Source: Daily Mail
Britain's pubs and clubs are in trouble. The smoking ban, recession and the trend towards home entertainment have all taken their toll.
Source: Scottish Sun
Nightclub bouncers are set to scan revellers for cocaine in Scotland - by shining torches up their noses.
Doormen in Paisley will use the hi-tech spotlights to catch clubbers who have been snorting the Class A drug.
Anyone who has been taking or even handling the illegal substance will light up bright green.
Sergeant Greg Dinnie, of Strathclyde Police, said: "It is intended as a non-intrusive preventative tool.
"That then gives us the power to search people and see if they've got any further substances on them."
The £40 torch is already used by a number of UK police forces.
But door stewards in Paisley are to be the first in Scotland to trial the gadget.
Clubs involved in the scheme include Moloko, Club 69, Fury Murys, Vienna's and SOHO. Councillor Brian Lawson, Renfrewshire Council's community safety spokesman, said last night: "One of our key aims to make Renfrewshire safer is to reduce alcohol and drug misuse.
"These torches are a tactic in identifying those who are abusing drugs." Earlier this month we told how bosses at Desire nightclub in Balloch, Dunbartonshire, are smearing loos with baby oil to prevent clubbers snorting cocaine.
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Source: SIA
A former Dorset security director yesterday [22 December] pleaded guilty to supplying unlicensed security operatives, and to not holding an SIA licence.
Andrew Mark Lee, 40, who ran Trade Secret Security, was given a 12-month conditional discharge for supplying unlicensed door staff.
He was also fined £1,000 plus a victim surcharge of £15 and ordered to pay costs of £500 for working without an SIA licence, during the hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court.
By law, anyone working as a door supervisor must have and display a valid SIA licence. This means they have passed an approved training qualification and undergone vetting such as criminal record and identity checks. Directors and managers must have at least a non-front line licence.
During routine checks by Dorset Police licensing officers in Bournemouth in May this
year, a door supervisor, who had been supplied to one venue by Lee, was found working with an expired SIA licence. The door supervisor later received a police caution.
Lee, of Holly Close, Ferndown, was found working as a door supervisor without an SIA licence at Hero’s bar in Christchurch Road. Lee was arrested at the scene and later admitted to police that he had never held a licence.
Rachel White, an SIA Head of Investigation, said:
“Lee admitted that he had never held an SIA licence – demonstrating little regard
for the law or for the public’s safety. “This case demonstrates the police and SIA commitment to ensuring door staff are working legally, and have shown that they are fit and proper persons to act in security
roles by undergoing training and vetting in obtaining the SIA licence.”
PC Dave Fish, of Dorset Police’s Licensing Team, said:
“This is an excellent result and is the first conviction of its kind in Dorset. While the majority of door supervisors working in Bournemouth are licensed, we hope that this conviction will send out a strong message to the very small minority who don’t have a licence.
“We take the safety of pub and club-goers very seriously and will continue to work with the Security Industry Authority and local Safer Neighbourhood Teams to carry out regular checks on door supervisors.”
Source: Lancashire Telegraph
Two violent revellers have been jailed for attacking a doorman with an iron post when he refused them entry to a nightclub.
Source: SIA
Security Industry Authority investigators visited high-risk companies in Northern Ireland last week to warn them that they could face severe penalties if they deploy unlicensed security staff after the licensing enforcement date.
Security managers and directors were asked to read and sign a compliance notice during the visits on Thursday [29 Oct]. This was to acknowledge that they understood the terms of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 and the consequences of non-compliance with the law, so that they cannot later claim ignorance over their legal obligations.
11 compliance notices were signed and forms were left with the other companies to be followed up by the SIA.
With a month to go until licensing is introduced in Northern Ireland, the SIA visited specific security companies that are considered to be at high-risk of not being able to supply sufficient licensed security staff after the forthcoming licensing enforcement date of 1 December.
Companies were identified by looking at the number of licensable employees against the number of applications submitted or at validation stage, or where there has been a lack of engagement with the SIA.
Investigators also visited security buyers to ensure they were aware of their contractors' obligations with regard to deploying SIA licensed operatives by 1 December.
Jacquie Parker, SIA Head of Investigation, said:
"Extending SIA licensing into Northern Ireland will help raise standards within the industry and protect the public, and it is vital that security companies are prepared and operating within the law by 1 December. These visits were to warn companies we believe to be at high risk of not meeting their obligations that they must ensure compliance with the law, as we will take action where we find companies deploying unlicensed staff after the enforcement date."
Source: Express & Star
All teenage girls want to meet their favourite celebrities, but few end up protecting them from harm.
Source: Express & Echo
THE head of a group representing door staff in Exeter has hit back at claims that new powers are needed to stop binge drinking in the city.
Jim Myers, chairman of the Exeter Door Supervisors and Door Staff Association, insists that his organisation, with the police, have made great strides in recent years to combat anti-social drinking.
He was reacting to comments made by city councillor Marcel Choules, who is a door supervisor for Night Owl Security, in the Echo this week.
Cllr Choules urged police to start using "booze asbos" on anyone aged 16 or over, who behaves anti-socially while drunk.
Source: The Guardian
A warm breeze stirs the stringy dreadlocks hanging below Nathan James's hat. "It was weird to start off with," he says. Six years ago, he was working for his mother's business, selling office furniture, when the company folded and he was suddenly jobless at the age of 19, and feeling a little desperate. Then someone at his gym suggested that, instead of selling swivel chairs, he might try breaking up fights for a living.
Source: Telegraph
A private security force that costs £3.15 a week per person has begun patrolling Southampton's streets after hundreds of worried residents "lost faith in the police force".
Uniformed officers equipped with handcuffs and stab vests will even escort homeowners to and from the bank or on shopping trips to ensure they are not mugged.
Officers from private security firm Atraks say they will use the powers of citizen arrest as they patrol in Southampton to "prevent serious crime".
The company promises to "neutralise" threats to residents.
So far 337 people have signed up in the Upper Shirley area of the city, where it is being trialled, while a further 1,700 have said they will join once they see the service in action.
Upper Shirley is one of Southampton's most affluent areas but is close to a number of run down high-rise apartment blocks.
Dave MacLean, 26, a former dog handler for a security firm, who launched Atraks two years ago, said: they spoke to more than 1,000 people about crime response.
"Most said they were fed up with the level of protection offered by the police and had lost faith," he said. "The police should be here to protect us and a company like ours shouldn't really be needed. It is a last resort but one that we think is justified."
Mr MacLean said his team of eight officers will spend time talking to residents and be a visible presence on the streets to deter criminals.
The Atraks service costs £3.15 pounds a week or residents can make an annual, one-off payment of £163.80.
Shirley resident Paul Graham, 28, said: "We do see the police now and again around here but they are always busy with other things and don't have time to drive down every street.
"They will come if you call them but I think the Atraks scheme will be much more preventative."
Alan Whitehead, MP for Southampton Test criticised the scheme however, saying that it merely "exaggerates" the fear of crime.
"I remain of the view that a paid vigilante service is not the best way to ensure that our communities are kept safe," he said.
A Hampshire police spokesman said Hampshire and the Isle of Wight "remain some of the safest places in the country."
"If you're considering using a private security firm, at a time when crime is falling, then it's worth finding out what training its staff receive and how accountable the company is to its customers," he said.
Source: Exeter Express & Echo
Door staff had the chance to tell the city’s mayor what nightlife is like for them.
Source: BBC News
British Transport Police Chief Constable Sir Ian Johnston has been appointed head of security for the London 2012 Olympics.
During the Games he will be responsible for overseeing security inside the Olympic venues, villages and transport.
Sir Ian said: "Security is a vital part of ensuring we host a spectacular and successful event."
Last month the government approved a further £19m to strengthen Olympic venues against terrorist attacks.
'Meeting challenge'
The money is intended to make the venues in Stratford, east London, more blast resilient.
The overall budget for the 2012 Games has been set at £9.325bn.
Sir Ian, who has 44 years of police service, has become the director of security and resilience for the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games.
He said he was "very much looking forward" to "meeting the challenge" of the role.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News
Source: Norwich Evening News
Magistrates have hit out at a scheme operating in Norfolk giving private security companies the power to issue on-the-spot fines to troublemakers.
Across England and Wales more than 1,400 people, including 25 employees of Norwich-based EventGuard, are licensed to issue fines for offences from dog fouling to public disorder.
But John Howson, deputy chairman of the 30,000-member Magistrates' Association, told a national newspaper there were already numerous examples of tickets being issued inappropriately.
“Our concern is that here we have essentially a 'third-tier' police force that is now including security guards and door supervisors.
These people need to check the police national computer to see if the person has a criminal record. We don't think it appropriate for these people to have that access.”
His comments echo those expressed last month by Paul Allen, chairman of Norwich magistrates, who said Norfolk police had not consulted magistrates or judges before introducing the powers.
But Mr Allen said some of his fears has been allayed after he met EventGuard managing director Nigel Briggs last week.
“In general terms, what he was saying to me I have no qualms with. It's not about EventGuard and what they do, it's about transparency,” he said.
“The issue is that no-one seems to know about these powers. If you have someone in Riverside urinating in a doorway and you give him a fixed penalty, what's the likelihood of him taking it? He will say 'What authority have you got?'”
Although accredited EventGuard employees do have the authority to award fixed penalty notices, this only applies at events for which they have been contracted to provide security.
Norfolk's chief constable Ian McPeherson has stressed that while the powers exist, he does not want to see them used, and to date they have not been.
Mr Briggs confirmed: “We have not got to that situation. The key aspect is to educate first before any enforcement.
“If somebody is committing an offence of littering, say, we would explain what they have done and what the possible consequences could be.
“We have not issued a single fixed penalty. If people blatantly refuse to comply with a relevant or adequate instruction it could get to that situation.”
He said his staff had no access to the police national computer, and that if they did need to issue a fixed penalty they would have to telephone the police for approval.
“People think I can act like a third-party policeman, but I don't want to. This is just an additional string to our bow to help us deal with issues or incidents.”
Source: Northampton Chronicle
Two men in their 30s who were turned away from a Northampton nightclub because they did not have ID returned soon after, armed with a high-voltage stun-gun and a knuckleduster.
Amir Uddin, aged 30, and Aninash Gowereesunkar, aged 31, were refused entry to Skint Disco, a student night at the Roadmender on February 26, a court heard.
But after briefly leaving the scene, they returned with a Taser stun-gun and knuckleduster before Gowereesunkar tried to attack the door staff.
Northampton Crown Court heard the pair had been barred from entering the club, in Lady's Lane, because they did not have identification proving they were aged 18 or over.
Uddin, of Dixon Road, Kingsthorpe, admitted buying the high-voltage incapacitating weapon – thought to have been sold on the internet – taking it back to the Roadmender and then handing it to Gowereesunkar. He admitted purchasing, transferring and possessing a prohibited weapon.
Gowereesunkar, of Poole Street, The Mounts, pleaded guilty to possessing the weapon, handed to him by his co-accused, affray and having an offensive weapon in a public place. Attempts were made by Gowereesunkar to discharge it but he failed to make contact with any of the door staff.
They were arrested in Horsemarket soon after the incident having left the scene.
Both men spoke only to confirm their names, and guilty pleas during a short hearing before Judge Richard Bray yesterday.
Matthew Maynard, prosecuting, said the Taser stun gun was bought by Uddin up to a year before it was produced during the disturbance at Roadmender.
The court heard Uddin had never offended before while Gowereesunkar's last conviction dated back to 2004.
Richard Holloway, defending Gowereesunkar, said the affray had started because they had been refused entry to the club without proof-of-age ID, despite both being aged in their 30s.
He added: "He has been an idiot in the past and he's been an idiot with these offences but there has been an immense amount of progress in this young man's life since 2004."
Judge Richard Bray adjourned sentencing for probation reports to be prepared and released the two defendants on bail on condition of residence, non-association and a 7pm-to-7am curfew.
He warned them to prepare for possible prison sentences, adding: "You can't go and brandish a Taser at bouncers at a nightclub. Where they get hold of these things, I just do not know.
Source: The Publican
Major concerns have been raised about the use of police drug torches to catch people who having been taking cocaine – after an investigation showed they don’t always work.
The “cocaine torch”, which uses ultra-violet rays, lights up green if traces of the drug are found around people’s noses.
Police in Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cumbria and North Staffordshire use the torches in pubs and clubs, often when people are queuing up to enter.
But a BBC investigation found the torches failed to illuminate 10 random cocaine samples, bringing into question their usefulness for police.
An expert also said make-up and or skin cream could cause the torch to light up green.
Tony Payne, chief executive of the Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations, has hit out at use of the torches.
“It’s frightening we’ve got something that’s being used by police, but isn’t effective for the job,” he said. “You would have thought it would have been checked out."
Claudia Rubin, of drug’s charity Release, said the police were potentially infringing people’s human rights, it was an “invasion of privacy” and the wrong way to tackle drugs.
However, many of the police forces involved have defended their use, claiming they are a useful deterrent against people using illegal drugs.
JNE Marketing, the company which sells the torches, only advertises them as being able to detect residues of crack cocaine and crack pipes, not street cocaine.
Source: The Sentinel
Two nightclub doormen sprang to the aid of a man after he was stabbed with a hypodermic needle in a late-night street attack.
Ammar Farooq Sheikh and Stuart Wood were working outside Zenn, Hanley, when they saw a disturbance involving a group of people.
The pair saw a 21-year-old man fall to the ground further along Foundry Street after he was stabbed in the stomach.
A friend of the victim, who is from Stoke-on-Trent, asked the doormen for help and they ran to his rescue.
And while Ammar performed basic first aid, Stuart chased one of the suspects and made a citizen's arrest.
The drama began at 2.30am on Tuesday.
None of those involved in the disturbance had been at Zenn.
But they were just yards from the club's front entrance when the trouble broke out.
Ammar, who lives in Tunstall, said: "My first priority was to see if the guy on the ground was okay.
"I put him in the recovery position and made sure he was breathing and checked his pulse.
"He was bleeding. I put a finger on his hand and asked him to press hard, but he was not responding. That made me even more worried. I rang for an ambulance."
Ammar, who has been a doorman for eight years and works for K and L Platinum Security, said the incident had been shocking.
And, by chance, it was the second time the 24-year-old had come to someone's aid in an emergency.
He said: "A few months ago, a chap was threatening to jump off a bridge on the A500 at Longport and I managed to talk him down.
"I had been driving home when I saw him on the other side of the bridge and stopped my car."
Stuart, from Birches Head, said it had just been instinct to go and help after the incident in the early hours of Tuesday.
The 26-year-old said: "As we got close, two men ran off. The lad on the floor had got some kind of puncture wound. Ammar stayed with him to make sure he was okay and I chased one of the others."
Stuart apprehended one suspect near the Potteries Shopping Centre and led him back to Foundry Street to hand him over to the police.
But once officers had established the apprehended man was not involved in the stabbing it was decided that no further action would be taken.
Police have arrested another man, aged 22, on suspicion of assault.
He has now been released on bail pending further inquiries.
A police spokesman said the injured man had suffered a relatively minor injury from a syringe, which is thought to have had a clean needle.
He was taken to hospital, but later released.
Stuart said: "People think doormen are thugs, but we are there to protect people having a night out. We were just concerned about the poor chap who had been injured."
Mohammed Khan, owner of Zenn, described the doormen's actions as "fantastic". Anyone with information about the incident should call Staffordshire Police on 0300 123 44 55.
Source: BBC News
A doorman has been jailed for four years after he left a clubber paralysed in a Hampshire nightclub.
John Jones, 22, from Pontypool, south Wales, was celebrating a friend's birthday when he got involved in a dispute at Kaos, Southampton, in 2008.
He suffered a broken neck when doorman Andrew Lee, 31, of Alcantara Crescent, Southampton, restrained him.
Lee was convicted at Southampton Crown Court of causing grievous bodily harm and sentenced on Friday.
Mr Jones had been studying sports journalism at Solent University in Southampton.
Police said Mr Jones was involved in a "verbal dispute", close to the women's toilets in Kaos, "when a member of door staff intervened" on 26 February, 2008.
Source: Gloucestershire Echo
A Polish clubber squirted pepper spray in a bouncer's face after he was refused entry to a Cheltenham nightclub, a court heard.
Tomasz Kunikowski, 24, sprayed the noxious substance at Nathan Lane outside The Place in Albion Street, magistrates heard.
Kunikowski, of Brookbank Close, St Peter's, said the spray was legal in Poland but pleaded guilty to assault and two counts of possessing an offensive weapon.
Magistrates sentenced Kunikowski to six months in prison, suspended for 12 months, and ordered him to pay £350 in compensation to his victim.
Crown Prosecutor Sharon Jomaa said the incident happened at about 11.40pm on December 20 last year.
She said: "Police were called to The Place following reports of a fight outside. The defendant had been refused entry and an argument followed.
"The defendant sprayed the pepper at Mr Lane, causing him pain and reddening to his face."
Ms Jomaa said police seized the canister at the scene of the incident and found a second during a search of his home address the following day.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Mr Lane said: "After being sprayed it began hurting. It was very painful with an intense burning sensation.
"I felt disorientated as a result of the spray and I was in so much pain I put cold water on my face despite being advised not to."
Mr Lane was checked by paramedics at the scene and later attended hospital to assess the injury.
The bouncer said the pain did not ease off until 2.30am – nearly three hours after the incident.
Ms Jomaa said Kunikowski had made full admissions in police interview following his arrest.
Speaking via an interpreter, Kunikowski said he mistakenly believed Mr Lane was attacking his friend and had gone to his defence.
He said the pepper spray was legal in Poland and he did not realise it was illegal to own or carry in the UK.
Pepper spray is not considered an offensive weapon in Poland and can be carried by over 18s.
Evelina Piekarek, 26, who works at Polish deli Malinka Delikatesy, in Cheltenham's High Street said: "It is common in Poland. Not everyone does but many young men and women have them for safety.
"Men carry them instead of knives.
"I think it's better than carrying a knife but they shouldn't have them.
"Many attackers use them as weapons.
"In Poland they kept pepper spray behind the bar I worked in for protection on late shifts."
Robert Szaniawski, press spokesman for the Polish Embassy said: "Nobody can avoid the law – it doesn't matter where they come from, everybody is equal.
"If he broke the law he should be expected to be punished for it. This is a unique incident and I certainly wouldn't say that Polish youngsters are in the habit of carrying pepper spray."
Source: EDP24
Recent attacks - including high profile killings - have thrown Norwich's notorious Prince of Wales Road back under the spotlight, emphasising the need for police and licensees to work together. Crime correspondent BEN KENDALL talks to one security firm about attempts to re-invent the doorman and improve safety.
It was once dubbed Norfolk's most dangerous street and, despite improvements in recent years, Prince of Wales Road continues to blight the county's main nightclub district.
Gauging whether or not the Norwich street has indeed returned to the bad old days is difficult - but such comparisons become meaningless when you begin talking about lives being lost.
There is one, now unforgettable weekend in June, which sums up the dangers which still haunt this corner of the city.
Only last month 46-year-old Philip Ward, from Drayton, died outside the street's Chicago Rock Café. Steven Hopkins, a 28-year-old doorman is currently facing manslaughter charges over the incident.
On the same weekend a 22-year-old was left fighting for his life - thankfully he survived - following an assault at Mercy night club just yards down the road. Later that weekend a 20-year-old woman was knocked unconscious in an assault.
All of this followed an incident in March in which 30-year-old father-of-two Timothy Moore, from Norwich, died following a fight outside the Sing Sing club. Daniel Gooda, 26, of the Household Cavalry, is awaiting trial for manslaughter.
Add to this list Frank McGarahan, the wealthy killed in a fight in the city in October last year (albeit in a separate part of the city), and it paints a depressing picture of Norwich's night-time economy.
Each time an incident is reported the police, correctly, send out a message to reassure the public that our streets are safe - but, with up to 15,000 youngsters flooding to the city each weekend, such reports would worry any parent.
One group trying to do its bit to improve safety is the city's doormen and women - a group who are desperate to shake the stereotype of the over-zealous bouncers of old.
Steve Barber, who runs Norwich Security Specialists, employs staff at 30 venues in the city including the Qube and Media nightclubs in the Prince of Wales Road area.
He said: “We are fed up of the word bouncer - it doesn't sum up what we stand for nowadays.
“We don't use that anymore and we want the public to see us as door-staff who welcome them and make sure they have a good night.
“I'll openly admit that 30 years ago we caused a lot of the confrontations or at least made them worse - I was one of those who was always happy to get into a fight.
“But everything's changed beyond all recognition. Nowadays we're here to help people have a good night and, although there will still be a few bad apples, 95pc of us are responsible.”
For the last five years all door-staff have needed to be licensed by the Security Industry Authority. This process involves criminal record checks, first aid qualifications and training in conflict resolution.
“When licensing came in, the industry changed over night,” Mr Barber said. “Before that there were plenty of people in the industry who wanted to cause trouble but they've disappeared now.
“We see it as our role to help to police and to prevent trouble by making sure there is a good atmosphere.”
The police for their part have recognised this change and now work closely with security firms. Some are even now accredited to carry out some police functions - something which has provoked controversy in some quarters.
A taxi marshalling scheme, overseen by the firms Norwich Security Specialists, Eventguard and First Line Events, has been set up to make sure taxi-ranks are trouble-free, allowing revellers to make it home safely.
Such a scheme was not in operation at the Guildhall taxi rank where Mr McGarahan was killed by brothers Tom and Ben Cowles, who have since been convicted of manslaughter.
Mr Barber said: “I believe that if there had been a taxi marshalling scheme in that area, that death would never have happened. The trouble that led to that death just wouldn't have happened.”
Such positive moves within the industry have brought difficulties. Although most door-staff welcome the regulation, they are now restricted in how they can deal with violence.
Mr Barber added: “We don't want to go back to the old days, everything that has happened is good. We are now constantly being watched by cameras and couldn't get away with what we used to do, even if we wanted to.
“When somebody kicks off with you now, which they inevitably will over the course of a busy night, you can use reasonable minimal force. There is always a doubt in your mind about what and what isn't acceptable.
“It will be interesting to see what happens in the Steven Hopkins case. None of us know what happened, depending on the verdict, it could have implications for all of us.”
One story which illustrates the changing culture in security firms, is a recent incident involving a 17-year-old girl in the Tombland area.
“She was wondering around drunk and out-of-control,” Mr Barber said. “She didn't know where she was or what she was doing.
“We sat her down and helped calm her. Then we called the police and the SOS bus to make sure she got home safely. Without us being there, I dread to think what would have happened.”
It is clear that, if Prince of Wales Road and Norwich's wider night-time economy is to restore a respectable image, door-staff will play a key role in that. The security firms themselves realise that and are determined to take a responsible attitude.
Mr Barber said: “One area my staff operate in is Queen Street. The police hardly send any officers there because they know it's safe. I take that as an enormous complement.
“The firms operating in the area are unrecognisable from what they used to be and we want the public to recognise that.
“If they can see that we are here to help, that can remove the intimidating stereotype associated with us which in itself can reduce conflict.”
Source: Portsmouth Today
When a mass brawl broke out between drunken revellers it could easily have led to many people getting hurt.
But thanks to cool-headed doormen from pubs in North Street, Havant, the dozens of people intent on punching each others' lights out after a night out boozing didn't get their way.
The pubs had closed and Bruce Collier, Peter Samways and Aaron White could easily have let the police deal with things as their job was done for the night.
Instead they stepped in when trouble flared outside The Perseverance pub. And their intervention has been recognised by police.
Chief Inspector Will Schofield presented the door supervisors with a certificate thanking them for their help.
Mr Collier, a 23-year-old University of Portsmouth student, said: 'I've been a door supervisor for about a year now and I've never seen anything like that.
'It was a huge brawl and people started coming from everywhere, it was chaos. Everywhere we turned more fights were breaking out, from The Star pub right the way down to St Faith's Church.
'At one point a woman took her shoes off, wrapped the straps round her wrists and whacked a bloke straight on the forehead with the heels. Then she came at me.
'We just had to keep our cool, pull back those people who were lashing out and hold them until the police could take them away.'
Mr Samways, a 22-year-old welder from Gosport, said: 'There was one bloke who was being attacked by a load of people so we stepped in and formed a protective ring around him.'
Sergeant Kevin Newell from Havant Safer Neighbourhoods Team, said the men were extremely professional.
'They conducted themselves impeccably throughout the volatile situation,' Sgt Newell said. 'If it were not for their selfless actions police may have been investigating some very serious assaults
Source: BSIA
The British Security Industry Association has this week held the inaugural meeting of its new Close Protection Section.
The section has been formed to provide representation for companies providing close protection services within the UK. During its inaugural meeting, David Allison, Managing Director of Octaga Security Services Ltd was elected as the section's chairman.
David Allison comments: "It is an honour to have been elected as the first chairman of the BSIA's Close Protection Section. The section has brought together quality companies who wish to raise the profile of close protection services in the UK and communicate through a professional trade association to key stakeholders such as the regulator, Government and Police."
"The close protection sector contributes much to the UK economy through the protection of high profile individuals from foreign royalty, to international business people and even celebrities. Increasingly the sector is also being asked to provide highly trained personnel to protect valuable assets. It is my view that the BSIA will become the differentiator within the sector and lead the way in raising standards within the close protection sector still further."
The founding members of the BSIA Close Protection Section are: Clearwater Special Projects Ltd, Greymans Ltd, Octaga Security Services Ltd, Pilgrims Group Ltd and UniTrust Protection Services (UK) Ltd.
Close protection companies wishing to join the BSIA's Close Protection Section should email
membership@bsia.co.uk
or call 0845 3893889.
Source: The SIA
The Security Industry Authority and City of London Police found two door staff working illegally following checks at City bars and clubs on Saturday night [4 July].
One doorman was working with a revoked licence and the other with a forged licence –both licences were confiscated and prosecutions may follow.
By law, door supervisors must hold a front line SIA licence and display this whilst working.
The checks were part of an ongoing operation targeting security provision at venues in the area. Nine events in City venues were inspected with 51 security operatives checked – 49 were working legally with valid SIA licences.
Christy Hopkins, an SIA Head of Investigation said:
“It was very encouraging to find the majority of door staff complying with licensing regulations. The City is unique and many promoters have spotted this and are now holding events at the weekend, so it is important that door staff working in positions of trust do so with valid SIA licences.
“However, the police and the SIA take breaches of the Act very seriously. Door staff working without an SIA licence, and those deploying them, are committing an offence and risk prosecution. Promoters risk having their events shut down.”
Inspector Ashlie May headed the operation:
“Door staff have a crucial role to play in making sure the public enjoy a safe night out at the City’s pubs and clubs – and it is the force’s responsibility to make sure that the high standards among door staff are maintained.
“Checking SIA licences is a key part of that. Not only is the licence a legal requirement, by displaying it door staff are demonstrating that they have the training needed to do their job effectively. Those staff who do not have the licences are breaking the law and will be dealt with accordingly."
Source: G4S
G4S Events, Europe’s leading independent event security company, has reported that it attracted three times more applications for jobs at Wimbledon in 2009 than in 2008. The company is reporting a sharp increase in candidates to compete over summer jobs working at events such as The Open Golf, T in the Park and the V Festival.
Mark Hamilton, Managing Director of G4S Events, which is securing over 250 events in the summer calendar attended by over two million sports, music, arts and cultural aficionados, commented: “We have seen great interest in events security jobs so far this summer. There is a big attraction in helping to secure the biggest events in the calendar, from Royal Ascot and Wimbledon to Proms in the Park.
“The breadth of events we are supporting this summer is really exciting, from the politicians we have already protected at the G20, through to securing sports and music events which will be watched and attended by millions of people in the UK and worldwide. People are understandably excited by the prospect of working at these events.”
As an official supplier to the Championships, Wimbledon, G4S runs a bespoke training programme designed specifically for security and stewarding staff working at The Championships, and employs a range of staff to work at the event including former British Army Gurkhas, specialists from G4S’s dedicated aviation services division, university students, highly trained close protection staff and security managers.
Members interested in finding out more about working for G4S Events, click on the link below
http://www.g4s.com/uk-eventrecruitment
Source: The Scotsman
Two underage drinkers a week are being charged by police trying to use fake IDs to sneak into pubs and clubs.
The youngsters, aged between 14 and 17, have been stopped by doormen while attempting to gain entry at nightspots in Edinburgh and the Lothians and had IDs confiscated.
Most were using passports, driving licences or other identification borrowed from older siblings or friends and faced fines in sheriff court.
A total of 98 were charged under the Identity Cards Act 2006 between July last year and the end of last month, an offence which carries with it a criminal record for over-16s.
Police chiefs today warned that those caught could face prosecution in court, while those planning to travel to the United States could be banned in future because of the ID fraud conviction.
