Christmas and New Year checks on more than 400 door staff working at pubs, clubs and bars nationwide were carried out under the Security Industry Authority’s Operation Cinnamon.
The initiative, carried out during the festive season, saw investigators working with regional police forces, licensing officers, local authorities and other partners to ensure that only SIA-licensed door staff were employed at licensed premises. Checks ranged from the Midlands, Lancashire and Yorkshire to the Scottish Borders and Musselburgh.
Some 90 per cent of the door staff inspected at the 158 venues held valid SIA licences. What the authority terms a small minority were warned for offences under the Private Security Industry Act 2001 – including: working without a licence (Section 3); breaking licence conditions such as not displaying their licence (Section 9); and deploying unlicensed operatives (Section 5).
What they say
Jackie Munn, an SIA Head of Investigation who led Operation Cinnamon, said: “It is encouraging that there were several areas where compliance was 100 per cent. Unfortunately, there are still those who think it is acceptable to deploy staff or work without SIA licences, or break licence conditions – this has put them at serious risk of prosecution.
“Operation Cinnamon focused on working closely with our partners during the busy festive period and I should like to thank them for their commitment and support.
“We will continue our activities to ensure door staff working at licensed premises are properly trained and licensed to promote a safe environment for the public.”
