Brown calls time on young drinkers

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Title – Brown calls time on young drinkers
Source – Metro
Date – 22nd November 2007

Alcohol related anti-social behaviour has now reached the highest level of the political agenda and Prime Minister Gordon Brown is himself calling for action to be taken against those that flaunt the law within the licensed retail sector.

But report after report demonstrates the uphill battle faced especially my small retailers from gangs, youths and repeat offenders. Sitting in the house of commons and using the sound bites to win political favour is one thing and no one would argue that the sentiment is correct, but where they take action on one front they have to also take action on the other and start dealing with the other causes of anti social behaviour and the violence and aggression faced by independent retailers on a daily basis.

Once again it seems like the government is intent on punishment without really examining the problems faced every day and in many cases the reluctance of the authorities or their inability to deal with the root causes. Many retailers feel that they have been abandoned on the front line of social conflict as they are terrorised by youths. Often the easiest and safest solution is to sell to underage children rather then face violence from gangs and individuals. They feel the support is simply not available, when they report crime it is not dealt with as a priority or sometimes it is simply becomes a statistic, which for the victim makes the point of reporting it in the first place a waste of time.


Training is one way not only of empowering staff, but also of teaching them vital knowledge to enable them to better understand their responsibilities. In the case of our Conflict Management and Resolution courses or Physical Intervention courses, it trains them to be in a better position to protect themselves in the case of aggression or physical violence. Our approach is to concentrate on reducing the threat rather then teaching self defence techniques, prevention being better then the cure. However when the situation does get out of hand staff need to be able to remove themselves from the situation and call for help. Our low impact personal safety techniques provide the basic skills to achieve this.



Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk

Ambulance calls are up 12% since 24-hour drinking

Title – Ambulance calls are up 12% since 24-hour drinking
Source – London Lite
Date – 22nd November 2007

There are growing concerns as alcohol related emergency calls are on the rise across the country. Much is attributed to binge drinkers needing or requesting hospital treatment and calling for an ambulance.

Certainly those working within the licensed retail sector or as door supervisors have a responsibility to look after their customers wellbeing and no ambulance crew will discriminate against someone who genuinely needs their help, but this is a service that is stretched at the best of times and they need to be able to respond quickly when they are really needed. This capability is radically reduced if they are continuously called to help people who have drunk too much and more importantly who have been allowed to drink too much, to the point where they require medical assistance.

Nobody wants to get to the point where staff are afraid to call for help when they actually need it for fear of a venue getting a bad reputation and nobody wants to reopen the discussions on 'paid policing' or in the case of the ambulance service 'a paid response', but it is a real possibility if the escalation in emergency call-outs continues.

Before this occurs the licensed retail sector needs to get its house in order and realise that the greed that sometimes creeps into businesses, where people serve that one last drink to someone who is already intoxicated needs to be addressed. Anyone works in the sector knows that the tiny profit this action generates is far outweighed, in the long run, by additional cost in security and loss of trade from those sensible drinkers and customers who simply don’t want to be bumped into, disturbed and harassed by drunks.

The key to resolving these problems is that the licensed retail sector acts more responsibly. To achieve this the staff within a premises need to work more closely together, managers need to stop asserting pressure on staff to sell to anyone without consideration and need to start training staff regarding their responsibilities under the Licensing Act 2003. Training for all staff needs to be effective and comprehensive, in order for the licensed retail trade to play an active part in reducing emergency calls and ultimately your staff costs through reduction of conflict and first aid situations.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk

Underage alcohol sales rising

Title – Underage alcohol sales rising
Source – London Lite
Date – 22nd November 2007

With headlines like this it is not surprising that the licensed retail sector can expect further legislation in the near future as the subject of alcohol sales climbs further and further up the political agenda.

Statistics are however easily manipulated and without quantifying the source it is reasonable to suggest that the figure of 26.8% of licensed retailers selling to underage drinkers does not represent a cross section of the licensed retail trade, but rather a selected number of outlets targeted by Trading Standards. The very fact that trading standards carried out the test purchase is very often as a result of intelligence received and targets retailers who have a history or where there is intelligence indicating the selling of alcohol irresponsibly.

It is also a fair assumption to suggest that in regard to retailers who sell larger quantities of alcohol such as supermarkets, they were not fairly represented by these figures as their systems are far more robust and the amount of alcohol they sell is considerably larger then small independents, who tend to fall foul of these types of test purchasing schemes.

So although we can assume that within the entire licensed retail trade the figures are not as high as one in four flouting the law, if you work within the trade you should still take heed of this report and tighten up your own systems, before trading standards come to your outlet and test your staff.

The important aspect to note is that they are not testing you as an individuals they are testing your staff and your systems and the personal license holder needs to ensure that they have provided adequate training to all staff, to fulfil their responsibilities under the Licensing Act 2003.

We provide a comprehensive portfolio of BIIAB accredited licensing retail sector courses including the Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR), National Certificate for Personal License Holders (NCPLH), National Certificate for Designated Premises Supervisors (NCDPS), National Licensees Certificate - Drugs Awareness (NCLDA), Professional Barpersons Qualification (PBQ) as well as the Award in Conflict Management (ACM). We can also help you with consultancy projects that can examine your business and help you become more profitable. We examine those systems in place that require change and strengthen those that may have slipped. Many managers end up being so close to their businesses that they simply can’t see the problems staring them in the face, we can all identify with that situation; but the brave ones ask for help to see them and realise the rewards.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk

Parents ‘to blame’ for teens binge drinking

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Title – Parents ‘to blame’ for teens binge drinking
Source – Metro
Date – 20th November 2007

For once the government blame someone else but the licensed retail trade for underage drinking and look to the root cause rather then blaming a trade who in the most part are fighting to maintain order in society by acting responsibly in their alcohol sales. How licensed retailers are expected to have any influence over sales to adults, who then pass on alcohol and cigarettes to their children, is an impossible question to answer.

However that does not mean that licensed retailers can wash their hands of the problem and knowingly selling alcohol that is destined for an underage drinker, irrespective of how old the purchaser is, remains an offence under the licensing act and you can and will be prosecuted if caught.


Having a good understanding of the Licensing Act 2003 is the responsibility of all employers within the trade and you must ensure that your staff are equally knowledgeable and competent, otherwise it is your business that will suffer and the employees and personal license holder who authorises these sales will be held culpable.



Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk

5000 illegal workers in security

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Title – 5000 illegal workers in security
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 12th November 2007

Much has been made of blunders at the Home Office in the past few years and this time it is the Security Industry Authorities’ turn to become a political tennis ball. All the major parties have been jostling for position and any chance they get, the boot gets put in and the headline writers have a field day.

If the figures being banded about are correct then the industry does have a problem, but not one of its own making. Training organisations are not employers and it is not our role to vet employees, but it is the role of individual employers to do so. The SIA is tightening its identity requirements for persons applying for a license, but ultimately the responsibility to ensure that staff employed are eligible to work in this country and have the right accreditation falls squarely with the employer.

An SIA license does not automatically mean an employee has the right to work in the UK. Normal pre-employment checks still need to be carried out, including eligibility of an employee to work in the UK.

One outcome of this revision is that there may soon be somewhere in the region of 5000 less licensed security staff eligible to work in the UK, this in an industry already suffering some staff shortages following the introduction of the licensing process three years ago.

The SIA introduced licensing for security staff to clean up an industry that suffered a terrible reputation, it has succeeded in parts, but there is a long way to go. It will take more then three years to professionalise an industry riddled with unprofessional and criminal influences going back generations and incidents like this one will not be isolated. The key for those responsible employers working within the industry and running professional and efficient operations is to continue to work with the SIA and authorities to clean up failures when they occur and not just spend time talking about them as our politicians sometimes tend to favour.
At Beyond The Blue we run courses in the National Certificate for Door Supervisors (NCDS), these allow individuals passing the examinations and who have suitable documented identification to apply for a Door Supervisors License. The advantage of this course is that it allows the holder of the license to work in the licensed retail sector (bars, clubs, pubs, hotels etc) as well as more traditional security guarding roles. This is not the case for those obtaining a security guarding license which restricts them from working in the licensed retail sector.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk

Women drinkers are fit to burst

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Title – Women drinkers are fit to burst
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 9th November 2007

Few people can any longer be in any doubt as to the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption, it sometimes seems like a new danger is printed in the newspapers on a daily basis.

Even if the long term damage to health is well known the short term dangers such as ruptured bladders are often ignored.

Just as responsible alcohol retailers are all too aware the social disorder created by excessive alcohol consumption or 'Binge drinking' as well as the huge cost to the tax payer from the health problems it can cause, they should also be aware how high up the political agenda this subject has now reached.

The time has come for the industry as a whole to take the lead on this matter, before the government legislates on it and the industries costs spiral as a result.

The first step is staff training. The industry already has a portfolio of staff training courses through the BIIAB and Beyond The Blue is accredited to administer these courses. These include: The Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR), National Certificate for Personal License Holders (NCPLH), National Certificate for Designated Premises Supervisors (NCDPS), National Licensees Certificate - Drugs Awareness (NCLDA), Professional Barpersons Qualification (PBQ) as well as the Award in Conflict Management (ACM). The advantage of these courses apart from the skills they provide you and your staff with is that they provide you with a defence of due diligence if things do go wrong.
We can also help you with consultancy projects that can examine your business and help you become more profitable. We examine those systems in place that require change and strengthen those that may have slipped. Many managers end up being so close to their businesses that they simply can’t see the problems staring them in the face, we can all identify with that situation; but the brave ones ask for help to see them and realise the rewards.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk

500 Pubs adopt 24-hour drinking

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Title – 500 Pubs adopt 24-hour drinking
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 8th November 2007

Statistics don’t lie, they can be manipulated and distorted to suit the needs of those trumpeting their cause for one reason or another, but ultimately if they were to be presented accurately then it would be much more difficult for those bold statements to be made simply to serve a particular purpose.

“…hold Britain’s pubs, bars and off-licenses to account for the nations binge drinking culture…” seems very convenient excuse for the very many factors that lead to alcohol related problems. Rather than deal with the actual problem, society as a whole is being curtailed and the vast majority who enjoy consuming alcohol responsibly are being targeted. How different really is it from saying that burglary is on the rise; burglary predominantly takes place at night; so there should be a restriction on how late we are all allowed to walk the streets at night?

Certainly the licensed retail sector can do more, training staff and enforcing responsible alcohol retailing strategies is a start, but the more of a barrage they are put under the more they will dig their heels in. Maybe reward for responsible alcohol retailers is the answer? Why should the local licensee in a village pub and their customers who have had no alcohol related incidents, no binge drink related problems, who provide customers with all the information they need to make positive decisions and who have an effective policy of zero tolerance towards drug and alcohol related crime, be treated the same as a rogue retailer who ignores the rules of law and of the industry, where trouble erupts on a weekly basis and whose drunken customers cause disturbance to the local population, put children in danger or ignore (or worse promote) a drug and binge drinking culture?

Is our society and government that one dimensional that they can not deal with industry players on an individual basis rewarding the good and restricting the bad? Why should the good retailers not open until 2am and the bad one close at 10pm?

So let’s look at the real problem and how these statistics might be read by someone who does not have a political axe to grind and who would not say black is white if they thought it would contradict what the other party has said. There are 460 pubs in the country that have 24-hour licenses. Being generous, each one might have an average capacity of 200, so in total 10,000 people will be able to be drinking at any one time 24-hours a day assuming they are so popular that they are at capacity 24 hours a day…. There are somewhere in the region of 56-58 million people in the UK. That to me suggests that just under 0.02% of the population is drinking 24 hours a day or binge drinking (as the opening hours are one of the main reasons some politicians give for our binge drinking culture). This is of course assuming that the 460 pubs with 24-hour licenses are actually using them every day, rather than just using them for a few extra hours here and there and for special occasions…. I would be really very grateful to know where these 24-hour pubs are, as I have yet to come across one, maybe you can email me and let me know and I will don my stab proof vest and pay you a visit.
Do you feel my analysis is a little flippant? If you think yes then you are right, it is, but do you think it is any more flippant then the reporting in much of the media or the points scoring by 'our' politicians in the House of Commons who seem only to have one solution, prohibition. Did history teach us nothing?

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk

Pub smoke campaigner fined £500

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Title – Pub smoke campaigner fined £500
Source – Metro
Date – 6th November 2007

In everyone's lifetime laws change and this change alters the status quo for those affected, but all too soon we accept changes and wonder how we ever put up with things the way they were before.

Who would ever accept someone lighting up a cigarette on a tube platform in London or on a transatlantic flight? Yet it was only in 1987 that the Kings Cross fire that killed 31 and resulted in enforcement of the smoking ban throughout the London Underground and only since the 1990’s since smoking was banned on all flights. How long will it be before not smoking in pubs and restaurants will be entirely normal to all of us?

Those who oppose the ban are fighting a loosing battle as are their businesses. Protest is the right of everyone in our society, but not when it involves breaking the law.

Surely no one can be in any doubt who the winners and losers are in the retail licensed sector, following the ban. Those outlets that embraced the ban as an opportunity, have been rewarded in the most part with success. In many cases they have increased trade by simply providing suitable facilities to accommodate smokers and benefiting from the smoke free environment by increasing sales on their improved food offering as well as making their venue more accommodating to a wider audience, specifically female friendly.

At Beyond The Blue we provide a comprehensive portfolio of BIIAB accredited licensed retail sector courses including the Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR), National Certificate for Personal License Holders (NCPLH), National Certificate for Designated Premises Supervisors (NCDPS), National Licensees Certificate - Drugs Awareness (NCLDA), Professional Barpersons Qualification (PBQ) as well as the Award in Conflict Management (ACM).

We can also help you with consultancy projects that can examine your business and help you become more profitable. We examine those systems in place that require change and strengthen those that may have slipped. Many managers end up being so close to their businesses that they simply can’t see the problems staring them in the face, we can all identify with that situation; but the brave ones ask for help to see them and realise the rewards.

If the smoking ban has hurt your business, it is never too late to embrace the opportunities it provided and to re-claim your old customers from your competitor.



Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk

Stamping out staff assaults

Title – Stamping out staff assaults
Source – Metro
Date – 6th November 2007

Assaults on staff in any workplace in unacceptable and all employers have a duty to work with the authorities to reduce and minimise the risks to their staff. As quoted by Chief Constable Ian Johnson “staff assault….. is not an occupational hazard” in no working environment should any employer accept any level of staff assault.

Although police involvement can be part of the solution, it has to be in conjunction with effective in-house measures looking at the working environment, protective equipment and most importantly staff training.

We offer Conflict Management and Resolution courses and Physical Intervention courses specifically designed to suit the working environment of the client. Through a Training Needs Analysis we evaluate the training needs and provide training solutions. Through our consulting service we can help you devise solutions to your workplace violence problems and reduce their incidence.



Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk