesman apologised for the delays and said that, although it is illegal for a club to employ unlicensed doormen, 'our enforcement approach lists certain factors which can be taken into account by enforcing authorities if they encounter unlicensed operatives'.

But Chris Howard, manager of Torquay's Venue club, was not convinced. He said: "The system's not working.

"Three years ago, when this was implemented, I know they were struggling to get the licences out then.

"There was no help from the off. The police said they wouldn't enforce it for a month because the SIA didn't have their act together. Three years on and they're still behind.

"I've lost some good door staff because they refused to go with the SIA. We're talking about really experienced door staff and we're losing them left, right and centre.

"I've lost my head doorman because he hasn't got his badge. It's stupid. These guys know how to calm a situation down, whereas the younger ones might be a bit more hands on because they're inexperienced."

You can’t coddle bouncers

The author of Versailles and After: 1919-1933 and a member of the House of Lords bridge team, 64-year-old Baroness Henig of Lancaster was a rather quaint choice by the then Home Secretary John Reid to chair an agency charged, among other duties, with regulating bouncers.

As The First Post revealed in May 2007, the training that her Security Industry Authority (SIA) oversees is hopelessly lightweight for the realities of Friday night closing time. Bouncers are encouraged to 'understand the issues regarding ejection' and 'identify different types of behaviour'. They are not taught how to restrain a bottle-wielding lout. As doorman Bob Willingham wrote, the training is "fluffy, idealistic nonsense".

Riaan Brits, the director of AAB Training Limited, a company which offers these courses, thinks that the curriculum is worse now than it was before the SIA was founded in 2003. "In the past, with the council badges, physical restraint was very much part of the course. Unfortunately, it's not now part of the SIA curriculum", he said.

The agency also faced criticism in November 2007 when it emerged that a man guarding Gordon Brown's prime ministerial car was one of 5,000 security workers who were licensed by the SIA but not actually entitled to work in Britain.

Now the BBC has revealed another disturbing SIA failing. The agency is responsible for weeding out criminals from the once under-regulated security industry, and has made progress in this respect. In the last four years they have revoked or suspended over 2,500 licences, and they have cooperated closely with Merseyside Police on 'Operation Seahog', a highly-successful campaign to clamp down on rogue security firms in Liverpool. Yet there are still, in the words of SIA Chief Executive Mike Wilson, 'bad eggs' in the industry.

The January 21 Panorama programme discovered that Robert Wright, who pleaded guilty to attempting to smuggle £1m worth of opium out of Estonia in March 2001, had left prison and was now working for Feba Custodia, a Yorkshire firm that employs some 1,200 people. Wright claimed he was 'driving' the company, and name-dropped Walmart as a client. "Believe it or not I am working with the police in Sheffield on an advisory capacity working on the CCTV Liaison Unit", he added.

Wright was able to get away with working in an industry from which his criminal record should have excluded him because of a loophole that means that the SIA's remit doesn't extend to people who call themselves security consultants. That's why Feba Custodia was awarded Approved Contractor Status, the SIA gold standard.

For the same reason, fellow Scottish criminal Lewis 'Scooby' Rodden, was able to work for P&B Contracts, a company run by his own sons. Rodden had been sent to prison in 2005 for attempting to intimidate Ayrshire construction firms into employing his private security firms. He admitted to carrying a Samurai sword.

Having an umbrella organisation to regulate this £7bn industry is necessary. But with expensive licenses giving them an annual gross income of over £20m, the SIA ought to be more effective. The organisation invites the public to report incidents of concern involving security operatives, but neglects to man its phone line. Umpteen calls over three days to their number from The First Post led only to interminable elevator music

Clubs 'face closure' over Door staff crisis

Public safety will be put at risk if South Devon's pubs and clubs are forced to employ unlicensed doormen, according to industry officials.

Licensing officer Neil Stanlake is concerned about the consequences of the Security Industry Authority (SIA) delays in issuing new licences for doormen.Inexperienced doormen are allegedly taking the place of experienced colleagues who are unable to renew their three-year-old licences, and it is claimed some clubs may even be taking on unregistered door staff.

Mr Stanlake said the SIA has had years to prepare for this influx, and further delays might trigger a return to pre-licence days when less-reputable doormen were employed.

He added "Public safety will be put at risk, and that's something we don't want. This is a concern across the constabulary, because public safety is paramount.

"I've been inundated by calls from door stewards because they haven't been able to get through to the SIA.

"At this rate we are very quickly going to run out of licensed doormen, and then we could have a situation where doormen are working illegally.

"Doormen are in a position now where they can't work but they have families and mortgages, so what do they do? It's a big problem. I have every sympathy for the majority of doormen, who've acted very professionally and tried to renew their badges on time. I commend the Government for bringing the legislation in, but there's a lot of holes in it."

A shake-up of the old 'bouncer' industry was implemented by the Government in 2004, when doorstaff had to undergo rigorous training to qualify for an official licence.

But those licences are now due for renewal, and many doormen across South Devon are still waiting for the new licence - months after applying.

The SIA has apologised for the delay. It says that the sheer volume of people reapplying has caused a huge backlog.

But Darren Sadler, manager at Torquay's Valbonne nightclub, said clubs and pubs are facing closure if they can't find licensed doormen.

