M&B blames SIA for fewer doorstaff

Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) security chief Andrew Nicholls has said that the new doorstaff licensing scheme has led to a shortage of experienced doorstaff in the trade.

Speaking at the Safer Doors Conference in Peterborough, Nicholls said that although the situation with doorstaff was "a hell of a lot better" since the Security Industry Authority (SIA) licensing scheme came in, a shortfall still existed.

He said: "I need a lot more doormen across the whole of our estate but the fact is that we can't get what we need."

Nicholls added: "The licensing scheme did lead to a lack of experienced doormen, which is disappointing. It's one thing to get a badge - it's another to be an experienced doorman."

He also said that rogue firms still operate and M&B had been forced to dismiss a door supervisor without SIA qualifications on one occasion.

Other speakers echoed Nicholls' concerns. Jane Smith from the Working the Doors Lobby Group, which represents doorstaff, said there were about 20,000 unlicensed door supervisors working at the moment.

Smith accused the SIA of not carrying out enough inspections, saying that no inspections had been carried out in her council district.

Legendary strongman Geoff Capes, who has been involved in the security industry for many years, also expressed concern that not enough action was being taken against rogue doorstaff.

Capes, who works as a magistrate, said that not one appeal against a licence being suspended had ever been heard at the court.

SIA head of investigations Poppy Saunders said about 330 licences had been revoked and nearly 200 had been suspended.

Saunders said inspections usually target security companies rather than individual doorstaff. "We try to get a better hit for your licence-fee money," she explained.