Anyone allowing their passport to be used illegally could find the document confiscated for months until a court hearing, jeopardising plans to travel abroad.
Doormen are operating a "zero tolerance" policy on underage drinkers, seizing the IDs and immediately alerting police.
The Unight scheme, which links every city venue with a 3am licence in intelligence-sharing to keep out troublemakers, is also banning those caught with false ID from their premises after they turn 18 for a period of six months.
Sergeant Mark Gilhooly, from the force's licensing department, said
: "A great deal of awareness has been created among licensed premises. The doormen are very good at their jobs and alert us when a false ID has been used.
"For under-16s, they are dealt with through the Children's Reporter. For those over 16, they can be reported to the procurator fiscal and can be fined.
"It also gives them a criminal record which could affect their lives if they want to travel to the United States, for instance.
"Youngsters drinking underage are putting themselves in danger and this is another tool in the box to help prevent those situations coming about."
During recent visits to schools in the Capital, police said that out of 150 fifth and sixth-year students, around 30 admitted that they had been in a nightclub underage. Police believe the true figure is at least double that.
Bill McGregor, chairman of Unite and general manager of the Lava & Ignite club in Tollcross, said: "We have a very strict door policy where a photographic ID is needed. We have a ultraviolet light to look for holograms in case we suspect it's a fake ID, although that happens rarely.
"The biggest issue is an older brother or sister's ID being used. That can prove difficult because people do change in appearance in just a few years."
Mr McGregor said an average of three to five people a week using false IDs are prevented from entering Lava & Ignite.
He said a number were also facing six-month bans when they turn 18 after being caught, while anyone giving ID to someone who was caught is also banned.
Source: EDP24
Bouncers in Norwich's notorious nightclub district have been given the power to issue on-the-spot fines without consultation with judges or magistrates.
Now they fear the move could undermine attempts to deter persistent trouble-makers in the city's Prince of Wales Road area where two men have died this year.
The Norfolk police initiative, aimed at training and accrediting members of the community to bolster their work, has seen selected door-staff given powers more commonly associated with police officers.
Though the force insists the scheme will only add to law enforcement on the streets - already enhanced by an increased frontline presence - there are concerns that the powers could be misused and may only gloss over serious offences.
Concerns centre on Prince of Wales Road as it once again becomes infamous for alcohol fuelled violence as thousands of young people from across the region visit to enjoy the area's pubs and clubs on a night.
A 23-year-old man is currently in the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital with serious injuries after an attack outside the Qube nightclub following the deaths of 46-year-old Phillip Ward from Drayton and 30-year-old Timothy Moore from Norwich.
Paul Allen, chairman of Norwich magistrates, said the “bouncer” scheme had been introduced last October but had only now come to the attention of JPs - and police did not consult with either magistrates or judges before introducing the powers.
He said: “The danger is that a bouncer giving out a fixed penalty notice may have no idea about an individual's past. That person may have a criminal record as long as your arm and needs more than a fine to stop their behaviour.
“It is also difficult to see what checks and balances are in place to ensure fines are being used in the right cases.
“In some cases, such as petty disorder, it is entirely appropriate to deal with it using a fine. But it could also mean that other, more worrying cases never get to court.
“There is also the issue of public perception - the public recognise the authority of the police but may not recognise a doorman's right to issue a fine.”
Mr Allen has already expressed concern about police use of on-the-spot fines, saying there was no way of ensuring they were being used appropriately. But he said this had improved and the police were now supplying magistrates with regular updates.
Norfolk police said the scheme currently only extended to staff supplied by EventGuard - a company which is also used for other policing functions such as guarding crime scenes.
It could be extended to other door-staff but they would be required to undergo a training and accreditation process overseen by the force. Others with the power to issue fines include housing officers and street wardens.
PC Mike Green, community safety accreditation scheme manager, said: “EventGuard is an accredited local employer which signed up to the scheme last year.
“Enforcement is only used when necessary. It most be noted that to date there have been no fixed penalty notices issued by accredited persons."
All individuals are vetted by the force and a spokesman added: “The organisation itself will have reached acceptable standards in management, supervision and accountability and employees nominated for accreditation have reached acceptable standards of appearance and suitability for the post.
“Every accredited person will wear an identifiable uniform and will carry an identification card. This card sets out the powers an individual is trained and authorised to use.
“A member of the public commits an offence if they fail to comply with any authorised request or fails to provide their name and address when required.”
Questions have previously been raised over the increasing “outsourcing” of police functions. An earlier scheme to allow private security guards to be stationed outside crime scenes, including murders, raised concern.
Commenting on that scheme Malcolm Sneesby, chairman of Norfolk police federation which represents the rank and file, said: “There is a current process where normally police officers, PCSOs or on occasion special constables are used and the main concerns about using accredited members of the public would be around procedure, knowledge and powers.”
Meanwhile police are continuing to appeal for witnesses following the latest assault on Prince of Wales Road. The man from Norwich was taken to hospital following the attack at about 2am on Friday.
Julian Foster, chairman of the Central Norwich Citizens' Forum, said: “I would say to anybody coming in, just be aware that there have been these incidents and that you've got to learn to be streetwise and know where to go and how to behave and don't get involved in any aggressive activity.”
Source: G4S
G4S Secure Solutions, the largest security services company in the UK and Ireland has this month launched its range of fully integrated lone worker protection solutions.
Providing a range of device solutions including real time active tracking, man-down, geo-fencing and time based alerts the G4S lone worker protection service offers reassurance to employers across many different sectors that the well being of their team is maintained 24/7. G4S’s solutions to this problem can also help capture evidence suitable for use in criminal prosecutions should workers be subjected to aggressive behaviour or verbal abuse.
G4S’s full range of solutions provides protection which is directly related to effective management of the risk that individual employees may face. The solutions include continuous support at all stages of implementation, from business case support through to training, user support and device maintenance.
Richard Fenton-Jones Managing Director Monitoring and Response G4S Secure Solutions UK and Ireland commented: “With a rise in the number of employees in the UK undertaking lone worker duties, the need to protect these employees from the threat of injury and physical attacks is becoming more prevalent in today’s working environment. G4S’s lone worker service solution offers a solution to this problem providing a more complete rounded service which can be tailored to individual needs and requirements providing invaluable essential worker protection.”
Source: Nottingham Evening Post
Groups of up to 20 men are said to be "rushing" the doors of city nightclubs and bars.
Club owners say the gangs leave doormen struggling to carry out proper searches for weapons and drugs, putting safety at risk.
They want more CCTV and bollards to improve security, particularly in the Lace Market area of the city.
Police say they have worked with a number of venues who have reported incidents.
Andy Bentley, owner of Lizard Lounge in St Mary's Gate, said rushing of doors had been "very prevalent" in the Lace Market over the last two years.
He said: "Get a group of 15 to 20 lads together and doormen are not capable of holding them back. It's particularly a problem here because of the lack of CCTV.
"We have tried to get retractable bollards through here at night time as these groups of lads can drive up close to the club. The fire brigade were opposed but have now given consent.
"This issue needs to be raised again along with CCTV.
"We need it from the top of Broadway down to The Lace Market Hotel. It would help to follow the groups of lads round."
Mike Knight, chair of Nottingham City Pub, Club and Hotel Watch, said: "I know quite a few bars and clubs have had problems with this. It's quite frightening when it happens.
John Clarke, chairman of Notts Police Authority, said he would like to see "turnstile entry" to nightclubs in the city to discourage door rushing and reduce safety fears.
He added: "The whole feel good factor of going out at night is being lost."
Inspector Paul Winter, Nottingham city centre local area commander, said: "We advise venues that if they do get into a position where people are pushing past their door staff, they should turn the music off, put the lights up and make an announcement the police have been called and that the night will not continue until people have been caught who have not been paying."
Leon Tyrell, 23, died after being stabbed in a fight with barman Gairian Robinson at Cuba Libre nightclub in Greyhound Street on July 2 2006. Police said the fight followed a rushing of the doors by a large number of men.
Robinson, 26, of Lybster Mews, The Meadows, was ordered to serve a minimum of 12 years of a life jail sentence on being convicted by a jury.
Insp Winter said: "If staff had acted differently and turned the lights up earlier, we may have had a different outcome."
Source: BBC
The remains of two British security guards held hostage in Iraq for two years have been identified and named.
They were highly likely to be those of Jason Swindlehurst, from Skelmersdale, Lancashire, and Jason Creswell, from Glasgow, the Foreign Office (FCO) said.
Two other guards and the IT consultant they were protecting, Peter Moore, are still thought to be captive.
Gordon Brown sent his condolences to the victims' families and called for the release of the remaining hostages.
Videos of captives
The prime minister said: "There is no justification for hostage-taking and I call on those people who are holding the other Iraqi and British hostages to release them immediately."
Consultant Mr Moore, from Lincoln, and his guards were captured by armed militants at the Ministry of Finance in Baghdad in May 2007.
They were surrounded in broad daylight by 40 gunmen wearing police uniforms and bundled into vans.
The bodies of Mr Swindlehurst and Mr Creswell were handed over to Iraqi authorities on Friday night, two years after they were taken in Baghdad.
They remain in Baghdad's green zone in the care of the British Embassy. A government source confirmed that the bodies had not been mutilated or beheaded.
Forensic examiners are trying to establish the date and method of death ahead of an anticipated murder inquiry.
Contractors
The kidnappers had previously claimed Mr Swindlehurst committed suicide in May 2008, but his family had said that "Jason's not that sort of guy".
In the first video released by the kidnappers, dated 18 November 2007, he was seen saying "my name is Jason Swindlehurst" with a black banner displaying Arabic writing in the background.
Mr Creswell - originally from Glasgow - was believed to have been living with his partner and two young children in Portlethen, south of Aberdeen.
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said: "This is incredibly tough for the families because there really was so much optimism. This was a blow out of nowhere."
 |
 Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent
"The Foreign Office approach is a softly-softly one. Questions will be asked whether this was the right approach. "When the BBC's Alan Johnston was kidnapped in Gaza, we made a big song and dance about it. We put the whole story on the news the whole time. "There were operational reasons why that wasn't advisable in this case. "The kidnappers said they wanted a media blackout, which they kept breaking, but I think there will be a lot of soul-searching about this." |
The security firm which employed the dead hostages, Gardaworld, paid tribute to their bravery and said they were "deeply shocked" by the news.
A spokesman said: "These two professionals were outstanding individuals and experts who commanded the respect of all those who knew and worked with them."
The FCO said it had "grave concerns" over the safety of the three men still thought to be held. The two other security guards have been named only as Alan, from Dumbarton, and Alec, from South Wales.
A spokeswoman said it informed the families of the dead men "with deep regret".
"Our thoughts are with them at this sad time, and we ask that the media allow them privacy to deal with this news. We continue to do everything we can towards the safe release of the other hostages," she said.
Mr Moore's father Graeme, from Leicestershire, said waiting for news that he was not one of the dead men was "torture".
The 59-year-old delivery driver, from Leicestershire, said his thoughts were now with the family members of the other hostages.
"Obviously, I hope my son is alive but I feel desperate for the other families. What they are going through is unimaginable," he said.
It is possible the handover of the bodies could be seen as a trade-off for the release of militant Laith al-Khazali, on 6 June.
His freedom had been a stipulation for the hostages being freed, the BBC's Frank Gardner said.
The aim of the kidnappers, who call themselves the Islamic Shiite Resistance in Iraq, is to get their militants freed from Camp Cropper, a US military prison west of Baghdad.
|
 Every stop was pulled out to try and find these men  Kim Howells
Former Foreign Office minister |
This is Britain's longest running hostage crisis since the days of Terry Waite and John McCarthy in Lebanon in the 1980s.
Little is known about the the men because of a media blackout during a large period of their captivity.
The blackout originally came on the instruction of the hostage-takers who said they did not want publicity.
The British government has a policy of not making substantive concessions to kidnappers to discourage further kidnapping.
However former Foreign Office Minister, Kim Howells, who was involved in trying to negotiate the hostages' release when they were first taken, said the government did all it could.
He told the BBC: "In the best part of four years that I was in the Foreign Office, I don't know of another operation that was better resourced, that more energy was put into.
"Every stop was pulled out to try and find these men."
The policy of not making substantive concessions has been criticised by some and praised by others, including some North African countries who have attacked other European nations for paying huge ransoms to kidnappers.
Mr Moore had been working for American management consultancy Bearingpoint when he was kidnapped, while the other men were contractors employed to guard him.
Source: 4NI
An anticipated deadline for the licensing of 'bouncers' across NI is to be extended.
All in-house door supervisors working in the security industry in Northern Ireland were initially required to obtain a licence from the SIA (Security Industry Authority) by the end of December.
Now, after concerns on the timetabling, NIO Security Minister, Paul Goggins has granted a longer period to comply.
Giving evidence to the Ad Hoc Assembly Committee, the Minister confirmed to MLAs that individuals in this sector of the industry have until 1 April 2010 to undertake the training and obtain a licence from the SIA.
This will allow individuals in this sector time to achieve the necessary qualification and get licensed following the introduction of legislation that will extend the licensing requirement to in-house door supervisors.
The date by which every other sector of the private security industry needs to get a licence remains unchanged at 1 December 2009.
Paul Goggins said: "Extending the remit of the Security Industry Authority to Northern Ireland will enhance public safety and drive illegitimate operators out of the industry.
"By the start of this December, almost everyone employed in the industry will be required to hold an SIA Licence.
"Having listened to concerns from our partners and stakeholders, I have agreed that in-house door supervisors will now be expected to have a licence by April 2010.
"The over-arching aim of regulation is to reduce offending in the private security industry, protecting people from crime and giving the public greater confidence in the industry," he continued, noting that, those currently in the industry should be planning and preparing for licensing and engaging with the SIA so that they are ready for the changes when they come into effect.
Source: BBC
Ultra-violet light is being used by Cumbria Police as the latest weapon in the battle against illegal drugs use.
Police have distributed ten "cocaine torches" to neighbourhood policing teams and drug squads in the west of the county.
Shone on noses and mouths, they show minute traces of cocaine which might be invisible to the naked eye.
Anyone suspected of using the drug will be searched by officers and prosecuted if necessary.
Supt Andy Towler, said: "The equipment looks just like a normal LED torch, but if it is pointed at a person's nose and mouth area it shows up bright green if they have been using cocaine.
"It is even easy to see the minute cocaine crystals secreted within the nasal hair.
"Small traces of cocaine are also left on the cheeks and chin that are not visible to the naked eye and these show up bright green too under the torchlight."