He added: "The problem we face is I could put an unlicensed guy on the door, but if he takes someone outside and that person has a grudge against the doorman and complains, I would go to court.

"For a Government-backed organisation, it's horrendous that the situation hasn't been sorted out. It's a farce.

"The SIA are supposed to get the licence back to applicants in eight weeks, but months are going by.

"Three doormen here can't work because of this, so they're missing out on their livelihood. It's terrible."

Jessica Clinkett, SIA spokesman, said: "We understand there are delays, and we hold our hands up about that.

"Door supervisors have a very important role and we don't advocate the use of unqualified door supervisors.

"The application is very simple and complete. In situations where there's problems at the contact centre, that's a human error.

"Licensing does work, and we're working really hard to get rid of this backlog. Doormen should know it's not going to be like this forever.

"I don't know how many people are on the phones, answering inquiries, but the fact that the lines are engaged suggests some people are getting through.

"Licensing is very successful, and it would be a great shame if that success was undone by problems we're having in the system."

Dave Jefferies, a Torbay doorman for 20 years, is outraged by the delays.

He said: "I don't believe what the SIA are doing. I contacted them in September and it took me months just to get the application pack. I sent that off in December, and I'm still waiting.

"It's outrageous. It costs £245 to renew the licence. I don't get charged that for a new driving licence, so how can they justify it?"

Pub and club doorstaff urged to fight back

DOOR staff at pubs and clubs in Bolton are being urged to fight back against violent customers - by reporting all incidents of assault against them to the police.

Bolton-based Elite Security has instructed its 800 supervisors to stop taking attacks on the chin.

The move follows an increase in the number of malicious complaints against door personnel.

Up to ten false reports of assault at the hands of bouncers are made every week across the North-west.

Police are obliged to investigate, sometimes leaving staff suspended from duty for up to three months before action is eventually dropped.

David Clegg, general manager Elite Security, said: "We feel it is time we redressed the balance and advised our door staff to report assaults.

"In the past it has been a macho thing. They have accepted the occasional crack in the mouth as part of the job.

"However, with an increasing number of customers making claims, we believe the picture is beginning to look too one-sided. Our staff have been the silent victims for too long.

"As many as 70 per cent of punters ejected from venues go off and complain to the police about being assaulted - and most of those complaints have been shown to be malicious.

"Subsequently the number of our staff arrested, interviewed and then released on police bail only to hear later there is no case to answer has increased by an alarming amount too."

"It is now time for staff to take their complaints to the police if they are on the receiving end. It is no longer acceptable for them to see violence by a customer as something which comes with the territory."

In Bolton many doormen and women now wear fluorescent jackets and have their SIA (Security Industry Authority) badge on display. The makeover saw them ditch their traditional black coats in favour of the high-visibility versions in a bid to make them more accessible to the public.

Inspector Ian Parker, who is responsible for policing in the town centre, said: "If door staff are assaulted, I would encourage them to report the incident. We will investigate it in the same way that we would an allegation of assault made against them.

"We have a very good working relationship with door staff in the town centre, and with Elite Security, and the more information we can get about people coming in to the town centre to cause problems, the better."

Door staff praised as more carry licences

A SECURITY watchdog has praised door staff for being properly licensed just two months after new legislation was put in place.

Around 63% of Scots bouncers were found to hold valid Door Supervisor Licences during spot checks.

The new figure comes just months after the Evening Times revealed workers in Scotland had been slow to respond to new licensing legislation. They estimated less than half - or 8000 out of 17,000 - had secured a licence.

But the Security Industry Authority has now released figures revealing 94% of door staff in the UK have valid licences.

However, the 63% figure for Scotland alone, where the new legislation only came into force in November, is much lower.

Eddie Tobin, of Glasgow Nightclub Forum, said: "The scheme started badly because of poor planning by the SIA, but it will lead to English levels soon. I don't think the public are at risk."

It is now an offence to work as a door supervisor without an SIA licence.

The new legislation, which came into force in the rest of the UK in 2005, also covers security guards, CCTV operators, cash-in- transit couriers and bodyguards.

The moves are aimed at making the security industry more professional and weeding out rogue firms.

The maximum penalty for working without a licence or employing unlicensed staff is six months' imprisonment and/or a fine up to £5000.

During the Scottish spot checks, which were carried out over the festive season, people found working without an SIA licence or not displaying their licence were given a warning.

Two forged licences were found which could result in security workers being prosecuted.

But SIA investigators congratulated the majority of licensees and door staff for having the correct paperwork.

Jackie Munn, SIA head of investigation, said: "We were all impressed with the levels of professionalism and commitment shown by door supervisors and the level of compliance.

"It is reassuring for the public that door supervisors and licensees recognise the importance and value of an SIA licence."

Of the 76 Scots door staff checked, 47 held valid licences, many of them working in the Glasgow area.

Football player assaulted club bouncer

Badge backlog is hitting door staff

Man avoids jail for punching woman bouncer

Female bouncer punched by clubber

Licence Delays in the North East

Tribute to Redcar’s gentleman king of clubs

'Old Style' Bouncers fear over licence delays

You can’t coddle bouncers

Clubs 'face closure' over Door staff crisis

Pub and club doorstaff urged to fight back

Door staff praised as more carry licences