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Keep quango that licenses door staff, say bar and club owners
BAR and nightclub owners in South Yorkshire have called for a quango which licenses door staff to be protected from the axe after rogue security workers were found operating illegally.
The Security Industry Authority, which vets nightclub bouncers and security guards, has carried out a series of spot checks on premises in Sheffield, Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham.
Officers revealed yesterday that two security staff were found operating illegally in Rotherham, and added there was "cause for concern" over venues in Sheffield and Barnsley.
The SIA was recently named as one of 170 quangos, many of which were set up by the previous Labour government, which face the axe under new plans to cut the public deficit.
But last night trade body Noctis, which represents bars and nightclubs in the region, said abolition of the SIA could signal a return to the bad practice which once dogged the industry.
Executive director Paul Smith said Noctis members included Brook Leisure, which owns Sheffield superclub Embrace and Doncaster's Trilogy, and national nightclub giant Luminar.
Mr Smith said members were supportive of SIA checks on their premises and wanted to ensure that the work continued, despite the fees charged by the authority for licences.
He added: "To venues undoubtedly there is an additional cost of licensing, but before the SIA there was a perception, and in some cases a reality, of illegality of operations.
"The establishment of the SIA has helped to legitimise the industry and made the whole sector more professional. We are very supportive of that skill and professionalism.
"It is vitally important that we have registered door staff because we have seen significant improvements in the last five to 10 years and our members are worried that could be reversed.
"I am pretty fearful that we will return to the darker days of the industry unless a register is maintained, either by the SIA or by some other means, and that would be a shame."
The Rotherham security staff were caught out during an operation carried out by SIA staff last Thursday. Random inspections took place at 69 premises and 227 staff were checked.
Those found without a licence face a maximum of six months in prison, a fine of 5,000 or both. Premises owners can also be prosecuted for employing unlicensed staff.
Speaking about the operation, the SIA's head of investigation Nigel Davies said: "It is reassuring that levels of compliance remain high. However, it is also of concern that a small number of individuals remain, who believe that they can flout the law and work unlicensed.
"We will continue to undertake these random compliance inspections and will take action against anyone found offending."
The SIA was set up as a result of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 and its officials say it is now largely self-funded through the charges its levies for its licences and other work.
Government officials have refused to confirm that the authority is under threat, but a memo leaked from the department last week appeared to show that its future was in doubt.
A Home Office spokesman said: "The Government is committed to making substantial reforms of its public bodies to increase accountability and reduce their number and cost.
"All departments are working with the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury to assess our public bodies and ensure they perform an essential role which has to be carried out by Government and cannot be provided more efficiently elsewhere.
"No final decision has been made and we expect to make an announcement in due course."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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