Over 350 door supervisors inspected during ACPO ‘week of action’

More than 350 door supervisors were inspected during the Association of Chief Police Officers’ (ACPO) ‘week of action’, according to the Security Industry Authority (SIA).

SIA supported police forces and councils nationwide as part of the initiative that focussed on licensing enforcement. The initiative ran from 13 - 21 September.

A total of 110 venues were visited including clubs, pubs and bars, with 362 door supervisors checked. Of those, 357 individuals were working legally by holding a valid SIA licence.

The inspections took place at more than 20 towns and cities covering.

The SIA is looking into five door supervisors who were found working illegally, without an SIA licence. Investigators also issued 15 warnings to security operatives for breaching SIA licence conditions such as failing to notify the SIA of a change of their address and failing to display their licence.

High compliance

John Montague, senior manager partnerships and interventions at the SIA, said: “Supporting our enforcement partners during this worthwhile campaign is pivotal in ensuring that those who work in the private security industry are properly trained, vetted and licensed to do so. This helps to protect the public and allow those that enjoy the night-time economy to feel safe.

“The results show that there is high compliance with the law nationwide, we will continue our efforts to ensure that this is maintained.”

The ‘week of action’ saw test purchase operations and licensing visits. Police also tweeted about tackling alcohol-related incidents. This was enhanced by a ‘tweetathon’ from 10pm on Friday to 5am on Saturday morning, when incidents received on 999 and 101 in the Force’s Control Room were highlighted.

Operational challenges

Chief constable Adrian Lee, who is the ACPO lead on alcohol licensing and harm, said: “I’m delighted that people are now starting to feedback their views about how we might tackle the huge strain that alcohol-related crime and disorder has on the Force.

“Of course our job is to police the streets and keep people safe, and that’s what we want to do; officers in their communities fighting crime rather than being pulled off their beats into town centres every weekend.

“We’re realistic that budget reductions have to be made but the impact of excessive drinking is a stark reminder of the real operational challenges we face.