He added: "Not only will it make it easier for police to identify possible offenders, but it will also act as a significant deterrent to those intent on using the drug, especially in our pubs and clubs."
Source: BBC News
Two more people have been charged with the murder of a nightclub doorman who was stabbed to death in Manchester.
Mohammed Kaleem Rafeek, 21, suffered multiple stab wounds during an attack on Birchfields Road, Rusholme. A second man, 22, was also stabbed.
Sultan Ali, 19, and Syconder Ali, 25, both of Raincliff Avenue, Longsight, are due before magistrates later.
Five men, from Longsight, aged between 19 and 23, have already been charged with murder and attempted murder.
They are due to next appear in court on 17 June.
Mr Rafeek and the other man, were found by police, who were called to reports of a disturbance shortly after 0600 BST on 29 March
Source: SIA
As part of the Security Industry Authority's Stakeholder Engagement Strategy, the fifth Door Supervision Network meeting will be held on Tuesday 30 June in London.
The meeting is being organised and facilitated by representatives from the door supervision sector, with the full support of the SIA, and is an opportunity for delegates working within door supervision to engage with the SIA and others in their industry. Representatives will discuss and explore industry and regulation issues.
This meeting follows the successes of the first four events held in September 2007, January 2008, June 2008 and October 2008.
If you would like to attend the meeting, please register your interest by 12 June at:
www.the-sia.org.uk/ds-network
Source: Witney Gazette
Police plan to train door staff in West Oxfordshire to wear body-worn video cameras in a bid to cut down on alcohol-related violent crime and disorder.
Police Community Support Officers in West Oxfordshire already regularly use the equipment which police say acts a deterrent to violent behaviour and also provides evidence for use in court.
‘West Oxfordshire Nightsafe’ involves close working between the Safer Communities Partnership and local licensees to focus on safety and responsible drinking in the night-time economy has been re-launched.
Licensees are invited to join the scheme by signing up to a charter which includes running responsible drinks promotions and ensuring staff are trained on managing alcohol misuse.
Each Witney town centre premise is also provided with a radio that links members to each other and the CCTV control room at the police station.
The re-launch was held to refresh the scheme and widen it out to include late-night restaurants, takeaways and local taxi companies.
Attendees were given presentations on the existing scheme, violent crime and crime reduction, drugs awareness and licensing issues.
Membership packs included premises or taxi stickers to display, the charter, posters and leaflets. Door staff are encouraged to wear high visibility clothing making it easier for people to see who they can go to for help.
Sgt Dave Bishop, of the Witney Neighbourhood Team, said: “Over 60 licensed premises previously signed up to Nightsafe and we now have a dedicated Nightsafe Sergeant who will ensure there is long term resourcing for the night-time economy.
“I am pleased to say that there has been a nine per cent drop in violent crime so far this year compared to 2007/08.
"Criminal damage is often alcohol-related and while there was a 42 per cent increase in vehicles being vandalised last year this has dropped by 25 per cent in the first quarter of this year.
"We are not complacent though and will continue to work on reducing this number of incidents further.”
Jill Dunsmore, cabinet member with responsibility for communities, said: “The turnout for the re-launch was excellent and increased participation in the Nightsafe scheme will raise its awareness to residents and visitors, which can only be a positive move with the predicted increase in footfall when the Marriott’s Close development opens in Witney later this year.
“Nightsafe operates across the district so we encourage all licensed premises to sign up and help us ensure that people have a safe and enjoyable evening out in our towns.”
Many initiatives have been introduced under Nightsafe which include:
The use of Spikeys - stoppers which go into bottled drinks so that they cannot be spiked. Over 13,000 were distributedto licensed premises
Displaying posters that promote responsible drinking and anti-drugs messages
The ‘Wasted Nights’ and ‘Too Wasted’ DVDs - packages used in secondary schools to educate pupils about the consequences of excessive alcohol, covering criminal damage, the effect on communities and personal safety
The use of polycarbonate glasses – some premises have voluntarily chosen to use this almost unbreakable plastic rather than glass.
Source: SIA
SIA investigators joined police as they carried out a raid on a security guarding firm in Scotland on Thursday [30 April].
Officers from Strathclyde Police Major Crime and Terrorist Investigation Unit acting under warrant searched commercial premises in Townhead, Kirkintilloch. Three men, two directors and one area manager, were found working within the offices. The property was searched and computer equipment and documentation seized.
The Security Industry Authority had previously asked the company to supply various documents, but did not receive everything requested. SIA investigators therefore attended to obtain documents relating to potential offences under the Security Industry Act.
Two men were detained in police custody and a report is to be submitted by the Strathclyde Police to the Procurator Fiscal.
The operation was part of a wider campaign to crack down on security firms with links to organised crime, and ensure they are complying with the law on the licensing of private security staff.
Strathclyde Police Detective Inspector Calum Young said:
"This follows previous operations and continues to reinforce our approach to private security companies and those who seek to work outside the law."
Christy Hopkins, SIA Head of Investigation for Scotland, added:
"In March, we took part in a major operation in Scotland clamping down on security companies with links to organised crime. We've worked hard since then with our police partners to pursue rogue companies still operating in the industry. Yesterday's raid, attended by our investigators, was an important step in our continuing drive and shows our own and our partners commitment to creating a hostile environment for criminals."
Source: WtD
A licensee has created an online petition on the Downing Street website to enable police to issue fines to people that produce fake ID.
Paul Neades has the support of the local police, council and MP.
Paul said "As part of the campaign I had the local MP stand on my door with my door team and see what we have to deal with. Within half an hour a call came through on the radio that a local bar had caught a girl with an altered passport. The licensing officers for the police & local council were also stood on my door and they all attended with the MP. He was shocked to see that the only thing the police could do was to confiscate the ID and contact the parents the next week. He is behind us on the fact that she should have been fined £80 there and then."
"Its now time to make a stand and get the law changed so they can be charged, it wont stop it but it will reduce the amount we see when the word gets out. The two national trade papers are also going to get behind us on getting this through and hopefully the Home Office will have to listen."
To sign the petition please visit
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Fake-ID-Fines/
Source: SIA
Random checks at pubs and bars in Croydon Town Centre on Friday [24 April] found high compliance with licensing regulations.
The Security Industry Authority, Metropolitan Police and Croydon Local Authority checked 31 door staff working at 11 venues. All held valid SIA licences.
Jacquie Parker, an SIA Head of Investigation said: “Croydon is known for having a buzzing night life, so it is vital that door staff working at pubs and clubs are SIA licensed. As trained, vetted professionals they can effectively handle the busy crowds and help maintain public safety, which is paramount to having a good night out.
“I was very pleased with the results as – this random inspection helps reinforce the message that the door supervision sector is largely compliant with the law.
“We will continue to work closely with our partners and plan further visits to licensed premises in Croydon in the future.”
Alan Goodall, Chief Inspector, Operations, Croydon Police said: "Croydon Police are delighted with the high levels of compliance amongst SIA accredited door supervisors in Croydon last Friday. This validates all the hard work by the Council, Police and Licensed premises in the area, which has led to a substantial reduction in crime and ensuring that Croydon remains a safe place to live, work and visit.”
Councillor Gavin Barwell, cabinet member for community safety and cohesion, said: “We are very pleased but not surprised that Croydon’s pubs and clubs take their licensing responsibilities seriously.
“Indeed, many of our pubs, bars and clubs are signed up to our Best Bar None scheme which has set new standards of excellence, offering managers the chance to prove they run safe and responsible venues.
“We are delighted that pubs and clubs are keen to work with the council and the police to promote good practices and responsible behaviour, and make Croydon a more attractive and peaceful place to socialise.”
Source: Norwich Evening News
Door supervisors in Norwich have been learning new skills to help them deal with terrorism and dangerous situations that might arise in pubs and clubs.
The security management course trains the bouncers to “very high standards” so they are well equipped to deal with any untoward situation involving a member of the public.
The first training programme of its kind, which started on Sunday, is being held at Optic nightclub in Prince of Wales Road and runs until Sunday.
Glen Alexander, managing director of Norwich Premier Security Services, which employs doorman from clubs across Norwich, including Optic and Spearmint Rhino, said he saw the benefits of having his senior staff trained to deal with the potentially life threatening issues of modern society.
He said: “As part of the wider police family we cannot be complacent when it comes to public safety.
“Training has always been needed in this area and although all door staff are given basic training we want them to stand out from the rest with specialist skills.
“The course gives staff the ability to deal with situations that at the moment just the head doorman deals with. They are given conflict management skills, how to radio communicate with staff, deal with different situations and crowd management.
“We now have to know how to deal with terrorist threats and this course is giving everyone physical and mental skills to prepare them for a range of possible incidents.
“Working in partnership with the Door Supervisor Training Organisation (DSTO) has opened our eyes to the need for our staff to be trained to manage every situation”.
The course is the first time supervisors, who often have to manage up to 20 door staff at a time as well as thousands of customers have been able to gain an official qualification.
It is designed to ensure those who are ultimately responsible for public safety have the “tools” to do the job. The head door supervisor needs to lead by example when situations become volatile or dangerous.
DSTO director, Rob Knowles, said: “It is important that the public understand that they can enjoy an evening out at a club and be assured that the staff in charge of security are fully trained and professional.
“This means that head door supervisors should be trained to very high standards indeed and this programme provides a wide array of skills. It is therefore imperative that they receive appropriate training for severe situations including those such as terrorist threats and firearms incidents.”
The course is a BTEC Level 3 Award in Security Management and is being run alongside the accredited Maybo Physical Intervention course. Prior to this there was no recognised qualification for head door supervisors.
Source: SIA
Security Industry Authority Chairman Ruth Henig has invited Andy Drane (SIA Director of Compliance and Enforcement) to take up the post of Acting Chief Executive.
The recruitment process for a permanent Chief Executive is underway and an announcement will be made shortly.
Previous SIA Chief Executive Bernard Herdan, who was appointed in November last year for an interim period of four to six months, took up a new post as Chief Executive of the National Fraud Strategic Authority on 1st April.
SIA Chairman Ruth Henig said:
“I would like to thank Bernard for successfully taking the SIA forward during this interim period and wish him the best in his new role.
“I am pleased to announce that Andy Drane has accepted my offer to be Acting Chief Executive until the permanent appointment is made. Andy’s many years of strong leadership and his wealth of experience will again stand him in good stead to provide continuity to our organisation during this interim period.
“We are now in the process of recruiting a new permanent Chief Executive to take the organisation forward and I will make a further announcement in due course.”
Andy joined the SIA in January 2003 and was Acting Chief Executive between January and August 2007. Andy will provide management continuity at the SIA and handover to the new Chief Executive when appointed.
Source: Kidderminster Shuttle
Customers buying goods online are being urged to remain vigilant after a manufacturer was prosecuted for selling unsafe stab-resistant vests on eBay.
Worcestershire County Council's trading standards service prosecuted Malcolm Kevin Charles, of Halesowen, after discovering the unsafe vests for sale on the site.
An investigation by trading standards, in conjunction with the Home Office, which carried out the testing, found the levels of protection offered fell far below the standards required.
The items in question were manufactured by Charles and supplied to a wide range of consumers and businesses, including doormen, debt collectors and even parents who purchased them for their children to wear.
Charles had been advertising the stab-resistant vests on eBay as having met the requirements of a European Standard but the tests applied were inappropriate and were designed only to determine levels of protection for protective gloves and aprons.
The Home Office report stated the vests failed both the slash and knife stab tests by a significant margin and that they were devoid of all materials to give protection even against a low-level knife attack.
Charles pleaded guilty at Worcester Crown Court on April 2 to charges under the Trade Descriptions Act and the Personal Protective Equipment Regulations.
He was ordered to pay a fine and costs totalling £6,000. He had previously signed an undertaking under the Enterprise Act 2002, which prevents him from having any involvement in future manufacture or sale of stab-resistant vests.
A breach of that would result in further court action being taken.
Leanne McLean, trading standards officer, said: "Manufacturers and traders have a legal obligation to ensure any goods offered for sale are both accurately described and safe to use. Unfortunately, on this occasion, neither was the case.
"We became suspicious because the price of around £60 each seemed too good to be true and this was confirmed when we received the test reports.
“These stab vests afforded very little in the way of protection and could have resulted in the wearer being seriously injured. The penalty imposed by the court reflected the seriousness of this case."
For more information on consumer issues, or to lodge a complaint, contact 08454 040506 or visit www.consumerdirect.gov.uk.
Source: The Times
A doorman was left with serious head injuries after he was assaulted by a gang inside a Bridge Street night club.
The 40-year-old doorman needed hospital treatment following the attack at Rain, next to 53 Degrees, which happened when he and three other bouncers tried to eject a group of seven rowdy men at around 1.30am on Friday.
The gang, all from Manchester, had refused to leave and broke into the cleaning cupboard from which one of the men seized a broom that he then used to hit the bouncer with about the head.
The club was evacuated to protect the safety of the customers while the disturbance took place.
Jonathan Boucher, director of 53 Degrees, said: “The seven men were all quite big and refused to leave so the door staff had to restrain them – they were animals and I don’t want them back.
“The door staff did a great job ensuring the safety of the customers but unfortunately one of them was injured.
“The police were called using the town centre radio and they arrived very quickly within a minute or so.”
This was the second time in just over two weeks that a bouncer has been attacked in the bar.
A 37-year-old doorman needed six stitches after he was stabbed in the face with some scissors after he threw out two men he caught smoking on March 25.
Mr Boucher added: “We are trying to turn the place around. We are doing everything we can to make the venue as safe and comfortable as possible and apart from that incident we had a great weekend with 2,500 customers through the doors without any trouble.
“We have just invested in Club Scan and will be id-ing everyone who comes in from Friday and groups of four men or more not from Warrington will not be allowed in.
“Pubwatch is working well and town is becoming much safer – those men will now be barred from every pub in Warrington town centre.”
Three men, a 25-year-old, 26-year-old and a 34-year-old were arrested on suspicion of causing affray and assaulting police officers.
They were bailed until June 11.
A police spokesman said: “A large disturbance involving a number of men occurred inside Rain night club.
“A staff member was assaulted and received serious injuries resulting in hospital treatment.”
Police are appealing for witnesses and anyone with information is asked to call Detective Constable Darren Wright at Warrington CID on 01244 613834 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.
Source: NACTSO
Door supervisors are a key element in deterring and disrupting the threat from terrorism and other crime. Although the main role of door supervisors is to make sure that customers have an enjoyable experience in a safe environment, they are also essential and additional ‘eyes and ears’ for Police.
Increased vigilance and robust security measures will deter and disrupt terrorist activity; however such measures must not compromise the safety of customers and staff.
All door supervisors should be familiar with existing local crime prevention measures and should further consider terrorism as they carry out their responsibilities. The need to be alert to what is happening beyond the immediate front entrance of their premises and any approach routes is essential. Persons loitering nearby who have no apparent affiliation with the venue should be spoken and their movements questioned.
Door supervisors should have an understanding of hostile reconnaissance, be alert to instances where hostile reconnaissance may be taking place and be aware of how to report suspicious activity. A command and communication structure should be established to ensure that all incidents are reported, recorded and supervised. All staff should report suspicious sightings to the Head Door Supervisor, who should make a risk assessment as to how the information should be managed and the required police
response.
Any incident that requires an immediate police response – dial 999. Reporting suspicious activity that does not require an immediate response, contact the Anti-Terrorist Hotline – 0800 789 321.
Door supervisors should record all incidents in the Security Incident Logbook and a personal notebook. A personal notebook should only be used for work related incidents in case it is required to be produced as evidence in court. Notes may include, full descriptions of any suspects (including clothing and anything being carried), vehicle description and registration marks, any witnesses and if the incident was recorded by CCTV. In all cases the Designated Premises Supervisor, Personal Licence Holder, or Manager must be informed and an entry in the venue’s incident book recorded.
Security staff deployed externally should adopt a ‘see and be seen’ approach and where possible, police any queuing outside their premises. The queue should be orderly, monitored and communication established between the customers forming it and Door Supervisors. Any lack of vigilance around the queue affords anonymity to a potential terrorist.
Door Supervisors should be alert to the fact that vehicles are used to carry explosive devices. Attention should be paid to vehicles parking outside venues and vigilance should be extended to the entire building perimeter. Vehicles such as the traditional black cab and mini cabs have been used previously as explosive devices. Do not become complacent around vehicles that appear to be the norm, including contractors and Local Authority vehicles.
NACTSO (NOTE: Adobe 2.4 mb PDF File.)
Source: The Times
A huge MI5 and police counterterrorist operation against al-Qaeda suspects had to be brought forward at short notice last night after Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism chief accidentally revealed a briefing document.
Twelve people were arrested, ten of them born in Pakistan, at eight separate addresses after a long covert surveillance operation involving MI5 and police from the North West Counter-Terrorism Unit was compromised.
Senior sources believe that there were plans to attack the Birdcage nightclub in Manchester city centre or the Trafford Centre shopping complex. The nightclub, which hosts cabaret and dancing showgirls, attracts thousands of people each week.
Detectives believe that the venue, near The Printworks entertainment complex, was being targeted as a “symbol of Western decadence”. The Trafford Centre in Manchester attracts 140,000 shoppers each weekend.
The operation was nearly blown when Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick walked up Downing Street holding a document marked “secret” with highly sensitive operational details visible to photographers.
The document, carried under his arm, revealed how many terrorist suspects were to be arrested, in which cities across the North West. It revealed that armed members of the Greater Manchester Police would force entry into a number of homes. The operation’s secret code headed the list of action that was to take place.
The assistant commissioner had been scheduled to see the Prime Minister and Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, about police reform in his capacity as a member of the Association of Chief Police Officers, but the document indicated that he was planning to outline to Gordon Brown that police raids were imminent.
Police sources indicated that the blunder could end Mr Quick’s career. A Scotland Yard source said: “It’s a hugely serious situation — he’s made a big blunder and the consequences have been huge. There is pressure on him tonight to step down.”
As soon as the photograph was circulated, MI5 and Scotland Yard took immediate steps to stop its publication, fearing that even a reference to Mr Quick’s arrival in Downing Street might tip off the suspects.
A rare D-notice — guidance issued from the Ministry of Defence to safeguard issues of national security — was slapped on media organisations.
However, the photograph of the document had already been distributed abroad, where the D-notice system carries no weight. Getty Images, which took the photograph, agreed to take it off its website, but foreign media organisations that have contracts with Getty had already received the picture, along with every national newspaper in Britain. A Californian magazine also had the picture.
Frantic discussions took place between the police and MI5 and a decision was taken to bring forward the raids from 2am to 5pm.
Source: Manchester Evening News (View Video here)
Nightclub doormen took to the streets to protest over working conditions after the death of a colleague.
A large group gathered at Exchange Square in Manchester on Saturday night to call for extra protection and raise awareness of the dangers they face.
The unofficial strike action - mirrored in Chester, Blackpool and Liverpool - came after Mohamed Kaleem Rafeek, known to friends as Kaleem, died from stab injuries in Rusholme.
A friend with him was also seriously injured. The father of 21-year-old Kaleem, Ishmal Mohamed Rafeek, attended the 200-strong gathering.
The demonstrators carried placards and banners as they marched through Manchester from the Printworks to the Mansion club, where Kaleem worked.
Mohammed Imran, one of the protest's organisers, said: "There were quite a lot of doormen and friends and family of Kaleem.
"We have lost a good friend and we need more support from the companies that we work for and from the police.
"We risk our lives every night. It is a job but we want a bit of added protection, support and understanding.
"Kaleem's father is getting on with it but Kaleem was his only son and he is going through a lot. He is strong and he supports us but Kaleem did not deserve to die.
"His whole family are in pieces. There is no trade union that covers doormen and our job is very hard. We need more support."
Council spokesman Pat Karney addressed the crowd and pledged to support the doormen's aims.
He said: "Our prayers go out to Kaleem's family and friends. The doormen do a very difficult job and keep our city safe. We will help in whatever way we can."
Sri Lankan-born Kaleem moved with his family to Britain aged 12 and spoke five languages. He was a pupil at Stretford High and was studying part-time at Trafford College to be an electrician.
His parents said he had only been a part-time doorman for a few months.
The march did not cause any clubs to close for the night.
Umair Sajjid, 19, of Penruddock Walk, Longsight, Shah Mohammed Gozombar Ali, 23, of Raincliff Avenue, Longsight, Waqas Ahmed, 23, of Oadby Close, Manchester, Raphael Evans, 18, of Clarence Road, Longsight, and Youseff Ilyas, 19, of Belvoir Avenue, Longsight, have been charged with murder and attempted murder.
They have been remanded in custody and will appear again in court later this week.
Source: Kettering Evening News
Metal detectors and ultra violet lights will be used in pubs in Kettering town centre to check if punters are carrying weapons and drugs.
A pilot scheme will see door staff use the equipment to screen customers for six months to test how effective it is.
Kettering Council, Kettering Pubwatch and Northamptonshire Police teamed up to pay for the equipment.
The metal detection equipment will enable staff to spot weapons, while the UV lights can be used to identify people who may have been handling certain drugs.
The UV lights will also help to identify fake IDs being used by underage people to buy alcohol.
If the project is successful it is hoped more funding can be obtained to supply the equipment to all pubs and clubs in the town centre.
Some of the funding for the project has come from cash available to two local councillors, Keli Watts and David Bishop.
Councillor Watts said: "We feel everyone should feel safe and protected when they go into pubs."
Pat Anderson, manager of The Peacock and chairman of Kettering Pubwatch, said: "We are constantly working with the council and police to improve the night time environment for visitors to the town centre and our customers.
"I hope that by working with our partners we can reduce crime and disorder in the town centre area, help to make it an enjoyable place to visit and secure additional funding to extend the project."
Kettering councillor Alan Pote said: "This is an innovation in so far as it will, hopefully, indicate to revellers that anti social behaviour through alcohol abuse, will not be tolerated.
"It is to be hoped that these measures will make people think twice before embarking on anti social actions."
Superintendent Richard James from Northamptonshire Police said: "We will continue to work closely with partners to ensure that those who behave irresponsibly in our town centres can expect to be arrested and face the consequences in court."
Jonathan Boddy, of the Brambleside estate in Kettering, said: "It's a good idea, anything designed to increase safety in town has got to be a good move."
Source: Manchester Evening News
Nightclub doormen are planning an unofficial strike in protest at the killing of 21-year-old Mohamed Kaleem Rafeek.
Mr Rafeek, known as Kaleem to friends, died after a frenzied stabbing in Rusholme last Sunday, which also left another man aged 22 critically injured.
Police believe Mr Rafeek may have been attacked in a 'respect row' after earlier denying someone access to the city centre nightclub Mansion, where he worked as a doorman.
Now bouncers at clubs in Manchester, Blackpool, Liverpool and Chester have called a strike for Saturday night as a mark of respect to Mr Rafeek - and to raise awareness of the dangers they face while working.
Between 100 and 250 people - some of whom have requested time off work and some who have not - are expected to meet outside the Printworks in Manchester city centre.
Some Manchester bars and clubs may have to close for the night because of a lack of security.
The bouncers hope the meeting will help to prevent another tragedy.
A spokesman, who did not want to be named, said: "We are all very angry about what has happened - and we don't want it to happen to anybody else.
"When it was reported on the news, it was just another item alongside the credit crunch. If it had been someone working in any other industry more attention would have been paid.
"The thugs who once worked as doormen have been taken out of the business. We now have educated, professional people working on the doors in Manchester, including medical students, computer scientists, web designers and professional rugby players.
"We are here to protect people and we risk our lives doing that every night."
Leaflets calling on doormen to take part in the 'peaceful gathering' have been distributed.
They carry a picture of Mr Rafeek and state: "We need all doormen to participate and request humbly for you to sacrifice one night of work for this cause.
"This is in memory of Kaleem Rafeek a 21-year-old young, bright, energetic lad who was killed brutally. And also to ensure this doesn't happen to any one of us in the future."
Police said they had been approached about a 'staged event' but that nothing had been confirmed.
Insp Ron Orr, of GMP's City Safe Licensing Unit, said: "No more police resources will be deployed other than the usual policing operation for this Saturday night."
Source: BBC News
Five people have been charged with the murder of a nightclub doorman who was stabbed to death in south Manchester.
Mohammed Kaleem Rafeek, 21, known as Kaleem, was repeatedly stabbed during an attack in Birchfields Road, Rusholme, on Sunday morning.
A second man, aged 22, who was also stabbed, remains in hospital.
Five men from Longsight, aged between 19 and 23, were due to appear before Manchester magistrates accused of murder and attempted murder.
Four other men have been released on bail pending further inquiries., Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.
Mr Rafeek, who suffered multiple stab wounds, and the other man, were found by police, who were called to reports of a disturbance shortly after 0600 BST on Sunday.
Mr Rafeek, who worked part-time as a doorman, died at the scene.
Source: Reliance Security
A team of 22 Reliance Security people were among sixty staff at the University of Hertfordshire to be given special powers to help improve community safety under the national Community Safety Accreditation Scheme.
Employees from Reliance Security Services Limited have been given the power under the scheme to request the name and address of anyone they suspect of causing anti-social behaviour.
On February 24th, twelve of the team were presented with certificates, identity cards and cards displaying their accredited status by Chief Superintendent Julia Wortley of Hertfordshire Constabulary, who was joined by the University’s Deputy Vice Chancellor, Terry Neville.
Ms Wortley said: “We warmly welcome our colleagues from Reliance Security into the ‘extended police family’. This further advances the close working partnership which already exists in Hatfield between police, the University of Hertfordshire and Reliance Security and will complement the work carried out by police officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) in and around the University community.”
Ian Colpitts, the Force’s Community Safety Accreditation Scheme project officer, added: “This is the largest number of people we have accredited. The university is a very important site within Hertfordshire with a large campus encompassing multi-national students from diverse backgrounds and includes both educational and residential premises.”
Before being awarded their new powers the Reliance Security employees were vetted and received appropriate training. They will carry identity cards and display a nationally recognised identification badge that will identify them to the public as well as giving information about their roles and the powers they have.
Hertfordshire’s Community Safety Accreditation Scheme was launched in 2004 as part of a wide range of initiatives to improve community safety across the county and promote closer partnership working with security companies and local authority employees involved in community safety and crime reduction.
Source: BSIA
The latest statistics from the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) show that attacks against cash-in-transit couriers remain a serious problem, despite the criminal standing a significant chance of getting caught. Industry, Government and the Police are acting with renewed vigour and absolute determination to combat cash-in-transit (CIT) attacks during 2009.
2008 saw 1000 attacks against cash-in-transit couriers, a reduction of 6% compared to 2007. However the second half of the year saw attacks rise significantly regardless of the ongoing commitment of Police, Home Office and the industry to prevent this crime.
John Bates, BSIA Chief Executive, comments: "Our partnership work saw a real reduction in CIT crime in the first half of 2008 and this was testament to the commitment of all involved who are determined to combat this serious crime. The rise in attacks in the second half of the year is a worrying trend."
"We recognise that with such a violent and prolific crime, all stakeholders will need to remain one step ahead of the criminal in order to achieve a permanent reduction and our work to prevent the crime will need to evolve as the criminal's tactics change. Working with the Police, we continue to analyse criminal behaviour and are taking proactive steps to reduce the risks to cash-in-transit couriers, customers and the public."
"Reducing CIT attacks was never going to be an easy task. However two things are certain – more resources than ever before are being invested into preventing CIT attacks; and because of advances in technology and increased intelligence on the crime, the criminals involved stand a significant chance of getting caught and prosecuted."
GMB National Officer for the Security Industry, Jude Brimble, says: “It is essential that all stakeholders continue to work together in a coordinated effort to fight crime and reduce the number of violent attacks on CIT workers, who are just doing their job. GMB is determined to play its role to secure the safety of our members, who do a valuable and essential job – every worker has the right to do that job without fear of violence and assault – and those committing these offences should expect to be dealt with severely.”
To download a summary of the 2007 and 2008 statistics including a breakdown by police force, click here.
Source: BBC News
Raids on private security firms have uncovered dozens of possible breaches of industry regulations as well as immigration and benefits offences.
Strathclyde Police, the Department for Work and Pensions and the UK Border Agency targeted 75 construction sites in the force area on Wednesday.
The operation uncovered 11 possible breaches of the Private Security Act.
Six people were reported for alleged immigration offences and another 15 reported for benefit irregularities.
Det Insp Calum Young, of Strathclyde Police, said: "The sole purpose of this and the operations that will follow, is to target those individuals and companies that continue to act outside the law.
"Our message to those who are active in the private security industry is a simple one - act and work in accordance with the law."
Source: SIA
Three pub managers without the mandatory SIA licence were found to be unlawfully employing door staff during checks in Scunthorpe on Friday [20 Feb].
