Police in Sunderland have made their first check of credentials of door staff at licensed premises in Wearside.
This forms part of the summer forcewide initiative ‘The party’s over’ to stop drunkenness, violence and disorder. It comes under Chief Constable Mike Craik’s pledge of total policing, to tackle crime at all levels.
Northumbria Police officers have been working with members of the Security Industry Authority (SIA). Door staff are no longer registered with the local authority but, since December 2004, with the SIA. This accreditation means they have met the stringent tests of the national organisation and are licensed to work in licensed premises anywhere in the UK.
Club check
For the first time in Sunderland, police and SIA visited 34 pubs and clubs in Sunderland to make spot checks on door staff working in licensed premises. Of those checked only one failed to have the correct licence resulting in the licensee being cautioned.
Ultimately licensees can be prosecuted for employing non-licensed staff and may be brought before magistrates, police add.
Chief Inspector Jo Miskimmin, of Sunderland Area Command, said: “This new accreditation scheme is good news for pub-goers and door staff alike. It means door staff are trained to a high standard with improved training and professionalism within the business. We believe this will lead to even stronger links between police and the licensing trade. We already share a great deal of information, particularly with those premises who are members of our Pubwatch schemes, and the work of the SIA will raise standards even higher.”
Police say there are more than 600 door staff employed in pubs and clubs in Sunderland.
