SIA launches #SaferNightsOut campaign

The campaign, which kicks off on Monday 17 June, will involve SIA investigators visiting pubs, bars, and clubs in towns and cities across the UK to meet door staff.

The SIA’s focus is to promote safer restraint techniques to door supervisors, whilst encouraging them to report violence or abuse that’s directed towards them.  The SIA will be sharing posters and leaflets on social media throughout June and July under the hashtag #SaferNightsOut.

Ed Bateman, director of partnerships and interventions at the SIA, said, “Since 2016 we’ve recorded ten deaths associated with restraint techniques used by security personnel. This campaign aims to reduce these risks by ensuring that security staff know, and use, the safer restraint techniques mandated in their training. At the same time, we’re aware that security personnel are increasingly facing verbal and physical abuse in the workplace.  It’s not ‘all in a day’s work’ for a door supervisor to return home to their family facially scarred, or otherwise injured.  We want door supervisors to report verbal or physical abuse to the police or to their employers or to us via our website.”

The SIA are starting the campaign by sending every licence holder a copy of their ‘Safer Physical Intervention’ leaflet.  This will be followed up by visits from SIA investigators to venues in 22 towns and cities across the UK.  They will be sharing information on safer restraint, listening to the concerns of security staff, and encouraging all door staff to report violence and abuse against them.

Kevin Young, who manages the SIA’s South East Region Partnerships and Interventions team, is leading the campaign.  He says: “We’re looking forward to meeting door staff and having these important conversations. We’re asking venues and security staff to look out for our #SaferNightsOut messages on social media – and for them to share and engage with our posts while the campaign is running, which is from Monday 17 June to Monday 15 July.”