| Securitas India provides a complete range of security services and solutions to meet client's specific needs during Corporate Events, Entertainment, Product Launches, Fashion Shows, Concerts, Sports Events, Trade Shows & Exhibitions and Annual General Meetings. | |
| Challenges | |
| Backend operations typically involve intelligence gathering, route and alternate route selection, intelligence on exit routes, crowd control, media response, and coordination with government agencies, local law enforcement, fire stations and medical personnel. Liaison with event organizers, communication, security arrangements en route and at the destination, vulnerability and threat, arrangement for specialist equipment and vehicles, hotel and airport check-ins, debugging of meetingplace, counter surveillance, handling of electronic and technical equipment, periodic updating of security environment, crisis management etc. | |
| Planning | |
| Bouncers, Doormen& Floor men Need Training | |
| Nightclub bouncers, doormen & floor men have been known to physically eject obnoxious patrons with such force that they have suffered serious injuries or occasionally a death. It always makes one wonder what led up to this violence and if excessive force was necessary? As a general rule, a bouncer should never lay hands on a nightclub patron, except in self-defence or arrest situation. If you think about it, what other business type has to use bouncers to bodily eject paying customers into the street? | |
| Bouncers | |
| The industry term bouncer presents an image of someone who will physically break up fights and
forcibly eject undesirable patrons. Bouncers are often portrayed in movies as tough, thug-like scrappers who love to fight,
like in the movie "Road House". Many nightclubs foster that image by hiring over-sized, ex-jocks or body-builders
to handle drunken or out of control patrons. Are big burly guys necessary to prevent violence in a nightclub? Many of these
bouncers have little experience and receive no real training. In a crisis, inexperienced bouncers will be forced to rely
on their own common sense and physical instincts to solve a problem, which is a scary concept. The duty of a bouncer is to monitor the crowd to see that everyone behaves and follows the house rules. The goal should be to see that everyone has a good time but within limits. The best bouncers are personable, friendly, and can talk to people without appearing threatening or intimidating. Not all bouncers should be male. The best bouncers don’t bounce anyone, they rather manage people. The mere presence of a well-trained bouncer should remind the patron that their conduct is being monitored. To be effective a bouncer needs professional training on how to manage and control a packed house. Bouncers must watch over the club so it does not get too intense, the crowd too large, and keep a sharp eye out for intoxicated patrons. In a nightclub setting the combination of too much alcohol, testosterone, and machismo can sometimes lead to physical fights over seemingly insignificant issues. |
|
| Job Requirements | |
| The very nature of a bouncer’s job is to be confrontational and serious incidents can develop if mishandled. Before being turned loose into a disagreement between customers, bouncers need to have had training and preferably prior experience. When hiring a bouncer you must look for someone with the proper attitude and demeanour. You don't want someone who is hot-headed or likes to fight. Thorough pre-employment screening is necessary to determine an applicant's suitability for the job. For liability reasons, ex-felons should not be employed or anyone with a history of violence. The physical aspect is only one of the attributes essential for the job. Bouncers need to learn how to approach people in a non-threatening and professional manner. They need to learn about criminal and civil law applicable to use force against another and their power to arrest. Bouncers must also be taught about the limits of their authority and the amount of force that can be lawfully and safely applied. | |
| Use of Force | |
The authority of a bouncer, in most cases, is the same as any ordinary citizen. Bouncers have no special authority to physically eject a customer who merely becomes intoxicated or verbally obnoxious. As an employee of the nightclub, bouncers can only demand that the undesirable customer leave. If the customer refuses to leave, your only legal recourse is to call the police. Sometimes a warning that the police will be called has the same effect causing the customer to depart. The police can remove an unwanted patron and issue a formal trespass warning not to return. In a few states, bouncers may legally use minimal force to remove a trespasser after being duly warned. If the customer returns after receiving this formal warning they are subject to arrest. |
|
| Deadly Restraints | |
