FOI release

Monitoring the effectiveness of SIA licensing of door supervisors

Published 26 March 2024

Request

1. Are there any ongoing initiatives or projects (by the SIA solely or in collaboration with relevant stakeholders [such as law enforcement agencies or community organisations]) aimed at enhancing the efficacy of bouncer licensing regulations and addressing concerns regarding serious and/or minor misconducts, particularly in relation to discrimination issues and crimes of sexual nature (such as but not limited to sexual assault) whether or not they were proved to be true?

2. Has the SIA conducted any studies or surveys to assess the effectiveness of bouncer training programmes e.g., (but not limited to or necessarily related) in promoting fair treatment and preventing discrimination in clubs or similar venues?

3. Could you provide information on any recent policy changes or updates made by the SIA in response to feedback or concerns raised regarding bouncer licensing and regulation, particularly if they derive from discrimination issues and crimes of sexual nature (such as but not limited to sexual assault) whether or not they were proved to be true?

Response

I can confirm that the SIA does hold this information. A response to each question has been provided below.

Question 1

All information we receive regarding the conduct of regulated individuals is assessed. Where appropriate, action is taken. This may involve:

• gathering additional information to support our decision processes
• action by our Licence Review team to assess the continuing suitability of a person to hold a licence
• compliance and enforcement actions where offences under the Private Security Industry Act are identified.

Our Compliance and Inspection teams work closely with local authority and police licensing officers, as well as engaging with local Pub Watch schemes and local initiatives aimed at making the night time economy safer for the public.

Question 2

The SIA conducts research into training standards on a regular basis. There is a public consultation process during the development of qualifications, which included the views of 6,000 contributors during the last re-development of the specifications.

In addition, there are regular reviews of the training content. These are discussed quarterly with the awarding organisations that oversee assessment of the qualifications. We also review the training content in other ways: for example, we have just completed research into the efficacy of training, which considers all aspects of the content.

Question 3

SIA licence holders often work in positions of trust and come into direct contact with the public. Individuals with a criminal record involving a sexual offence, or an offence involving child abuse or neglect, may pose a risk to the public, particularly if they could exploit their position to commit further offences.

We therefore give special consideration to applications involving these offences to assess whether the applicant may still pose a public protection risk.

If an applicant has a criminal record including any of these offences, we may ask them to provide further information. We will refuse a licence if we think the applicant may still pose a threat to the public. We will always refuse applications from persons who are currently on a sex offenders register.

Where we receive information that an individual who already holds an SIA licence poses a public protection risk, we use our statutory powers to suspend or revoke their licence.

[Reference: FOI 0491]