A day and night venue in Liverpool has become one of the first licensed premises in England and Wales to receive a national policing award for safety.
Available as an on-line self-assessment, Licensing Security & Vulnerability Initiative (Licensing SAVI) brings together all details that licensed premises need to comply with the local police and council licensing. A venue can achieve a star-rating and apply for Licensing SAVI accreditation and an award.
MODO’s Operations Director, Kirsty Clarke, said Licensing SAVI provided a valuable, single source of information to help MODO re-open after lockdown and chart its route back towards being a busy and profitable business. In Concert Square, MODO offers music on each floor as well as a European-style outdoor area. Its 25th anniversary is in 2022.
Kirsty said: “MODO is a hugely popular night-time destination venue and one that is also very busy when the sun shines. MODO has something for everyone and prides itself on its atmosphere and friendly team. Safety and security of our team and customers is of paramount importance to us.
“The self-assessment is a great refresher and opportunity to re-focus on safety, security and training. Running a mixture of venues like we do, it gets busy and it’s easy to become blinkered. Licensing SAVI has helped us focus on areas we do well and where we can make improvements for the benefit of our team and customers.
“The self-assessment has ensured we are confident that we are covered in all the right areas. Specifically, when updating training documents, it allowed us to add some specific topics that we have touched on but not documented before.”
About Licensing SAVI
It was developed at the request of the Home Office by Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (Police CPI), the police company behind such schemes as Secured by Design.
A YouGov survey of 5,050 adults aged 18 to 45 in England and Wales commissioned by Police CPI between August 16 and September 5, found that most, 79pc of adults agreed with the statement that ‘recent publicity around the safety of women and girls has made it more important for licensed premises to improve their safety procedures’.
The research also found support for improved safety in venues greater among women – with 83pc of women wanting improved safety in nightclubs compared to 75pc of men; and 81pc of women wanting safer bars and pubs compared to 70pc of men.
Licensing SAVI was launched to 300 licensed venues across Bradford, Calderdale, Wakefield and Kirklees in West Yorkshire last month as funded by the West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit with the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership.
Licensing SAVI covers responsible drinking, drugs misuse, violent behaviour and safeguarding vulnerable customers; preventing opportunist theft and improving physical security, such as lighting and CCTV. It also covers drink spiking and the injection of drugs into those (usually women) on a night out, which has made national headlines in recent days.
Most measures included in Licensing SAVI can be introduced quickly and at little or no cost, organisers point out. Mark Morgan, Business Manager, Licensing SAVI, is a former Merseyside Police superintendent. He said: “I’m delighted to have worked again with people running bars in Liverpool who I’ve known for many years and know they will try new means of maximising safety at their venues.
“Whilst they have learned new things, I’m also delighted with their feedback from an industry perspective which will help shape the future of Licensing SAVI and ensure it remains a current and meaningful product to the hospitality trade.
“Reflecting on the findings of our recent YouGov survey – any venue displaying their safety accreditation contributes to the perception of safety amongst both customers and staff, so can expect greater footfall and is ultimately good for business.”
Visit https://licensingsavi.com/.