| A common liability issue involving bouncers has been the use of restraints and control holds to remove or subdue a patron. Bouncers have used various forms of headlocks and choke holds on disruptive customers and caused serious head and neck injuries, asphyxiation, and even death. Handcuffs have been inappropriately applied and in doing so caused broken arms, dislocated shoulders, and have cut off circulation to hands causing permanent damage. Nightclub patrons have died from positional asphyxiation after being handcuffed from behind and then laid face down on the floor or from other bouncers piling on top. You can't breathe very well in that position especially if the victim is overweight. In most cases the offending bouncers were discovered to have no formal training or experience using handcuffs or control holds and weren’t told about positional asphyxiation. Watching the Worldwide Wrestling Federation or Extreme Fighting on TV is not considered proper training for the use of force for nightclub bouncers or security personnel. |
|
| What’s Needed? | |
| The hospitality industry needs to address these important security issues in their trade journal publications and at trade show seminars. Bouncers and door hosts need to be screened to weed out unsuitable applicants like violent felons. Real training should be provided to all those responsible for crowd control. Bouncers should have at least basic training in laws of arrest, verbal judo, first-aid, and even CPR if they are responsible for monitoring patron conduct and physically ejecting or arresting those who become obnoxious. Popular nightclubs should consider hiring off-duty police officers to work outside the front door to support the bouncers and act as a deterrent. Bouncers should be required to complete written reports and logs of activity where the police were called or a customer was contacted and asked to leave. These reports should be reviewed daily by club management and filed for future use in case a lawsuit is filed against the club. | |
| Death of a Nightclub | |
| Nightclubs and Bars have been forced to close their doors because of their failure to
control assaultive crime on their premises. As security consultants, we often get calls at the eleventh hour to try and salvage
the dangerous reputation of a nightclub. In most cases it’s apparent to us as to what needs to be done to cure the problem,
but generally it’s too late to save the club. The death of a nightclub comes slowly when there have been many telltale
symptoms along the way that were not heeded. For popular nightclubs to operate safely, managers must look beyond the bottom line
to ensure the long-term health of a club. Nightclubs are designed to be hospitable social meeting places but are first and foremost in business to make money. The product being sold is entertainment that’s paid for by selling alcoholic beverages, food services, or by collecting door cover charges. Management determines the intended atmosphere and music format of the club. The venue and music format will determine what demographic group will go to the club. The demographic group and their behavior will determine whether bouncers are necessary to control their conduct. As you can imagine, a nightclub that markets itself to young adults in an effort to become the next hotspot is destined to have a few conduct problems. Clubs ordained as the new hot club begin to lose control when greed replaces reason. Many clubs will promote drink specials such as two-for-one pitchers of beer or oversized margaritas that encourage sales and over indulgence. Some clubs will advertise ladies night specials to attract more female patrons and pack the house. Club managers can dial down the intensity of a club at anytime by modifying the club music format, amount of door charge, limiting the number admitted, adopting stricter dress codes, and altering, or limiting the advertising. |
|
| Formula for Disaster | |
| Nightclub problems arise when there is intentional over-crowding, over-serving of alcohol, failing to ban
minors, admitting and serving obviously intoxicated patrons, and known troublemakers. Other liabilities include failure to
control loitering in the parking lot, failure to establish and enforce reasonable club rules, and an intentional policy not
to call the police when warranted. Poor business decisions can make a club too intense and will place too much responsibility
in the hands of club bouncers to control misconduct. This is a big mistake. Mr.Vikash Verma says, "have seen dozens of nightclubs forced to close down soon after they lost their liquor license or city permits. One day the nightclub is packing the house and enjoying tremendous cash flow. The next day the club is shut down and forced to close its doors. How does this happen overnight? The answer is that it doesn’t. The writing was probably on the wall for some time, but the aggressive club operators failed to heed the warnings". |
|
| State Liquor License | |
| Without a liquor-license, a trendy nightclub cannot survive for long. Liquor licenses are issued by the state liquor control board and are subject to suspension and revocation if certain conditions are not met. The most common condition is simply to comply with the law. That is, don’t sell to minors, don’t sell after-hours, don’t sell to intoxicated persons, and don't sell off-site. Other conditions require the nightclub operator not to run unsafe or unsanitary business and to self-report violent incidents. | |
| Local Permits or Licenses | |
| The city or county usually imposes additional regulations by way of issuing a business license or conditional use permit to operate a nightclub. These regulations are commonly called a business license, a dance permit or a cabaret license, for example. These additional regulations are enforced by the county, city or sometimes by the police or sheriff and are also subject to suspension or revocation. These regulations give the municipality an additional "hammer" to put pressure on a club that utilizes too many police resources. For example, if the police get too many calls for service at a particular club they will issue warnings and/or threaten to revoke the permit or license. Incidents like fights, shootings, drug over-doses, and evidence of over-intoxication will attract the scrutiny of the permit officer. Other issues like alcohol service to a minor and overcrowding the club will also be criticized. | |
| Be a Good Neighbour | |
| Nightclubs usually are not welcome neighbors. From the very first day of posting the notice to obtain a license, there will be protests from the neighbors or from other businesses in the area. Once in business, nightclubs will receive a higher than average number of complaints. Most common are for noise, litter, traffic, loitering, parking problems, graffiti, and area vandalism. It’s important for a nightclub to be a good neighbor, but this becomes slightly difficult when the club operates primarily on weekend nights. In our experience, clubs that fail made little or no effort to maintain good relations with adjacent business operators or residents. Neighborhood groups or other adjacent businesses make formidable enemies at license or permit revocation hearings. | |
| Police as a Partner | |
| The police are a community resource available to all commercial businesses. Nightclubs that fail often have a reputation of not cooperating fully with the police. Club operators believe that if they call the police too frequently their liquor license could be in jeopardy. This is not a correct assumption. Instead, clubs hire bouncers to enforce club rules and attempt to keep order without police intervention. Unfortunately, bouncers are often ill equipped to handle huge nightclub crowds and often do so in an illegal manner (See our web page on Bouncers Need Training). In many cases, bouncers have not called the police in time to prevent a major incident from occurring. These major incidents are often the trigger that sets the license revocation process in motion. Most nightclubs have a critical-intensity period that begins thirty minutes before closing time. As you can imagine, once "last call" is announced a major exodus takes place. Within thirty minutes or less, hundreds of high-spirited club patrons are ushered out into the parking lot or street in their most intoxicated state. If you are going to have a serious melee it will happen at this point. Also, consider the dozens of highly intoxicated drivers hitting the street. In some cities the entire police watch must be pulled from other beats to oversee the close of a popular nightclub. From the police perspective this is an abuse of police resources and creates an unnecessary hazard for the officers. Clubs that fail make little effort to mitigate the impact of closing or invite the police to offer workable solutions. Failed club managers mistakenly believed it was solely the duty of law enforcement to handle crowds on the public streets and not their responsibility. At the club license or permit revocation hearing they are taught otherwise. |
|
| The Complaint Process | |
| The police will begin complaining from day one. Unfortunately, most of the early police warnings are verbal
and may not find their way to upper management. Any police incident reports written will be filed and not automatically provided
to the nightclub. Nightclub managers must periodically request information on reported crime at their club and in the
neighborhood. Most police agencies forward copies of serious incident reports onto the state liquor control board and local
permit officer for documentation purposes. After a while, the police get tired of getting no cooperation from the nightclub
and start documenting every incident. Police agencies that begin to target a problematic nightclub will start sending in
undercover officers looking for underage patrons or evidence of over-serving. The vice-squad may be sent in to conduct
surveillance of the club looking for drug use or sales. The fire marshal will pop in to inspect for over-crowding, blocked fire exits, and expired fire extinguishers. The club will be cited for any and all violations and infractions. Complaints can come from an unhappy neighborhood with great intensity if they are organized. A neighborhood association or tenant group can file numerous complaints as well. Law enforcement will sometimes jump on the bandwagon to support ousting of the offending club for being a drain on police resources. Neighborhood groups have been known to produce live testimony supported by photos and video of disorderly conduct, street fighting, public drunkenness, public urination, street sex, drug use, and reckless driving. |
|
| Revocation Process | |
| Most failed nightclubs received multiple warning letters, fines or suspensions before losing their liquor
license. Based on the warnings, a license or permit revocation should not come as surprise.In our experience, however,
club managers either didn’t believe it would happen or didn’t know how to bring the club under control.
