Helping inn security

Jackie Annett spends a night on the door and investigates the current issues in pub security

It's a busy Thursday evening in Beckenham, Kent, and I am working alongside the doorstaff at theme bar O'Neill's to see what life is like on the front line.

Twenty-nine-year-old Chris Bullock has manned the door at O'Neill's in Beckenham for the past 18 months, while his colleague Besam Sadaku has worked at the pub for a couple of months.

Both are friendly and professional, fully trained in health and safety, first aid and the relevant law and hold the Door Supervisor Licensed Training Certificate awarded by Dartford council.

Along with the pub's manager, Declan Duffy, they have agreed to let me join them on the door for the night to see just what the job involves.

As I assume my position as doorwoman, the first thing I notice is that Chris and Besam's main priority is to greet customers and give them a friendly reception.

They both smile pleasantly while taking it in turns to open the doors for customers and their personalities are a million miles away from the stereotypical "bouncer" portrayed in the media over the years.

It is a Thursday so things are calmer and quieter than they would be at the weekend, but the first problem arises when four young-looking youths try to enter the pub.

They are swiftly turned away by a polite but commanding Chris.

After they have departed, Chris tells me that this is one of the most common reasons for turning customers away.

"We've had to turn away about 12 people already tonight for being underage. It's over-21s in here anyway," he said.

"Sometimes it's hard to tell if someone is underage but it's something that you pick up as you go along. If we have any doubts we ask them for proof-of-age cards or a passport or other identification."

The rest of the evening passes without any major problems or incidents so I take the time to ask Chris about his previous experiences in the job.

Although he has not really been put through his paces on this night, his training has had to be called upon in the past.

A few months ago an argument that started at the bar escalated into a brawl outside. Chris told me that, although the man involved became aggressive, the doorstaff were able to control the situation by calling on their training and eventually the man was restrained and calmed down.

In most cases such situations can, according to Chris, be avoided altogether.

"This is by far one of the best pubs in the area and it has the least problems," Chris insisted. "We tend to throw people out if they are very drunk before any trouble can start. There are about 25 or 30 people who are barred at the minute, mainly for drunkenness.

"We are taught a lot about eye-contact and body language during our training. Usually you can see a situation coming before it happens. We are also told to talk to customers rather than resort to violence."

But it's not just alcohol that can fuel tempers.

Chris told me that although the doorstaff do not routinely search people for drugs, as they do in some late night bars and clubs in central London, the team watches people carefully for tell-tale signs of drug use or dealing.

"There's not a problem with drugs in here, but I've worked at pubs that have had problems before and part of our training is how to spot drug-users or dealers," he said.

Manager of the pub Declan Duffy described Chris and his team as playing a vital role in ensuring the pub is kept trouble free.

"Chris and Besam are extremely important," he said.

"They are the first point of contact for the customers so they have to be friendly and non-threatening, but they also have to be visible so that people know they are there. And they have to be aware of what's going on at all times."

But the job does come with a health warning.

When 25-year-old doorman Waheed Ali died at work earlier this month in Yorkshire, it wasn't the first time that a doorman in this country has suffered such a tragic end in the line of duty.

He was working at a club in Halifax when he was attacked and is one of a number of doormen and women who have lost their lives while trying to prevent a drink-fuelled fight.

Doorstaff do encounter violence as part of their job and they need to know how to defuse situations, which is why training has become paramount. A minority of unsavoury doorstaff have also given the industry a bad reputation for violence in the past.

As a result, trade leaders and the Government have been battling to implement a law that will change the face of the security industry by insisting that all doormen and women are trained to a nationally recognised standard.

The Private Security Industry Act 2001 should come into force in England and Wales within the next two years and will mean that all doorstaff are vetted for any criminal record and checked to make sure that they are registered with the local authority.

Among other things, it should mean that all doorstaff know how to deal with violent and drunk customers, hopefully reducing the number of incidents at late night venues.

Andy Walker, door security expert and adviser to the Home Office, said that the new legislation would ensure all doorstaff were trained to the same standard as Chris and Besam.

"We need to make sure that, like Chris and Besam, all doorstaff are trained in health, safety and first aid and are aware of the relevant laws," he said.

"There are a lot of successful schemes throughout England and Wales already. The new law will simply ensure that those schemes that aren't up to scratch are brought up to the same standard so that we see a national reduction of crime and offences involving violence and drugs."

The Private Security Industry Act 2001​

This Act will come into force in the next two years and should:

• secure and maintain a degree of legal control over door supervisors
• reduce customer complaints about door supervisors
• improve the safety of customers
• reduce incidents of violent and disorderly behaviour in and around pubs and other licensed premises
• promote better relations between police and door supervisors
• reduce the high rates of assaults on customers by door supervisors
• deter door supervisors from acting aggressively or illegally
• reduce underage drinking and drug abuse in licensed premises
• enhance the status of door supervisors
• ensure that doorstaff are nationally recognised and can work anywhere across the country
• force licensees who don't comply to pay a £5,000 fine and serve a six-month prison sentence.

A guide entitled "Safer Doors" is available to licensees and doorstaff. It explains what doorstaff should be trained in and is available from Andy Walker on 07050 605750.