18 licensed premises were visited by the SIA, Humberside Police and North Lincolnshire Council as part of an operation to check that staff at the venues held SIA licences.
By law, all door staff must hold a frontline SIA licence and display this while working. If they are employed directly by a venue as staff member, rather than through a contractor, the manager must hold a non-frontline licence.
Of the 38 individuals checked, all of the door staff had valid SIA licences. However, three bar managers are to be dealt with by police as they were found to be employing in-house door staff without holding the necessary non-frontline licence.
Jackie Munn, an SIA Head of Investigation said: “It is very encouraging to see that all door staff checked in Scunthorpe were properly SIA licensed, showing awareness of the requirements aimed at protecting the public.
“However, venue managers must understand that if they employ door security staff in-house, not only must the door staff be licensed, the manager must also hold their own non-frontline licence.”
Source: Sunday Sun
Rogue bouncers operating in one of the North’s most popular nightspots have been targeted in a special probe.
The operation, by police and the Security Industry Authority (SIA), led to one doorman being caught working without a licence in Newcastle city centre.
Officers visited 13 bars and nightclubs over the course of one Saturday night and checked the badges of all security staff they came across.
The vast majority were fully accredited with the SIA, which regulates who is allowed to work doors up and down the country, but one bouncer — who has not been named — was unlicensed, meaning proper checks may not have been carried out on his background, including criminal convictions.
A further three were reported to the SIA for contravening licence conditions by with failing to display their badge or displaying a defaced or altered ID.
PC Murray Cassidy, of Newcastle City Centre’s Neighbourhood Policing team, said: “It’s important that all people who are employed on the doors of licensed premises within Newcastle work with a valid licence and within the conditions of the licence issued by the SIA.
“You can no longer work the doors of a licensed premises without the relevant licence. I’m pleased our operation showed the majority of door supervisors are working within the law.
“Newcastle is a safe and vibrant city and we work closely in partnership with licensed premises and door supervisors to ensure people enjoy their time here.
“Checks on door staff and licensed premises will continue on a regular basis to make sure Newcastle remains one of the safest cities in the country for people to come and enjoy themselves.”
The probe saw 48 door supervises checked-out, with 47 holding valid SIA licences. The man who did not have a proper badge was removed from duty on the spot but the bar where he worked is not being disclosed while enquiries continue.
Further investigations are being carried out into those who breached licensing conditions.
Lucia Howland, SIA Head of Investigation, said: “We will continue to work with the police to ensure a safe night time environment in the area.”
In October, four bouncers in Newcastle city centre were removed from work for being unlicensed.
Source: Birmingham Post
Workers at one of the West Midlands’ biggest security operations have been laid off without pay as cash-strapped companies pull out of contracts.
And under the terms of their contracts of employment, employees affected have to wait at least four weeks before they can leave and claim statutory redundancy pay.
The effects of the recession on the region’s security industry were revealed today as UK chain Reliance Security Group confirmed the loss of “a number of large contracts” and “reduction in hours on many sites.”
About 54 workers based all over the region have had their hours slashed as a result – and some staff with Reliance claim they have been left virtually penniless.
The firm, whose regional base is at Oldbury, said it was working hard to avoid redundancies among its site support staff, who provide short-term cover for a wide range of clients.
But one worker, who asked not to be named, said: “Dozens of us have been laid off for weeks now. They have not paid us anything to lay us off and we are not entitled to any redundancy, holiday or sick pay.
“They seem to have chosen people randomly. Some of us are in dire straits financially.”
A letter to staff from management representative Tony Pitcher said: “In line with your contract of employment and via this letter providing 24 hours’ notice, you will be officially laid off from work until further notice.
“During this period of being laid off, you will still accrue holiday but holiday cannot be taken.
“No periods of sickness will be paid for by the company in this period of being laid off and when shifts become available, you will be contacted by our operations support team or your contract manager.
“I would like to emphasise you remain an employee of Reliance Security, and must continue to adhere to all your terms and conditions of employment.
“Only when the lay-off constitutes a certain period of time can you request in writing for your contract to be terminated via redundancy.”
A statement from Middlesex-based Reliance Security said: “Reliance has changed the working arrangements for approximately 50 of its 700 staff in the West Midlands.
“These individuals are contracted to provide last minute, short-term cover for requests such as sickness, holiday and general emergency security, and the change relates to a drop in the demand for this type of security requirements from customers.
“Reliance is trying hard to protect the employment of these individuals and for those affected has, in line with the terms of their contracts, put in place a more flexible working arrangement which no longer guarantees a set number of contracted hours per week and minimises the risk of redundancy.
“Whilst Reliance regrets the need for this step, the company is working very hard to avoid redundancies and to ensure that these staff see only a reduction in their hours, rather than no work at all.”
Source: The Telegraph
Police officers have been rebuked for abusing their power by using warrant cards to gain free entry into the nightclubs and bars.
All members of Cambridgeshire Police force have been issued with a warning about their discipline after officers were caught repeatedly "blagging" their way into venues.
They were told they risked "abusing their position" and that they should "always behave in a professional manner, whether on or off duty".
The memo, revealed in Jane's Police Review, said: "Staff should consider their behaviour at nightclubs or other licensed premises.
"On several occasions, inappropriate production of warrant or force identification cards to gain free or cheap access to locations has been highlighted; this is not permitted."
A spokesman for Cambridgeshire Constabulary admitted that using warrant cards to get into clubs "is something that has been happening for a long time."
He added: "If a doorman knows they are a police officer and lets them go in, that is fine, but they should not be abusing their status as a police officer to get into places for free." He said there was no specific sanction for abusing warrant cards. "Every case is treated on its merits," the spokesman said.
It is not known which venues the officers were visiting but the most popular local destinations are the Fez Club in Cambridge, which charges £8 to enter after 11 pm on a Saturday and Liquid in Peterborough.
Tony Laud, secretary of Cambridgeshire Police Federation, said improper use of warrant cards was "quite clearly a breach of the disciplinary code".
He added: "Every two or three years, a reminder is put out that people must not use their warrant cards to gain free entry to, for example, clubs and cinemas unless it is an agreed scheme. The federation's view is that officers should not abuse their authority by using their warrant cards in this way.
"We talk to new probationers when they start and this is one of the things we tell them - not to abuse their position. If you are getting £5 off by using your warrant card, it is an abuse of authority."
Source: Issue two of On The Doors magazine
By Robin Barratt
Door Supervision has changed immeasurably over the past few years. It will never be the job it once was. In fact, the old school word 'bouncer' no longer exists and is rarely heard, apart from in the media. 'Bouncer' was never a pleasant word anyway, it always had rather disapproving and unfavourable connotations. Although bouncers never called themselves bouncers, they invariably were and without doubt the word did instill a sense of awe and respect and it did intimidate. When I worked the doors through the 80s and 90s I never once said I was a 'bouncer' but I never said I was a door supervisor either. I always 'worked the doors' or 'I am on the doors.' When people asked me what I did for a living and I said I worked the doors, invariably they would then retort with 'Oh, you are a bouncer,' and, hesitantly, I would agree; we were running a professional security team but yes, we were also bouncers. We did 'bounce' customers out from a venue when they caused havoc and mayhem, fights or were abusive to other customers or staff. We were sometimes harsh and invariably hard, especially in venues we were asked to clean up. If customers messed around in any venue that I and my team were working at, they were in for a rough time. Paradoxically this was why life on the doors for me was, in general, not a violent one; once people knew ours wasn't a venue to fight or cause trouble in, it quickly gained a reputation for being safe and 'clean' and queues quickly formed.
Today, being called a 'bouncer' now signifies a dismissed and often forgotten past; door staff no longer intimidate to control, it is now all about conflict management and 'talking' you customers out of violence and situations, although it has to be said that a large number of today's trainers of conflict management have never worked the doors; they teach from a text book and have never once had to put into practice their techniques when dealing with drunken, unreasonable, mindless scrotes who really have come out intending to cause a fight.
People working on the doors at licensed venues now prefer to use the rather timid, inconsequential and, in my mind, the rather unimportant title 'door supervisor'. Don't get me wrong, I am proud of the job, I am proud to protect, I am proud to have worked the doors and, generally, have enjoyed the work I did, but if I was ever asked what I did for a living, I never once said I was a door supervisor either. I think the term undermines our role and the work we do. We run security in a licensed venue with possibly thousands of customers and a whole host of potentially difficult conditions, violent customers and frequently unstable environments to cope with. We don't supervise a door.
The words 'door supervisor' have been around a long time, I remember them being around when I started on the doors in the early 80s and I am sure they were around well before then, although they were rarely used; none of the old school doorman would have ever called themselves door supervisors! I have no idea where the words originally came from and who first implemented their use, but over the past few years the meaning of the words 'door supervisor' have developed with the job; new job, new school, new philosophies, new staff and a new meaning to the job title. But I dislike this job title.
We have Event Security, Close Protection, Security Guard and...Door Supervisor...er ? 'Door Supervisor' says nothing at all about the work we do or the role we play. We supervise a door, what does that mean precisely ? We don't supervisor a door at all; even the qualifications that all door supervisors now have to have by law say nothing about the work they do. It is as if our job has to somehow be hidden, that what we do is inconsequential, that it means nothing. I would like to see the qualification title changed to Level II in Venue Security, for instance, this means more and is of much more significance to our role.
Violence on the streets of Britain is, undoubtedly out of control; more people are being shot and stabbed and beaten up than in the history of modern British society. Prisons are overflowing, courts are backlogged, the police are generally ineffectual and overwhelmed. I loathe violence, but instead of teaching scumbags a tough lesson when they misbehave, door staff now loose their jobs, their license, their income and quite possibly their liberty. This is not right and fuels the complete disregard of authority, deterioration of respect and control. Scumbags know they can get away with almost anything and there is nothing anyone can or are willing to do about it. Where once door staff controlled the venue, now it is the scumbags who reign.
I am of the old school of thought that you need respect and to slightly scare to control, especially in volatile and unpredictable environments. The police do not control and certainly do not intimidate or scare, nor sadly do many door supervisors.
Although the industry is certainly so very different to what it was, let's unite and endeavour to bring back respect within this specific sector of security. Not by being bullies or intimidators or with arrogance and attitude, but by showing respect and commanding respect. Let the jacket fillers learn from the wise and experienced and lets bring real professionalism to the industry, not the pseudo professionalism that the government pretends to implement by opening up the industry to all and sundry. Lets step forward and not hide ourselves under a title that few recognise and even fewer have any regard or respect for.
Source: The Telegraph
The security licensing body at the centre of the illegal immigrants scandal is "incoherently" run and needs better leadership, a critical report has concluded.
The review in the Security Industry Authority was carried out last year in the wake of fiasco that saw thousands of illegal immigrants approved to work as security guards.
It is the first review to be commissioned by a non-departmental public body and found a series of shortcomings in the organisation.
It concluded that while individual roles and responsibilities were clear, "organisational structure was incoherent in places and levels of delegation to staff were not always appropriate".
It emerged the SIA has had a heavy reliance on temporary staff and "lacked robust processes" for allocating resources.
It also needs to work more closely with the police and the board and executives should provide "more leadership".
The SIA, the body responsible for vetting all bouncers, car clampers and security staff, came under fire in late 2007 when it emerged up to 11,000 illegal immigrants had been cleared to work as security guards.
It included twelve illegal workers approved for security jobs with the Metropolitan Police, including one guarding the Prime Minister's car.
Some 3,000 have since proved their right to be in the UK but it emerged earlier this week that just 35 of the remaining 7,729 who had their licences revoked have been removed from the UK.
Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Grayling said: "This report paints a worrying picture of mismanagement at an organisation that cleared thousands of people to work in sensitive security jobs in the UK even though they were illegal immigrants.
"The fact that the organisation is clearly still struggling, and that Ministers have so far only managed to deport 35 out of the thousands of illegal workers, gives rise to real concerns about what is happening."
The report listed 33 recommendations and the SIA has now drawn up an action plan to deal with them.
Chief executive Bernard Herdan said: "Team members have taken personal responsibility for relevant actions, priorities have been allocated and the action plan is now well underway. We will keep stakeholders updated on progress and completion.
"I am convinced that we are already a stronger organisation, and as we complete the action plan we will emerge as an even more effective regulator providing a better service to our customers and still more powerful in the delivery of our mission."
Source: Reuters
Private firms operating the nation's vital infrastructure, from power plants to shopping centres, must not lose sight of the threat posed by terrorism because of the recession, security experts said on Tuesday.
As companies focus on the effect of the economic downturn, officials said the security threat must not be ignored.
"It is unclear how well the UK's critical infrastructure is prepared for, and protected against, terrorist attacks," said Hugo Rosemont, security spokesman, for the Society of British Aerospace Companies, a trade association representing firms supplying air transport, defence and homeland security.
"Just because the newspaper front pages and TV bulletins are dominated by the recession, regrettably this does not mean that the terror threat has disappeared," he said in a statement.
With most of the country's key facilities in the hands of private companies, Rosemont said there needed to be debate over whether the government should legislate to ensure those sites were properly protected.
Britain has been a target for Islamist militants since it joined the United States in invading Afghanistan and Iraq after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, exemplified by the suicide bombings on London's transport network in July 2005.
Since then, prosecutors say would-be attackers, jailed for plots foiled by security services, had discussed attacking vital infrastructure such as power stations, nuclear facilities, shopping malls and gas, water and electrical supplies.
One senior counter terrorism official told Reuters firms could be tempted to ignore terrorism risks during the recession.
"A lot of businesses are struggling to survive financially so it's obviously going to be an issue," said Detective Chief Inspector Chris Phillips, head of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO).
Phillips said recent successes by the security services might also have given some companies a false sense of security.
There have been no deadly attacks in Britain since the 2005 bombings, and last month the head of MI5 said that the threat of an immediate attack had receded because of a number of successful prosecutions.
However Britain remains on its second highest threat level of "severe," a level it has never fallen below since first publishing the warning status in August 2006.
"To some extent we are victims of our own success," said Phillips, whose police unit is responsible for protecting Britain's vulnerable and hazardous sites and assets, ranging from radioactive materials to shopping centres.
"We've got to keep selling the (counter terrorism) message. But the fact is we have been ... so successful at catching people up until now that it's quite a difficult message to sell," Phillips told Reuters at a security conference in London.
Source: Maidenhead Advertiser
McDonald's bosses say they will keep employing bouncers hired to deter yobs who have plagued their Windsor town centre restaurant.
The fast food giant hired doormen about two months ago to stand guard at the Thames Street site on Friday and Saturday evenings and said the atmosphere has now greatly improved.
Police said numbers of loutish incidents are down since a dispersal order was introduced before Christmas, around the same time the McDonald's bouncers were hired.
McDonald's spokesman Alison Purves said the company decided to act because youths had been loitering inside and outside the premises and intimidating customers.
She added that the reduction in yobbery since the doormen were introduced proved the 'system was working' and that 50 other restaurants in the chain of 1,250 UK outlets also used bouncers.
Source: The Telegraph
Immigration minister Phil Woolas admitted only a handful of those caught up in the security guard blunders have been removed.
The Security Industry Authority, the body responsible for vetting all bouncers, car clampers and security staff, came under fire in late 2007 when it emerged up to 11,000 illegal immigrants had been cleared to work as security guards.
It included 12 illegal workers approved for security jobs with the Metropolitan Police, including one guarding the Prime Minister's car.
Some 3,000 have since proved their right to be in the UK but of the remaining 7,729 who had their licences revoked, just 35 have been removed, according to figures obtained by the Conservatives.
Shadow home secretary Chris Grayling said: "This sends a terrible message around the world about the willingness, or lack of it, of this Government to police our borders and control the flow of migrant workers into the country.
"They know who these people are, where they were working, and that they are here illegally.
"A year later virtually nothing has been done about it. It's an absolute disgrace, and a clear indicator of just how ineffective the Home Secretary is."
Last November the SIA chief executive Mike Wilson left after only 14 months in the job.
His departure came after it was revealed that 38 temporary staff were cleared for work without the proper clearance.
All cases handled by those workers were reviewed amid fears convicted criminals were given permission to work illegally.
Auditors also found the SIA overspent by £17 million in 2007.
Leaked correspondence revealed Home Secretary Jacqui Smith knew of the problems at the SIA months before they became public.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne added: "This is just another instance of the Government's abject failure to get a grip of illegal immigration.
"Ministers have not grasped that policy must be about delivery rather than mere words."
It is another blow to the Government's reputation in removing those who should not be in the country.
It emerged last November that fewer than a third of the 1,013 foreign prisoners wrongly released without first being considered for deportation have been sent home - two and a half years after the fiasco first broke.
Source: The SIA
Night time inspections to ensure Nottingham and Chesterfield’s city centres’ pubs and clubs are being protected by licensed door supervisors showed 98% compliance with the law.
In Nottingham, Security Industry Authority investigators and Nottingham Police checked 119 door staff working at 29 city centre venues. There was 97.5% compliance, with only three individuals found working without SIA licences – they will be dealt by the police.
In Chesterfield, of the 44 door supervisors at 18 venues inspected by SIA investigators just one was unlicensed, compliance of 98%.
Jackie Munn, an SIA Head of Investigation said: “It is important for the public to know that they are being protected by trained and qualified door staff so this result is reassuring.”
Source: Lincolnshire Echo
Security staff will patrol Lincoln's city centre in a new drive to cut crime and anti-social behaviour.
Six "evening wardens" will take to the streets on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights for the next 20 weeks.
They will also visit fast food outlets, bus stops and taxi ranks. It is hoped their presence will deter criminals and give reassurance to businesses and revellers.
The six have taken a course to qualify as door supervisors and have also been trained in customer service, verbal reasoning and conflict management so they can defuse tense situations before they escalate.
The scheme is being run by the Lincoln Business Improvement Group (Big), which draws its funds from a levy of city centre businesses.
Big's evening economy manager Shaun Barnett said the wardens will fill a gap between police officers, who provide law enforcement, and street pastors who provide caring and friendly assistance to the public.
"We want to give everyone in the city centre a good quality experience by reducing crime and fear of crime in the city," he said.
"Having a team of trained evening wardens fits in with Lincoln Big's strategy for a vibrant evening economy which includes working with venues through the Pub Watch scheme and encourages greater co-operation and communication between police officers, door staff, taxi marshalls and street pastors."
The evening wardens will wear distinctive yellow and blue reflective jackets and headwear and will be supplied with a two-way radio linked to Lincoln's 24-hour CCTV control room.
Source: Litchfield Mercury
Door staff in Cannock have set up a dedicated forum to help revellers enjoy a safer night out in the town centre.
The Security Forum sees door supervisors from licensed premises come together with officers from Cannock Neighbourhood Policing Unit (NPU), the SIA (Security Industry Authority) and Cannock Chase Council.
And under the banner of the forum, supervisors are encouraged to find new ways of cutting down on people who cause problems in bars and clubs, a police spokesman said.
Those who are scrutinised on nights out include under-age drinkers and revellers who secrete alcohol and drugs in their clothing.
A number of passports and driving licenses, carried by under-eighteens but belonging to their elder siblings, have been seized by officers and 'positive action' is taken against those found to be in possession of counterfeit identification.
Bottles of alcohol have also been seized by door supervisors. This has led to staff putting up posters to warn revellers that basic searches may be carried out and identification will be required.
The safety campaign is being spearheaded by Sgt Jason Dorrington, a dedicated officer working in partnership with a host of agencies to support the local night-time economy.
Sgt Dorrington said: "Public safety is at the heart of this initiative.
"This approach aims to aid licensees and business people in setting high standards for the management of their premises and the behaviour of their customers.
"The security forum is just one of the many ways we are supporting local businesses and with their help, making the town an even safer place for people to work and enjoy themselves."
Adrian Phillips, area manager for Contract Leisure Security, added: "The forum is working well and we have a positive working relationship between the forum, police officers and members of the public."
Each door supervisor has also passed the accredited frontline Door Supervisors course and are all registered with the SIA (Security Industry Authority), the national governing body.
Their experience will be supplemented soon by further safety training from Staffordshire Police.
They also now wear fluorescent jackets, funded by the TVCP (Tackling Violent Crime Programme), so they're more easily identifiable in a crowd during busy evenings.
Source: The Express
Two Royal Marines were stopped from having a homecoming pint at their local after returning from the frontline in Afghanistan – when door staff refused to recognise their military ID cards.
Dan Buchanan, 21, and Kelvin Billings, 22, were turned away at the Isambard Kingdom Brunel pub in Portsmouth when doormen said they didn’t look old enough.
They showed the cards – which included their pictures and dates of birth – but managers at the JD Wetherspoon pub insisted they were not an acceptable form of identification.
Lance Corporal Billings said: “It would have been our first pint since getting back.
“We’ve used our Marines ID all over the world and it’s never been turned down before. We’d been back a matter of hours after serving our country for five months. I’m going back for another two months next week.
“I’d seen a fair bit of action and just wanted a pint of Kronenbourg with my best mate. I couldn’t believe it when they wouldn’t let us in.
“I could understand if there were 20 of us trying to get in, but it was just the two of us.
“It’s not like we even look under 18. Both of us have got moustaches and if anything look older than we are.
“Portsmouth only exists because of the armed forces – they’ve been based here for hundreds of years. We keep the pubs in this city going.”
Marine Buchanan added: “A day before I was putting my life on the line for Britain and yet that didn’t count for anything. We were disgusted and angry, to be honest.”
The pair, serving with 42 and 45 Commando in Afghanistan, had both returned to their shared house unaware that the other was also back on leave.
They went to the pub, dressed in civilian clothes, for a quiet beer and catch-up on Saturday evening
But the doorman asked them for ID and rejected the military cards they produced.
Marine Buchanan said: “We couldn’t believe it, we didn’t have any other ID because it’s all still in Afghanistan.”
Portsmouth South Liberal Democrat MP Mike Hancock, who sits on the Commons Defence Committee, said: ‘It’s absolutely appalling.
“These men have put their lives on the line. They had their military ID on them which clearly would have had their pictures on so why on earth weren’t they allowed in?
“Licensed premises are entitled to ask for ID for age-checking purposes but I can’t believe that they could not accept military ID.”
A spokesman for JD Wetherspoon said the company only accepts three forms of ID to combat fraud – a passport, driving licence or UK citizen card.
He said: “We have a really good relationship with the armed forces and welcome them into our pubs.
“In fact, we are currently running a promotion which offers discount to armed forces personnel.
“We apologise if the person was disappointed that he was not allowed in but we only accept a handful of forms of ID.”
Source: The SIA
The SIA has published the first electronic version of its stakeholder publication ‘Update’.
The issue includes an introduction from SIA Chairman, Baroness Ruth Henig as well as articles on licensing and enforcement operations.
Sign up by clicking here
Source: The SIA
Eight door staff have been reported for working illegally, following checks for SIA licences carried out in pubs and clubs in areas of Scotland on Friday 19th January.
SIA investigators and Lothian and Borders Police visited 18 venues in Livingston. Of the 44 door staff checked, 40 were working legally with valid SIA licences. However, four were found to be flouting the law by working without a licence and were reported to the procurator fiscal.
In Wishaw and Motherwell, Strathclyde Police and the SIA went to four premises where 16 door staff were checked. Four door staff in Wishaw found working illegally and they were also reported to the procurator fiscal for working without an SIA licence. The remaining 12 door staff held valid SIA licences.
Christy Hopkins, an SIA Head of Investigation said: "The law is quite clear; it is illegal to work without an SIA licence. In doing so, these operatives not only risk prosecution but put the public at risk."
Sergeant Ian Harkin from Strathclyde Police said: "The success of the operation demonstrates the benefits of working in partnership with the SIA. Strathclyde Police officers are committed to robustly enforcing this area of legislation. The safety of patrons attending licensed premises will continue to be a priority."
Source: Romford Recorder
A racist thug who led monkey chants at a black doorman before slashing his face with a beer bottle has been given what could be a life sentence.
Grant Hayward, 25, screamed racist abuse as he sliced open Abdoulie Secka's face, when the bouncer asked his friends to quieten down in a pub.
He headed a 10-strong mob who chanted a foul volley of racist abuse while pelting Mr Secka, 38, with bottles and glasses.
Hayward has a history of violence and racism, including convictions for common assault when he was aged just 13 and grievous bodily harm three years later for an attack which left his victim brain damaged.
He was convicted on Wednesday of wounding with intent and causing racially aggravated fear or provocation of violence.
Judge Recorder David Anderson said Hayward posed a "high risk of serious harm to the public" and ordered he serve an indeterminate jail term.
Snaresbrook Crown Court heard Hayward targeted Mr Secka after he asked the yob's group to stop shouting and banging on tables at the Colley Rowe Inn, in Collier Row, on March 16, 2007.
The doorman had seen Hayward throw a rolled piece of paper into the cleavage of a girl sitting nearby. But he was confronted with a chorus of monkey noises when he approached the table.
When Mr Secka asked Hayward to leave, the lout responded with a volley of racist abuse and "geed the group up" to do the same before starting the attack.
Mr Secka was punched and kicked and had glasses and bottles thrown at him.The doorman wielded a bar stool in a desperate bid to defend himself, the court heard.
"You had a broken beer bottle in your right hand," the Judge told Hayward.
"You then slashed him with the bottle, first on the lip then on the left cheek before making your escape."
Mr Secka is understood not to have suffered permanent physical injury.
He told the court during the trial: "There was blood everywhere."
Hayward will remain on licence for life if he is released from custody.
January 2009
Source: Liverpool Echo
Two Liverpool bars have won their bid to remove bouncers from their doors.
Albert Dock-based Circo and Raven can now choose when to have door staff on duty after the city council agreed their application to change the condition of their licences.
Merseyside police objected to the decision, which could save the bars hundreds of pounds a night and could lead to similar applications being made by other bars across the city, arguing that door staff act as a deterrent to crime and disorder.
The bars had been ordered to employ bouncers on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
They now have the flexibility of deciding when they are needed.
Both bars are run by Docklands Bars Ltd.
Licensing officer PC Stuart Moore told the hearing the only incident they had recorded was one at Circo in November, and this was a result of door staff being present.
Richard Williams, solicitor acting for Docklands Bars Ltd, said they were not saying there would not be any door staff employed, but asking for “flexibility”.
He said the application was not just financially motivated, but because the operator felt there was no real risk and that they were capable of making the decision as to when door staff were needed.
He said the company director John Ritchie had the experience to make the call to put door staff on.
Mr Ritchie said: “I’m a responsible operator and have been for a long time. The list of incidents over the past 13/14 years in Liverpool I could count on one hand.
“Is that because we have door staff? No. It’s because we take due diligence.”
Circo was described a restaurant bar with circus theme and Raven as an Irish American bar and restaurant.
After the hearing, PC Moore said: “This is the first application we have had to remove door staff and obviously our concerns were noted by the committee in relation to their removal. Each premises or subsequent applications will be dealt with on their own merit.”
Docklands Bars declined to comment after the hearing.
Source: Info4Security
Do you run or manage a security business? If so, you need to look out as punishment for Health and Safety offences may no longer be an expense that you and your business can factor into your running costs. Poppy Williams investigates.
The latest legislation means that breaches of Health and Safety law may threaten your liberty. The Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008 makes imprisonment a reality for most Health and Safety offences. Previously, imprisonment was an option only for offences committed in three limited areas, and was rarely used (an example being the offence of contravening an improvement or prohibition notice). It’s a very different story.
The Act quietly received Royal Assent on 16 October last year, and came into force on 16 January. This Act has progressed relatively unnoticed by the business community despite the potentially serious ramifications for those with any responsibility for Health and Safety at work.
In addition to making imprisonment an option for Health and Safety offences in both the Magistrates and Crown Courts, the Act has raised the maximum fine which may be imposed by the Magistrates Courts to £20,000 for most Health and Safety offences (a significant increase, for example, on the fine for a breach of Health and Safety regulations, which stood at £5,000). It also makes certain offences previously triable only in the Magistrates Court now triable either in the Magistrates or Crown Courts.
The objective behind the Act is to turn up the heat on sentences for Health and Safety offences so that they become a sufficient deterrent, and deal appropriately with individuals committing offences.
Who will be imprisoned?Under Health and Safety law, any individual in the workplace – including employees, management and directors – can be found guilty of Health and Safety offences which, under the new law, will bring with them imprisonment as an option for punishment. The maximum term of imprisonment is two years, which can also be accompanied by an unlimited fine.
Labour MP Keith Hill, who introduced the Act, has said that imprisonment should only be appropriate in the most serious of cases. This is of little comfort given that sentencing is now a matter purely for Magistrates and Judges, who are without precedent and are yet to receive any guidance from the Sentencing Guidelines Council (which will be crucial).