In some cases, club management was just too arrogant and too busy making money to take the warning seriously. They would
rather just pay the fine, again, if caught violating the law. The majority of their efforts went into not getting caught. When the day of reckoning comes either the state liquor control board or local permit officer will order a hearing. Many times the club will receive a license or permit suspension notice pending the outcome of the hearing. At the hearing the police will bring stacks of documentation of the excessive calls for service to the nightclub and about violence associated with the club. Each serious incident will be examined (under a microscope) as evidence of an out-of-control and dangerous club. Often in attendance are neighborhood witnesses testifying about constant fighting, public drunkenness, high speed driving, and about shots being fired near their homes. |
|
| Rest in Peace | |
| "I often get frantic calls at this point to see if I can assist in salvaging their club by adopting an eleventh-hour security plan but it is usually too late. In its defense, the club can only say it was not their fault or spontaneous external events were not within their control. The club will promise anything to the licensing board to get a second chance to cure the problem. But in my experience it is too little, too late. Once the liquor license and operating permits are revoked, the nightclub is dead RIP", quoted Mr. Vikash Verma. The following are the keys to the completion of a perfect security plan in this case: | |
| Security Guards & Officers | |
| Use of Force Continuum | |
| • Security Guards and Officers | |
| Security guards and security officers assigned to an active post may find
themselves in a situation where they are required to take a criminal into custody or defend themselves. A training question
that always arises is how much force is a security officer allowed to use in a tense and potentially dangerous situation? Of course, the answer is: it depends on the situation and how the officer is equipped. For the purpose of this article, assume the security officer is fully equipped with a handgun, PR-24 baton, pepper spray, and handcuffs. Of course, the security officer would have to be properly licensed, hold necessary permits, be fully trained, and only carry legal and authorized weapons. |
|
| • Reasonable Force | |
| Unlike police officers, security officers are not required to ever make an arrest. Most security
officers merely observe and report and call the police if a crime occurs in their presence. However, when a security guard
or security officer needs to take someone into custody for a crime, he or she must use reason and common sense. The law varies
from state-to-state, but generally allows citizens to make an arrest and use reasonable force in doing so. One common definition
of reasonable force is simply not to be excessive, under the circumstances. This means to consider the seriousness of the crime,
the risk of harm for everyone, and the immediacy of the situation. The preference always is to get a law enforcement response to
affect the arrest. For example, a petty shoplifting suspect might respond to the physical presence of the officer, their verbal commands, and should require no more than holding force to make a detention. After verbal commands fail, a violent suspect might require more physical force to subdue and chemical sprays or the baton might be needed for self-defense. The choices and variations are endless. You should always consider the use of force as a measured continuum from no force to deadly force. Choosing just the level of force necessary to overcome the obstacle is usually judged as reasonable. |
|
| • Force Continuum | |
| The concept of a force continuum has been around for years and is still taught at most police academies. The force continuum is broken down into six broad levels. Each level is designed to have an elastic factor as the need for force changes as the situation evolves. It is common for the level of force to go from level two, to level three, and back again in a matter of seconds. | |
| Level One | |
| Officer Presence. The mere presence of a highly visible uniform security officer or marked vehicle is often enough to stop a crime in progress or prevent future crime. Included in officer presence are standing, walking, running, and use of vehicle lights, horn, or speaker. Without saying a word, an alert officer can deter crime or direct criminals away from a property by use of body language and gestures. At this level gestures should be non-threatening and professional. | |
| Level Two | |
| Verbal Communication. Used in combination with a visible presence, the use of the voice can usually achieve the desired results. Words can be whispered, used normally, or shouted to be effective. The content of the message is as important as your demeanor. It’s always best to start out calmly but firmly and non-threateningly. Choice of words and intensity can be increased as necessary or used in short commands in serious situations. The right combination of words in combination with officer presence can de-escalate a tense situation and prevent the need for a physical altercation. Training and experience improve the ability of a security officer to communicate effectively with everyone including the police. | |
| Level Three | |
| Control Holds & Restraints. Certain situations may arise where words alone do not reduce
the aggression. Sometimes security guards and security officers will need to get involved physically. At this level, minimal force
would involve the use of bare hands to guide, hold, and restrain. This does not include offensive moves such as punching, tackling,
