January 28th 2009
More than 400 door supervisors were checked for SIA licences at 158 pubs and clubs in 12 areas during national inspections over Christmas and New Year.
Central Leicester, Hartlepool town centre and Blackburn all had a 100% pass rate and the two areas with the most failures were in Scotland.
Reasons for failures included working without a licence, not displaying a licence and deploying unlicensed doorstaff.
SIA head of investigation who led Operation Cinnamon, Jackie Munn said: ‘It is encouraging that there were several areas where compliance was 100%.’
‘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.’
beSmart offers approved training courses those wanting to get an SIA licence. We also offer physical intervention training for individuals who are already qualified for a licence or who already hold an SIA licence. Please click here.
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January 21st 2009
Door supervisors in Liverpool face an £80 on-the-spot fine if they fail to display their SIA licence.
Currently, doormen must be licensed by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) to do the job. This new legislation will mean doormen employed at the city’s nightspots will be ordered to pay £80 if they are not displaying their licence.
This comes as a result of members of the public complaining that they were unable to identify bouncers involved in fights because they were not displaying their SIA licence as required by law.
Merseyside police have said they welcome this move, which will come into force on January 28.
Sgt Paul Douglas, of the Liverpool north division, said: “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 their pocket.
“But the vast majority do display it around their necks and they also wear armbands.”
The past few years has seen the security industry in Liverpool tighten up. Police have targeted cowboy firms in Merseyside involved in serious and alleged organised crime.
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January 9th 2009
From tomorrow (Saturday 10 January), for a trial period, the SIA’s Contact Centre will be open for calls between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm. The trial will run until Saturday 28 March.
Speaking about the new move, acting chief executive Bernard Herdan said: “We continuously seek to improve the service we provide to our customers. The number of calls to our Contact Centre is continuing to rise, and we’re taking on additional staff there. The Saturday opening trial offers further flexibility for customers. We hope it will also reduce high call volumes on Mondays, allowing us to respond to queries more quickly.”
If the trial proves successful, Saturday opening may be introduced permanently.
Applicants can call the Contact Centre number on 0844 892 1025. Lines are open from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm from Monday to Friday, and from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm on Saturday during the trial period.
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January 7th 2009
The view is that since regulations were made stricter in 2004, night-life in the city is much safer.
Door supervisors now have to enroll on courses before they can become licensed, to get them up to speed on the law, health and safety and drugs awareness.
A spokesperson for the SIA, said the stereotypes of bouncers are no longer.
‘It’s not about the big, burly guy on the door nowadays.’
She adds: ‘It’s moved away from the Hale and Pace, Max and Paddy type to more professional door supervisors who work in tandem with the police and others.’
Paul Cowles, landlord of a pub in Lincoln, said door staff now were much more ‘placid’ because of their training.
He said: ‘They take a bit more lip than they used to, because everybody still thinks they are bouncers and don’t realise they have had to do all these courses.’
The changes since 2004 have led to a rise in the number of people working on the doors nationally, going from around 46,000 in 2004 to more than 121,000 now.
For information on beSmart’s door staff courses please click here.
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