Watch out senior managersHill has said there’ll be a minimal increase in those going to jail as a result of this Act. Don’t be fooled. Given the new focus on the acts and omissions of senior managers in prosecutions brought under the new Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007, it’s likely that the Prosecution will be tempted to send more and more senior managers away at the same time, particularly when public perception plays such an important role in high profile and multiple fatalities.
Simply put: if we cannot ‘get’ individuals for corporate manslaughter, we’ll get them for breaches of Health and Safety.
Innocent until proven guilty?Even more worryingly, the new provisions for imprisonment pose a serious Human Rights issue. Individual defendants facing the possibility of imprisonment will be facing what’s called a ‘reverse burden of proof’.
As the law stands, the Prosecution has to prove very little – with respect to the general Health and Safety offences – before the burden of proof switches to the Defendant to show that he or she fulfilled their duty so far as was reasonably practicable.
While the Courts have already held that the reverse burden is compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights against companies, the question that arises in the context of this Act is whether the addition of imprisonment – as a possible penalty when a person is convicted of an offence to which the reverse burden applies – means that the reverse burden is not in fact compatible in these circumstances.
Unsurprisingly, the Department of Work and Pensions is of the opinion that the Act is compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. This may well be subject to challenges in the Courts in due course.
What should you be doing now?The Act doesn’t impose additional duties upon individuals or businesses – it simply deals with penalties for existing offences. That said, with the stakes being considerably higher, businesses and individuals (particularly those in management) should be ever more concerned to fulfil their Health and Safety obligations. This means ensuring that adequate and effective systems and procedures are in place and, importantly, that they’re being followed.
Individuals – again particularly those in management – will want to make sure that their responsibilities with respect to Health and Safety are clarified and agreed with their employers such that they can be confident they’ll be able to fulfil their individual duties.
Individuals in the firing lineThe focus of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007, and now this legislation, is on the acts and omissions of the individual. This change of emphasis away from solely looking at corporate culpability to blaming the individual within the company is going to literally shock managers and directors who become subject to criminal investigations by the police service and the Health and Safety Executive. The Regulators will be seeking to flex their muscles.
If only for selfish reasons, those in charge of running the organisation ought really to be asking the question: ‘How sure am I that the company is being run safely, and what’s my role in that respect?’ For once, be that ‘doubting Thomas’ and make sure that, so far as you can, the risk assessments, the safe working practices and the training are all in place and being followed. Do that and the emphasis of the new law will turn back to the liability of the company and not yourself.
Poppy Williams is a solicitor from DLA Piper UK LLP specialising in defending Health and Safety and corporate manslaughter prosecutionsTougher Health and Safety Law demands tougher drugs policies
According to Concateno, one of the leading drug testing company, the new Health and Safety Offences Act adds a further incentive to businesses considering the introduction of an effective anti-drugs policy and drug testing in the workplace.
Neil James - head of sales for Concateno’s workplace division - told SMT Online: “Alongside the tougher legislation for corporate manslaughter that has been introduced in recent years, the new Act makes it vital for companies to manage down risks in their businesses, and also to demonstrate that they have undertaken due diligence to indentify and prevent causes of accidents.”
James added: “Employee drug misuse can be a contributory cause of accidents at work, and a company’s management could potentially be held responsible if they haven’t taken sufficient action. Businesses have the ability and responsibility to proactively address this situation.”
To be effective, a company’s drug and alcohol policy needs to include deterrents against the inappropriate use of drugs and alcohol – through education; Employee Assistance Programmes that help employees address their drugs problems through appropriate support and treatment; and through testing (whether pre-employment, at random, or following incidents).
Source: The SIA
Christmas and New Year checks on more than 400 door staff working at pubs, clubs and bars nationwide were carried out under the Security Industry Authority's Operation Cinnamon.
The initiative, which is carried out each year during the festive season, saw investigators working with regional police forces, licensing officers, local authorities and other partners to ensure that only SIA-licensed door staff were employed at licensed premises.
90% of the door staff inspected at the 158 venues held valid SIA licences. A small minority were warned for offences under the Private Security Industry Act 2001 - including: working without a licence (Section 3); breaking licence conditions such as not displaying their licence (Section 9); and deploying unlicensed operatives (Section 5).
Jackie Munn, an SIA Head of Investigation who led Operation Cinnamon, said:
"It is encouraging that there were several areas where compliance was 100 per cent.
Unfortunately, there are still those who think it is acceptable to deploy staff or work without SIA licences, or break licence conditions - this has put them at serious risk of prosecution.
Operation Cinnamon focused on working closely with our partners during the busy festive period and I should like to thank them for their commitment and support.
We will continue our activities to ensure door staff working at licensed premises are properly trained and licensed to promote a safe environment for the public."
| Location | Number of Venues Visited | Number of Door Supervisors Checked | Number of Offences Identified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leicester city centre | 24 | 43 | 100% compliance |
| Northampton | 10 | 27 | 1 x Section 3 1 x Section 9 |
| Preston | 13 | 32 | 1 x Section 3 |
| Stalybridge | 6 | 17 | 2 x Section 3 3 x Section 9 |
| Chester city centre | 33 | 100 | 2 x Section 3 2 x Section 9 |
| Hawick, Gallashields & Kelso (Borders area of Scotland) | 15 | 40 | 9 x Section 3 1 x Section 5 |
| Hartlepool town centre | 17 | 44 | 100% compliance |
| Sale | 6 | 15 | 1 x Section 3 |
| St Helens | 12 | 40 | 1 x Section 3 |
| Pontefract town centre & Ackworth | 8 | 14 | 1 x Section 5 2 x Section 9 3 x Section 3 |
| Blackburn | 9 | 28 | 100% compliance |
| Dalkieth & Musselburgh | 5 | 9 | 8 x Section 3 |
| Total | 158 | 409 | 38 |
Source: Ilkeston Advertiser
Fake ID cards are on the increase in pubs and clubs – and one club in Long Eaton has a dozen handed in every weekend.
Chris Brooks, who is the director of Brookys Ltd, and owns the Factory nightclub in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, and the Factory, Credoes Club, Krush wine bar and Chicagos sports bar in Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire, said it was a nightmare.
He said the worse problem was at Credoes where doormen found 12 fake cards in every weekend.
He said the Factory in Ilkeston also had a problem and found about four every weekend.
“The fakes are getting better and better unfortunately. The latest one is the fake driving licence, or using a siblings ID,” he added.
Doormen at Mr Brooks’ clubs and pubs accepted passports and licences only, and also scanned fingerprints.
The illegal cards are handed into police who may consider prosecuting offenders.
Sgt Mark Lomas, licensing officer for A division, said: “We are seeing many convincing fakes being confiscated from underage drinkers and we urge all retailers to check ID under ultraviolet light.
“A genuine driving licence will feature a department of transport hologram and a passport should feature the correct watermarks and holograms.
“We advise pubs, nightclubs and off licenses to only accept passports, photo driving licences or anything with the PASS hologram as a form of identification.”
Sgt Lomas continued: “If you are underage, do not buy alcohol. It is as simple as that. If you are over 18, don’t be tempted to buy alcohol on behalf of someone who is under 18 as you are committing a criminal offence and could be fined up to £5,000.”
For more information about the legislation surrounding alcohol, please call 0345 123 3333 and ask to speak to someone in the licensing department.
Source: The SIA
The outcome of appeals against licensing decisions are now available on the Security Industry Authority website.
The SIA may refuse a licence or revoke/suspend a licence because of criminality checks, or because of non-conviction information supplied by enforcement partners.
If an applicant disagrees with the actions taken, they can exercise their right of appeal to a Magistrate's Court, Sheriff Court or District Court.
The figures show the outcome of appeals against licensing decisions that were made on the basis of these criteria. Information presented is current as of 31 December 2008.
| Result of Appeal | Total | This Financial Year |
|---|---|---|
| Withdrawn by Appellant | 283 (20%) | 46 (29%) |
| Conceded by the SIA | 268 (18%) | 58 (37%) |
| SIA Decision Upheld | 757 (52%) | 43 (27%) |
| Appeal Upheld | 142 (10%) | 11 (7%) |
| Total | 1,450 (100%) | 158 (100%) |
This information will be updated on a regular basis and is available Here in the ‘Enforcement’ section and Here in the ‘Revoked and Suspended Licences’ section of the website.
Source: BII
Innpacked Training, based in Bournemouth, has won the ‘Door Supervisor Training Award’ in the 2008 BII NITAs, the annual national training awards for the licensed retail industry. BII, the industry’s professional body, has today announced the winners of these prestigious awards which recognise and reward training excellence, via a live broadcast from its website.
The victorious category winners – including Innpacked – will each be presented with their awards and receive the recognition they truly deserve in front of an audience of 1,000 top industry representatives at the BII Annual Lunch at The Grosvenor House, London, in May.
The awards were hotly contested with entrants vying for the category titles from among restaurant groups, pub companies, breweries, supermarkets, convenience stores, colleges, training companies, professional trainers and individual licensees.
Each of the 41 shortlisted entrants has been assessed by a two person judging panel; one an experienced industry practitioner and the other from an academic background. Typically, judges are experts in the licensed retail sector and the field of training and development, and are experienced in the rigorous BII NITA judging process. The process involves close examination of the entrants’ training practice and judges have remarked that, yet again, the standard of entries has been extremely high.
Judges were impressed by Innpacked‘s overall approach to training undertaken as well as the flexibility and accessibility of the approach. They also commented that there is clear evidence of a well developed business model that is attracting demand from a range of public and private sector market groups, locally and nationally.
BII Director of Marketing Sue Medhurst commented: “In this unprecedented economic climate, when purse strings are being squeezed, it’s even more important to commit to staff development so we’re delighted to see so many businesses investing time and money in their training activities. Winning a BII NITA is the ultimate endorsement of training excellence and the impressive response to this year’s NITAs clearly shows the level of commitment to training excellence as businesses see the benefits to both the company and the individuals within it.”
The NITAs are an important mechanism to raise the standards of training across the licensed retail sector and are a tool for companies to benchmark the effectiveness of their training against others in the sector. All shortlisted entrants receive feedback from the judges and this enables them to improve their training offering even further in the future.
Judges will also select a winner for the Supreme Award, which is presented to the person or organisation they consider has done the most to promote the benefits of training across the licensed retail sector, and this will be announced at the BII Annual Lunch in May.
Source: Coventry Telegraph
A gritty film based on the life of a former Coventry bouncer has hit cinema screens across the country.
Clubbed is the film version of the best-selling autobiography Watch My Back by Geoff Thompson, of Binley.
Set in 80s clubland, it tells the story of Danny who started out as a timid factory worker but was catapulted into the violent world of clubs after he was beaten by a gang in a random attack. On the verge of a breakdown, he meets a group of doormen who give him the courage to fight back.
John Gore, Warwick Arts Centre film programmer, said: “I’ve seen Clubbed and really liked it as it’s a very straight, no-nonsense type of film.
“It breathes of authenticity and you can see where it comes from.
“Although Coventry is never mentioned to broaden its appeal, there are definite references to the 2-Tone era so you can tell where Geoff Thompson’s heart is.
“You get a real sense that Clubbed is an autobiography, which although loosely based on his experience, is believable nonetheless.”
The gangster film has been compared to other British releases, including Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Trainspotting.
Clubbed, which runs for 94 minutes, is Thompson’s first feature-length offering after a series of short films.
The certificate 18 film stars Maxine Peake, of the Channel 4 series Shameless, Neil Morrissey of Men Behaving Badly fame and Colin Salmon of Bond films Tomorrow Never Dies and The World Is Not Enough. It was shot in Coventry, Birmingham and London.
Mr Gore added: “We have a developing cottage film industry in the Midlands with young film-makers from the area choosing to stay around to shoot their films.
“I’m not saying the local industry is thriving, but there are sufficient people out there who are making films here and I think they deserve our support.”
Clubbed will be shown at Warwick Arts Centre on Monday, February 2, from 6.30pm and Tuesday, February 3 from 8.30pm.
The screening on February 2 will be followed by a question and answer session with Geoff Thompson.
Mr Thompson has a string of books to his credit and is also a motivational speaker who uses his story to show people they can change their lives.
Source: Info4Security
The British Security Industry Association has hosted the inaugural meeting of its Leisure Industry Security Section, giving a formal voice to the door supervision sector in the UK.
The founding members of the Association’s Leisure Industry Security Section are Phoenix Security (UK), Regency Security Services, Security Specialist Group and UK Security Facilities.
UK Security Facilities’ managing director Tony Clarke has been elected as chairman of the new section and Gary Powers – managing director of Regency Security Services – has been elected vice-chairman.
View from the new chief executive
Explaining why the organisation has made this move, the BSIA’s chief executive John Bates said: “Door supervision is an immensely important area of the private security industry and, since regulation of the sector began, levels of professionalism have heightened considerably. The BSIA is delighted to welcome a number of the leading companies into membership, and we’re looking forward to using our extensive expertise and experience in tackling the issues that face the sector. There’s also an ongoing desire to improve Best Practice.”
Bates added: “An active dialogue with the Security Industry Authority is clearly a priority for the door supervision sector, and the Leisure Industry Security Section is keen to take advantage of our strong relationship with the Regulator. Further liaison with the police and encouraging more new recruits to the sector are also important areas. The BSIA will be working on these issues in order to support this thriving sector that’s so vital to our night-time economy.”
Membership: a key priority
One of the first challenges for the Leisure Industry Security Section is to grow its membership. Companies wishing to join should contact the BSIA’s dedicated Helpline on 0845 389 3889 or e-mail: membership@bsia.co.uk
Source: Liverpool Echo
Door staff working at Liverpool nightclubs face on-the-spot fines if they fail to display their qualifications.
New legislation means doormen employed at the city’s nightspots will be ordered to pay £80 for the breach.
Currently, bouncers must be fully Security Industry Authority (SIA) qualified to do the job.
But there is still a minority who have not signed up to the scheme – and those who flout laws by not visibly displaying the badge.
Police are aware a handful of rogue doormen stuff the emblems in their pockets while on duty.
Members of the public have complained they were unable to identify bouncers involved in fights because they were not displaying their SIA credentials as required by law.
Today, Merseyside police said they welcomed the move, which comes into force on January 28.
Sgt Paul Douglas, of the Liverpool north division, told the ECHO: “We have tried to clamp down in the past but it’s extended our powers in relation to this particular offence.
“When the police come round it’s there for us to see. But when we disappear it goes into the pocket.
“But the vast majority do display it around their necks and they also wear armbands.”
In the last few years the security industry in Liverpool has been tightened up.
Police have targeted cowboy firms in Merseyside involved in serious and alleged organised crime.