How to protect yourself and others: guidance for door supervisors

Guidance produced by the SIA on good practice that can help door supervisors protect the public and keep themselves safe.

From:

Security Industry Authority

We appreciate what a difficult job you do, dealing with members of the public in challenging circumstances and often placing yourselves in harm’s way.

We want to highlight some of the guidance we have produced on good practice to help you continue to protect the public and keep yourself safe.

Protecting yourself and others

The private security industry plays an important role in the protection of the public.

We suggest that you read our advice for security operatives. This includes:

• Guide to safer physical intervention for door supervisors
• Safer physical intervention for door supervisor’s poster
• A guide to safer restraint

You can also read:

• Case study - A fatal restraint

Helping vulnerable people

When working in the night-time economy you have an important role to identify and support people who may be vulnerable.

Look out for signs of vulnerable individuals, who might be:

• under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• alone or receiving unwanted attention
• separated from friends
• lost or isolated
• being followed or threatened
• victims of child exploitation
• under the age of 18
• elderly
• with mental ill-health
• with learning, physical, or a range of invisible disabilities

Report concerns at once to your supervisor or the venue management.

If you are concerned about someone’s ability to get home safely, please consider the following:

• seek the help of street pastors, street marshals or any other active schemes
• call a relative to help in the case of a younger or vulnerable adult
• get a taxi or private hire vehicle for the person concerned (private hire vehicles must be booked through a licensed operator by phone, app or at a booking office; taxis can be hired the same way or hailed in the street or at a taxi rank)
• use ‘safe havens’ or other local initiatives run by organisations such as St John’s Ambulance
• call the police

Well-trained, professional, reliable security is an essential part of a business’s front-line services to customers.

Please continue to fulfil your role to the highest standards. Thank you for your dedication and professionalism in protecting the public.