NewsJanuary 70
New laws to protect door supervisors & revellers
02/06/2011
New laws mean door supervisors will now have to be trained on how to restrain and eject revellers from pubs and clubs.
Having to deal with revellers who have had one too many is nothing new for door staff up and down the country.
But a series of high profile deaths and injuries to people being kicked out of pubs and clubs has led to new rules being introduced to protect everyone involved.
Door supervisors already have to be registered with the Security Industry Authority (SIA), in a bid to regulate those who supervise doors.
Now, anyone wanting to enter the trade for the first time will have to take part in mandatory training on physical intervention techniques like safe restraint and ejection.
Steve Howe is director of Phoenix Security, the region's largest and longest established door supervision organisation.
It provides staff to nearly 80 bars, pubs, clubs and hotels in Newcastle and North Tyneside and just last week became the first to issue its door supervisors with headcams.
A poll of door supervisors by the SIA found 54% had been attacked at some point in their career rising to 94% in individuals with five years' service or more.
The organisation is aware of at least 10 people who have died after being ejected from venues since 2003 although it accepts there is anecdotal evidence the real number "could be higher".
The Home Office is now consulting on measures to extend the new training to all existing door supervisors with compulsory top-up training every two years. A decision is expected over the summer.