and choking. Pain compliance holds could apply here, but only after ordinary holds fail to control an aggressive suspect. A baton or PR-24 can only be used at this level as a self-defense mechanism to block blows or temporarily restrain a suspect. Handcuffs can be used as a restraint device only if the security officer has been trained to do so. Not every suspect needs to be handcuffed. They should only be used on a person who exhibits aggression, poses a real threat or where flight is a real possibility. Handcuffs should not be applied too tightly and should be double-locked when safe to do so. Once a suspect is handcuffed the security officer is responsible to see that they don’t trip or fall. It is also important not to pile on top or place the handcuffed suspect face down on the ground to avoid "positional asphyxiation". Hog-ties should not be used by security officers. |
|
| Level Four | |
| Chemical Agents. Sometimes when the suspect is violent or threatening, more extreme, but non-deadly measures
must be used in defense to bring the suspect under control or affect an arrest. Before moving to level four, it is assumed that
other less physical measures had been tried or were deemed inappropriate. When used by surprise, pepper sprays and tear gas are
excellent distractions, allowing the security officer time to get away, call the police, or subdue the suspect. Contrary to media
advertising, pepper sprays do not have stopping power or cause paralysis. An assailant can still grab you, punch you, stab you,
or shoot you and will definitely be angrier after being sprayed. Also, tear gas may not be effective on the insane, addicts,
intoxicated or hysterical persons. Tear gases (CN, CS, OC) can be hand-held, hand-thrown, or propelled. Security officer's usually only get involved with hand-held canisters containing pepper spray. Pepper spray should not be used to protect property or to enforce business rules. Remember it's a defensive weapon. Pepper sprays need to be directed in the suspect's face for maximum result and not sprayed wildly at groups of people. Even though considered non-deadly, chemical sprays can cause severe reaction and even death to a suspect with medical or allergic condition. Also, pepper sprays have a blinding effect and care must be used that spray victims do not fall down stairs or walk into traffic or operate motor vehicles. |
|
| Level Five | |
| Temporary Incapacitation. To use force under level five means that the situation was so
extreme, violent, and immediate that it was necessary to temporarily incapacitate a suspect prior to arrival of the police.
This includes the use of all methods of non-deadly force beginning with the empty hand up through and including impact tools.
At level five, properly used defensive and offensive moves are allowed under the right circumstances. Choke holds and carotid
neck holds can be used, but at great risk. Although still taught at many police academies, neck compressions are very risky and
used only in extreme situations. Baton blows to the suspect’s head or throat can be deadly and inconsistent without
professional training standards. Temporary incapacitation is used to stop a suspect from injuring you or others long enough to
handcuff and restrain them. Baton blows to soft tissue and certain joint areas are all consistent with professional security
training standards and POST. Stun guns are part of level five, but should not be used by security officers except on special posts and only by those authorized and trained in the use and effects of the device. Stun guns are held-held devices, for example the Air-Tasers which propel charged darts at a suspect. |
|
| Level Six | |
| Deadly Force. When you are in immediate fear of death or great bodily injury at the hands of a perpetrator you are authorized to use deadly force in most states. Check your state laws to be sure. Deadly force can be applied by your hands, impact tools, or with a firearm. There are no rules, other than negligence, for applying deadly force when it’s justified. However, deadly force is the highest standard and must be justified. This force continuum will be considered in the aftermath as a test to see if other alternatives were used first or were more appropriate. For security officers, use of the firearm is the most troublesome because of the range of the bullet. You may be justified is shooting a suspect standing in front of you, but not justified for wounding innocent bystanders two blocks away. Similarly, you may have been justified in shooting a suspect charging at you with a knife, but not justified after he turns to run away. Handguns should never be pulled and brandished as a deterrent or be used as a control tool under level three. | |
| Training is Key | |
| To fully understand the force continuum it must be periodically discussed and reviewed by security supervisors. Practical exercises will help re-enforce the training and cause the reactions to become more appropriate instead of instinctual. In a crisis situation, fear and adrenalin have a way of accelerating the force continuum. Practice and ongoing training exercises will ease the effects of stress and make the safe outcome more predictable. | |
| Self Defence | |
| Tear Gas | |
| Self Defence Tear gas is considered "non-lethal" personal self-defence device. However, chemical sprays have caused death, under certain conditions. Also beware that these items may be illegal in some states and cannot be carried onto airplanes and certain buildings. |
|
| Remember these important tips: | |
|
|
|
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright 2007 G 7 Securitas Group. All Rights Reserved | webmaster@g7securitas.com | Site map | Site Powered by Web Synergy |