03 Dec SIA Qualifications: An Olympic Hangover
SIA (Security Industry Authority) security officials often walk a fine line between being heroes keeping the public safe from themselves and being muscle bound enforces of violent justice in drinking venues. Has the availability of SIA licenses from the 2012 Olympics tipped this balance towards the latter asks Gavin Stacey
The London 2012 Olympics have left a legacy. Hundreds of sports programmes have sprung up across the country. The government estimated that the games caused a 9.9 billion pound boost to the UK economy (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23370270). A whole generation of children were introduced to British sporting role models and roughly 34,500 people applied for SIA security permits (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16720284). The need for extra security around the time of the Olympics was well documented. As well as the need to have security to work the Olympic venues, establishments around London also called for more security to deal with the sudden influx of visitors. The demand was so large in fact that venues in other parts of the country were facing police intervention due to security personnel leaving for London (http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9586584.Sussex_bouncers_could_quit_to_cash_in_on_London_Olympics/?action=complain&cid=10183446). Once the exciting summer of 2012 ended however; everyone had to go back to their day jobs.
Tom Bowen, the general manager of a pub in London, voiced concerns in interview.
“There is a feeling in the industry at the moment that a number of bouncers that got qualifications for the Olympics have come in to the market without having had as vigorous training or vetting as they should have had. You do hear stories of bouncers who just want a fight getting jobs instead of people who are just trying to keep the peace. It’s hard to say if that’s because of the Olympic jobs but the speculation is there.”
Although not having been discussed in the public forum it seems that there is an issue that could be affecting the public’s safety here. Drunken individuals are potentially in a very vulnerable situation. This makes the revelation that something may be amiss in the security sector a particularly disturbing one. Almost everyone has anecdotal evidence (first-hand or otherwise) of security personnel being overzealous in moments of conflict or abusing the power they have been given on the door to make arbitrary decisions about who should or shouldn’t be allowed in. Whilst these issues may be annoying at the time they are not issues of public safety. What are more concerning are the problems that involve real violence against patrons.
Abbie Hedges, a 22 year old Student studying at the University of East London, has been on the wrong end of a bouncer on a night out and knows how it feels to be treated overly aggressively. The conflict left Abbie with two black eyes and a broken nose.
“It was a Christmas staff party. Everyone was out celebrating. We had just got into a club in Covent Garden, All of us had just got our drinks and next thing I know I was waking up on the floor with a bouncer pressed against my face. My bosses saw me on the floor and tried to drag the bouncer off. My supervisor in particular tried to drag the bouncer off and a couple of the other bouncers grabbed him and beat him up too. I did report it to the police but my story was completely different to the one the club gave when they were asked about it. When my boss complained they turned around and accused my boss of trying to bite one of the bouncers legs. I can only assume that the police and them are quite good friends because before there was a chance to see the CCTV they were incredibly accusatory towards us. They kept trying to push me to say that I was really drunk which was bizarre. They then threatened to arrest me – their excuse was that the bouncer had knocked me over by accident and when he tried to help me up I attacked them.”
Abbie sees this as more of a long standing issue than simply a one off problem however. It becomes apparent that Bouncers reacting badly to potentially volatile situations isn’t the only problem. The way they go about their general business can be causing more problems in the long run. She highlights some systemic problems with the culture of security in nigh time venues going on to say
“I understand that they do need security on the door but having never had any problems with the police and not having been in trouble I’ve had problems with discrimination on the door. There are times where I’ve been with a guy and on the door they’ve just turned around and said “not tonight mate” and made out like they’re drunk when they’re not. It makes people angry and I can see why a lot of people end up getting frustrated with them. They make a lot more trouble than they’re worth. It’s not just a one off. In the past couple of years it’s been a massive problem.”
It becomes apparent then that if a bouncer were to act outside of their professional remit that the consequences can be dangerous and bloody. That is not to say that all bouncers are dangerous individuals waiting for the right opportunity to present itself. As much as many people have anecdotes of a bouncer abusing their power more people frequent places with SIA security without having any issue. Many people have also been helped and protected by these people. For an insider perspective I spoke to a man who works security at a pub in London Bridge. Due to potential privacy issues he has asked to only be referred to as “OZ”. OZ identifies a number of issues with being in the security profession.
“It’s kind of unfair to say that it’s an issue having bouncers who want to get into a fight working security. The nature of the job means that you are likely to get into a physical confrontation at some point. You have to be ready for it. I have accidently punched friends in the face for sneaking up on me before. I didn’t want to hurt him but when you’re working you have to be a little on edge and I just reacted when I realised he was behind me. I don’t come to work looking for a fight but I do come to work pumped enough to handle one.”
When prompted about the licenses from the Olympic summer OZ agreed there might be a problem however.
“I got my license years ago. Long before the Olympics. I had to take a long course and do a bunch of exams. I did do a refresher course in 2012 though. It wasn’t nearly as thorough as the first course. To pass the course you were supposed to do a five day course over a week. A lot of the people who arrived on the first day told the instructor that they were too busy to actually attend all of the days of the course but still needed to pass it. I think they still got the certificate at the end though.”
Although this statement from OZ doesn’t prove that the SIA have become more lax with their training, it does still show a worrying trend in the industry. If training standards have slipped and under qualified or ill-suited individuals have entered the profession then it could potentially pose a risk to the public. Currently this investigation has not proven a link between the 2012 Olympics and an apparent drop in the standards of SIA trained people. All three sources have however alluded to the timeframe being suspect. Tom Bowen stated that there is a feeling in the hospitality industry that many of these problems have emanated from the 2012 Olympics. Abbie noticed a decline in the standards of SIA professionals over the last two years. OZ even said that the courses running around the time of the Olympics did not seem fit for purpose. All of these factors combined do point in the direction of a problem with the 2012 security rush seeming to be at the centre. Whether or not this is the real cause it does seem that enough evidence has emerged for this to be considered a potential issue and looked into further. When asking about this trend and the subject in general the SIA declined to comment.
Listen to the full Abbie Hedges interview here:
