Beyond The Blue Training & Consultancy

‘There is only one thing worse than training someone and having them leave; that is not training someone and having them stay’

Our focus is on how we can change attitudes and views to ensure that clients gain an effective advantage. We provide them with skills, knowledge, confidence and perspective to help them manage in a more positive and professional manner.

Thursday 17 December 2009

Parents who let children drink ‘fuel binge drinking’


Does it really take the chief medical officer to tell us that children who are exposed to heavy drinking and ‘drink-fuelled events’ at an early age are more likely to become binge drinkers?


The other revelation that seems to me to be relatively obvious, is that children of parents who drink sensibly and who talk to their children about alcohol, are more likely to grow up drinking sensibly…


I don’t mean to sound flippant and realise that there are significant problems in our society in relation to alcohol consumption; but it does raise the question, what is the actual source of the problem?


In fact maybe the only interesting point in this report, is that the children of parents who abstain completely from drinking are also in the ‘high risk’ group; presumably yet another demonstration the prohibition doesn’t work. I am not suggesting that parents who choose to abstain suddenly take up drinking, but rather that they need to be informed that it is even more important for them to talk to their children and not only preach abstention at them.


But it is certainly not for me in this forum to discuss parenting; that will start a whole argument I don’t want to get into.


Rather this article is of interest because of the renewed call for a minimum price per unit and the emphasis that much of the solution to the problems of alcohol related crime, binge drinking and underage drinking lies with parents and not just retailers.


I have a feeling that ‘minimum pricing’ will once again come to the fore after the general election, there seems to be clear political will which is only currently suppressed because of the votes which would be lost by anyone advocating it prior to an election. It is however just the kind of policy which would be introduced at the start of a new term in order for it to be accepted before any subsequent election.


One of the points the drinks industry might like to consider is that there are two ways this can be introduced; the first is as a simple minimum price per unit, where volumes would fall but some compensation would come through the increase in margins; the second is that the price per unit is introduced as taxation, which would be a hammer-blow for the sector and would undoubtedly lead to another spike in closures and job losses.


At Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for people working in the Licensed Retail Sector to help them sell alcohol more responsibly. These include; The Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR) designed for front-line staff to help them meet their statutory requirements; The National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) which qualifies candidates to apply for their personal licence; Our Conflict Management and Resolution course compliments these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and alcohol related disorder.


Please visit our website at http://www.btbl.co.uk/.


For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.


To view the original article please Click Here
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 17th December 2009

Tuesday 8 December 2009

Wine-tasting club is the toast of top independent girls’ school

I realise that a wine-tasting club is very much the exception in schools rather than the rule and requires the ‘right environment’ to be effective. However no effort which is made to educate young people about alcohol should be dismissed; after all any scheme which has a positive impact on consumption of alcohol by young people must be a positive step.


The question is how do you take this example and make it available to a wider audience in a format which makes sense to them?


This is a question for government and schools, but there can be no doubt that education at an early age is one element in the fight to prevent binge drinking in young people; delivering a positive non condescending message is critical.


If we ignore the detail of the approach which this girls’ school can take and look at the principle behind it, this is what will ultimately help develop ‘similar’ educational programmes.


The message of this programme is not a negative one that everything associated with alcohol is bad, but rather a sensible drinking message. Alcohol is an interregnal part of the adult social scene and young people cannot be protected from exposure to it until their 18th birthday.


It is rightly illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to purchase alcohol but parents and teachers must educate young people with a positive message so that the attraction of turning 18 is the prospect of ‘enjoying a drink’ and not of ‘getting drunk’.


We run a number of courses for young people including the Award in Alcohol Awareness (AAA) designed to educate young people about alcohol.


At Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for people working in the Licensed Retail Sector to help them sell alcohol more responsibly. These include; The Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR) designed for front-line staff to help them meet their statutory requirements; The National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) which qualifies candidates to apply for their personal licence; Our Conflict Management and Resolution course compliments these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and alcohol related disorder.


Please visit our website at http://www.btbl.co.uk/.


For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.


To view the original article please Click Here
Source – Independent
Date – 8th December 2009

Monday 23 November 2009

Student unions turn to gyms and juice bars in today’s sobering times




To view the original article Click Here


Title – Student unions turn to gyms and juice bars in today’s sobering times
Source – The Times
Date – 23rd November 2009

That students habits and spending power are changing will come as no surprise to anyone working in this sector. As this article points out, the reasons are a combination of tuition fees, student debt, increased competition, heavier workloads and more focus on an exit strategy; ie. what they will be able to show for their three / four year to potential employers.

What it fails to point out is the growing sophistication of students as consumers. Where once convenience and price were the only significant factors in decision making (at a time when a degree used to all but guarantee employers would welcome graduates), now students demand more for their money.

They already make these demands from the University itself, which they are now paying up-front for. It used to be the exclusive right of ‘foreign student’ to make demands of the University as their high tuition fees were of such significance to University finances; now every student can demand that same level of service and they do. Universities are competing for students (for the funding they attract) and to do this they have to be more than academically excellent.

This new breed of student demands as much academically as they do from the ‘lifestyle’ they can expect. The University with a diverse and proactive students’ union has an additional selling point and the length of the bar is no longer a sign of prestige, if anything in many cases it has the opposite effect.

What we must not however do is underestimate the importance of a good ‘night life’, good bars, clubs and other social activities will always remain part of the student experience and an important part. It is one of the areas where people can meet new friends, explore different interests and relax after what is an ever more stressful environment. The key is that it is only one element and it has it’s place; generally late night entertainment.

Even 20 years ago when I started working in this sector the image of students sitting round at midday drinking all afternoon was not realistic and not the mainstay of the business of Student Unions. That they have continued to evolve is simply a reflection of society generally. The internet generation are never satisfied and are always looking for the latest thing, exchanging information and trying to set the trend rather than follow it; now it is harder than ever to get ahead of the game and not be seen as playing catch-up. ‘Catch-up’ is not the place to be, because today as soon as you do catch up they have already moved on.

So how do you approach this environment to ensure success?

The solutions involves real engagement. We regularly preach to business that they need to engage with their customers; nowhere is this more important that with students’ unions. The key is to realise that this is not a simple process, it is not something you can set up a committee for because many of the people whose opinions you need, are those not already involved. The age old problem of managers being blinded by familiarity is a real one, it exists in every business and is one of the least recognised problem in business and the most difficult to rectify.

Another area where we find our clients fall down is in not making the most of all the assets they already have at their disposal; engaging with employees at every level provides a real opinions of your business. Just having a staff meeting does not facilitate this resource, it is something which takes time and trust to be effective; you have to be seen to act on suggestions and ideas whatever your personal impressions.

But above all as with every business quality and service standards will define you. The number of University outlets I visit and am served coffee which is fit only for the 1980’s or where the choice of soft drinks varies between J2O and draught coke is striking.

The description in this article of the student who is a member of the debating society and socialises in Starbucks, is probably never going to overwhelmingly attracted by ‘drinks promotions’ and ‘pub crawls’. Universities often overlook their best assets, they have access to a ‘cheap’, educated and enthusiastic labour force. The mistake they make is to limit the training they provide on the assumption that they are ‘transient workforce’ and will only be employed for a short period of time.

How many employers in the hospitality sector would welcome staff loyalty and a guarantee of employees staying for 3 years?

We know training can be expensive in the short term, the pay back is difficult to quantify, but the rewards coupled with effective management of employees will always payback handsomely. A student can easily be trained to make a coffee or fresh juice as well as Starbucks? Provide the right environment, the right product and exceptional service and Students’ Unions will flourish; stand still and you’ll stand alone.

At
Beyond The Blue we offer a Consultancy Service and run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector including The National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) which qualifies candidates to apply for their personal licence and the Award in Customer Drinks Service – Licensed Hospitality (ACDS-LH); Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course compliments these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and alcohol related disorder.

Please visit our website at
www.btbl.co.uk. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or
Contact Us.

Boozy Britons drink the most alcohol in Europe




To view the original article Click Here



Title – Boozy Britons drink the most alcohol in EuropeSource – Metro
Date – 23rd November 2009

This should please the comedy circuit ‘Britain retains its place at the top of the European league table’, but it is rightly pointed out that this is an area of concern for the UK.

That we are compared with our European neighbours is not the important thing, that we deal with the ‘problem’ drinkers and the binge drinking culture in the UK is.

I have often talked in this blog about binge drinking and the relationship between the ‘drinks industry’, the licensed retail sector, the authorities and the general public, as well as the need for a co-ordinated approach to alcohol consumption. I don’t think there is a need for me to re-emphasis these points, but rather to let these figures speak for themselves.

If you actually look at the figures the big difference between the UK and other European countries is not in those who drink daily (certainly a concern at 6%), but really those who drink several times a week (29%) and the number of units drunk per week. If we consider the recommended daily allowance, according to these figures we can assume over 25% of people exceed these limits.

These excesses occur and define the UK’s ‘binge drinking culture’, or rather the binge drinking culture amongst an element of our communities. ‘Binge drinking’ is loosely defined as 3 times or more the recommended daily allowance and binge drinkers tend to drink several times a week (typically the heavy Friday & Saturday night drinkers).

Additional legislation will not tackle binge drinking, it may curb the excesses and change the nature of the problem, but only education, awareness and a cultural shift will start to change these activities. Cultural change does not happen in a short space of time, it takes a generation; education and awareness needs to start now to help initiate the cultural shift; in that everyone has their role to play.

At
Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector to help them sell alcohol more responsibly. These include; The Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR) designed for front-line staff to help them meet their statutory requirements; The National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) which qualifies candidates to apply for their personal licence; Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course compliments these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and alcohol related disorder.

Please visit our website at
www.btbl.co.uk. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or
Contact Us.


Sunday 15 November 2009

Concert-goers condemn crush chaos


To view the original article Click Here


Title – Concert-goers condemn crush chaosSource – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 15th November 2009

What seems remarkable about this story is the fact that the organisers of this event were very lucky to get away with as few injuries as they did. The simple fact is that the result could have been much much worse and could easily have resulted in fatalities.

Now my comments which will follow are based on assumption, we were not involved in this event or witness to it and I comment from the news coverage and information which has so far been made available; it is for the inquiry to look at the detail.

There seem to be a few key errors from the information we have so far.

The first and possibly the worst is the estimation of the numbers who would attend. With the line up of artistes playing appealing to a range of the demographic (including JLS currently appearing top of the charts with a large fan base of young people and Natalie Imbruglia appealing to a older section of the population), the concert would attract not just one section of the community but the whole community. This may be good as far as variety of the event goes, but will naturally attract more people in total. In addition the concert was free which removes another barrier for young people, especially those who may not be able to afford the usual concert ticket price.

The only real surprise with the numbers is that only 20,000 turned out and here is the first place where the organisers had some luck, had the weather been better they may well have had many more attend. JLS alone could sell out an arena tour at the moment, with 10,000 – 15,000 attendees each and at £30+ a ticket… who didn’t envisage that a free concert may attract twice this number?

Now we are not privy to the police plan or the risk assessments that must have been carried out by the organisers and the security companies involved. However the other questions which we must ask from what is seen in the cctv footage is how entry to the event was protected.

Presumably the cctv footage which is out there is of the holding area outside the event itself. It should have been predicted that thousands of people would be in this area. One of the main questions for us is what type of barrier was used, because from the evidence an unsuitable choice was made and led to collapse without too much pressure being exerted on it. This is probably the second area where the organisers got very lucky, although many of the injuries occurred during the barrier collapse, had the barriers been slightly stronger (not the correct barrier choice which would have withstood the pressure but something in-between) the effect of the collapse could have been catastrophic.

By collapsing when they did, this failure actually relieved the pressure in the crowd (what occurred in the event itself where those people moved to we are unaware, but could have caused further problems). Here again we feel that the organisers got a little lucky.

The way the barriers were set up in this area meant that as the crowd built up there was no way for people at the front to leave. There is a distinct ‘V’ shape and ‘right angle’ at the focal point of this crowd towards which the entire crowd is pushing, thus trapping those at the front. Even with a much smaller crowd this would have caused significant problems; especially without suitable crowd management behind the barriers and first aid facilities to deal with crush injuries.

Crush injuries can be very serious and a few broken bones are far from the worst consequence. Crush injuries often lead to breathing difficulties and death over very short time scales. Without experienced crowd management and paramedic support who understand crowd dynamics, these are the inevitable outcomes.

The questions here should not be about the numbers of police or private sector security nor should any blame be put on ‘people being determined to get in…’ as there is no indication that those in the crowds were behaving in any other way than would be expected for such an event. This was not a riot, civil disturbance or protest, it was enthusiastic (mainly young) people trying to get into a free event. Initially at least the cause does seem to be poor planning and execution.

Beyond The Blue provide training and Consultancy in a number of different areas including Event Security Planning and Event Management.

Please visit our website at
www.btbl.co.uk. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or
Contact Us.

Tuesday 10 November 2009

How the middle classes still treat themselves to the best – by stealing




Unfortunately the Times On-line has started charging, so we can not link to this article. The Daily Mail covered the same story Click Here to view)

Title – How the middle classes still treat themselves to the best – by stealingSource – The Times
Date – 10th November 2009

The recession / the credit-crunch (call it what you will), has affected almost everyone to one degree or another; some have however decided that making cuts is not acceptable to them and they are going to maintain their lifestyle by whatever means they need to.

Shop-lifting has increased by 20% to £5 billion; another European league table we can be proud to top…

Shop owners beware the traditional profile of a shop-lifter has changed and high value items which may not be ‘traditional’ shop-lifter bounty are now firmly on the ‘shopping list’ of people trying to maintain their pre-credit-crunch lifestyle.

Alcohol however remains a firm favourite of traditional thieves and this new breed; alcohol stocks need to be protected more than ever.

At
Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector including The National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) which qualifies candidates to apply for their personal licence; Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course compliments these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and alcohol related disorder.

For larger retail outlets we also run the BIIAB
National Certificate for Door Supervisors (NCDS) which allows candidates to apply for their SIA Door Supervisor Licence. This licence allows them to operate in the capacity of Door Supervisor or in Security Guarding.

Please visit our website at
www.btbl.co.uk. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or
Contact Us.

Friday 30 October 2009

Pubs fall very short in National Customer Satisfaction Survey


Title – Pubs fall very short in National Customer Satisfaction SurveySource – BIIAB & Retail Eyes
Date – 30th October 2009

The BIIAB recently released figures from the National Customer Satisfaction Survey carried out by market research company Retail Eyes into customer satisfaction in various sectors.

The figures make for disturbing (if not unexpected) reading for the pub sector.

The figures suggest that only 6% of respondents said pubs offer good standards of customer service.

The hotel industry fared better with 52% (of 6523 respondents) ranking the industry as the best for customer service. Restaurants scored only 23% with supermarkets at 11%.

Tim Ogle, chief executive of Retail Eyes said: “Some of the things we found that turn off customers the most about drinking in pubs and bars are tables with empty glasses or dirty plates left out, having to wait at the bar and bar staff that aren’t interested in engaging.”

The UK is not synonymous with great customer service, walk down any high street and the number of outlets offering excellent customer service are heavily outnumbered by those offering indifferent or poor service to customers. We have developed an attitude in many sectors where businesses operate to meet employees needs rather than focussing on customers. Employees are often only trained to understand their particular role rather than the customers expectation.

The pub sector is clearly struggling in these more challenging times, I am often asked by people who are starting new businesses if it a sensible time to come into such a depressed industry? My answer in always unequivocally yes, now is a perfect time. The price of ‘entry’ is depressed and there are some bargain properties out there worth purchasing / leasing for anyone looking to buy into the industry.

It’s true that competition is fierce; some parts of the industry are discounting heavily offering price sensitive customers a glut of choices, but the one area where there is still plenty of room for new businesses to flourish is a business providing excellence in customer service.

I write this as if it is the easiest thing in the world, because I believe providing excellence in customer service is not difficult, but only if you are prepared to develop your business round your customers rather than round yourself or your employees.

Key decisions in this process will be who you employ, how you train them and developing an effective management style. All three have to be in place to be successful in this area.

I have always also adopted the policy that employees have to have ownership of the business, in other words they have to have a vested interest in the success of the business rather than simply be salaried. This can be achieved in a number of ways; share schemes develop loyalty; pay and bonuses can work but such schemes must be proactively managed to ensure they are linked to service standards rather than just turnover; but the most effective does not require any additional costs and is achieved by employing and training employees with integrity whose reward is doing the best job they can and meeting agreed targets, this is the hardest to achieve and is wholly reliant on an excellent management style.

I think we have become complacent in this country, we expect certain things to be given to us on a plate (including pay and employment), success is defined by the financial reward rather than pride in the work you do and all too often we don’t value other opinions in a positive manner but rather see it as a criticism; in other words we are closed to change and new ideas, rather than embracing them.

I am not going to be telling anyone anything new when I say it is very important to regularly look at your business from a completely new angle, to see what your customers see; effectively from ‘outside the business’. This is one of the most difficult things to achieve as a manager and while most think they are doing this, the majority will be unwittingly ‘blinded’ by familiarity.

There are various ways to achieve this; you can employ consultants like us to come and look at your business and advise you on how to progress it; you can talk to your customers and ask for feedback (make sure you are asking ‘open’ questions, not yes / no questions and consider asking only for criticism not compliments as that will tell you how and in which areas you need to improve); or if you are the one in 1,000,000 who can be entirely impartial and detached you can do this yourself.

The point is, this is one of the most difficult aspects of management; successful managers are those who recognise this as a problem and find the solution. Asking for another opinion is not a sign of weakness it is a sign of strength.

Think about it this way. There are no businesses where every customer is entirely satisfied. So what about the customer who ‘is never happy’? They are the one you have to work hardest to please and then treat everyone the same way. Meeting the most difficult customer’s expectations will set standards high, improve overall customer service and set your business apart from others and on the road to success.

If only 6% of pubs offer good standards of customer service, just think of the potential of 94% of customers to pubs in your area who will consider your pub first, if you can get the service standards right…

At
Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector to help them improve customer service standards. These include; BIIAB Award in Customer & Drinks Service (Licensed Hospitality) (ACDS) and the Award in Customer Service Excellence (Licensed Hospitality) (ACSE).

We also run statutory qualifications such as
The Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR) designed for front-line staff to help them meet their statutory requirements; The National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) which qualifies candidates to apply for their personal licence; Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course compliments these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and alcohol related disorder.

Please visit our website at
www.btbl.co.uk. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or
Contact Us.


Thursday 29 October 2009

NHS Assault ‘not taken seriously’




To view the original article Click Here


Title – NHS Assault ‘not taken seriously’
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 29th October 2009

The statistics are shocking by any standard; an NHS employee is physically assaulted every nine and a half minutes or to put it another way every 570 seconds; or to put it yet another way over 150 NHS workers are physically assaulted every day!

Even when you work in this sector these types of statistic seem unbelievable, we know it is a big organisation (the third biggest employer in the world), but our country should really be ashamed that this takes place.

There are undoubtedly risks presented by some of the people that healthcare workers have to deal with, but there are also too many excuses made for the perpetrators of these crimes and why those who are criminally culpable not held criminally responsible, where it can the whole weight of the law must be brought against them?

It is of coarse much easier to write this then to enforce it and it requires more than simply the will of those involved in enforcement to follow through, but rather a fundamental shift in the attitude of our society to those who perpetrate such crimes.

It is difficult to see what it will take for such change in mentality to take place nationwide, if the thought of 150 physical assaults taking place every day against healthcare employees is not already enough to shock us.

For our part we support those who seek to push on with prosecutions by highlighting the problems where ever we can. We very much support the NHS and its employees and understand the limitations faced through budgets and sheer size which can stifle even the best intentions. However we also support the continued efforts which are being made by the NHS and the NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service (CFSMS) in providing assistance to the NHS workforce; it is work that despite any set backs must be ongoing.

For our part we provide
Conflict Resolution training to the sector and believe strongly in the benefits this training can bring, both to the prevention of Violence in the Workplace and in the confidence imparted in the workforce.

Training in the sector does vary considerably and our approach is to provide comprehensive courses which incorporate the ten learning objectives set out by the CFSMS and go beyond them.

We understand that time is often a limiting factor in Conflict Resolution training, but believe that taking the time to provide effective training is a valuable longer term strategy. On a financial basis the time lost when staff are assaulted through reduced productivity, absenteeism and high staff turnover is significant. On a human level, providing the skills to reduce the effects of conflict in the workplace from harassment, aggression, threats and physical assault, allows employees to be more confident and effective in dealing with the more ‘difficult’ people they meet.

We are aware that every NHS employee has to attend Conflict Resolution training, we believe this to be a very proactive step, however that training must be effective. A couple of hours skimming the surface can simply not meet the training needs of those working in this environment; yes it may tick the box but does it really meet the learning objectives?

Our one day course in conflict resolution is designed to help candidates really get to grips with the techniques and skills required to resolve conflict. All our instructors have attended the CFSMS familiarisation seminar and are highly experienced professionals. Our working practices ensure effective learning is delivered every time to every candidate. We train only in small groups and use classroom based teaching, interactive discussion, group work and scenario based learning to ensure we meet the preferred learning style of all candidates attending.

Each candidate is provided with a unique individually numbered certificate of attendance from Beyond The Blue and the employer is provided with comprehensive training records for each candidate including feedback forms.

We also run
Physical Intervention courses, these provide effective disengagement and break-away techniques as well as restraint and escorting techniques where required. All techniques use low-impact skills which do not require strength, force or pain-compliance to be effective.
Please visit our website at
www.btbl.co.uk. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or
Contact Us.

Tuesday 27 October 2009

Lip gloss test that spots if your drink is spiked with rape drugs / Women 'duped' by spiking myth



Title – Lip gloss test that spots if your drink is spiked with rape drugs (Evening Standard 16-10-09)
Title –
Women 'duped' by spiking myth (Metro 27-10-09)

‘Date Rape’ or ‘Drug Assisted Rape / Sexual Assault’ is a serious issue, unfortunately the press have done victims and potential victims of this depraved crime no favours. If ever there was a need for a sensible approach then this subject is it.

Of coarse we welcome any device which helps reduce the risks faced from Drug Assisted Rape and this lip gloss / testing strip can be one line of defence. There are problems; how many strips are provided in comparison with the number of drink that might be consumed? How co-ordinated will an alcohol consumer be after a few drinks to remember or even be able to complete the fiddly test? But I don’t want to take anything away; something is always better than nothing.

What is much more important is education, alcohol retailers and consumers alike need to take proactive measures to prevent ‘drink spiking’ in the first place.

The first step is understanding the nature of the problem. When I ask a group I am teaching what substances are used in ‘drink spiking’, they generally refer to Rohypnol, GHB, Liquid Ecstasy, the more enlightened ones mention Ketamine, GBL, but strangely I almost always have to drag the most common drug out of them…. Alcohol.

Alcohol is the drug most commonly used in Drug Assisted Rape; fact.

I have yet to see any accurate numbers in relation to ‘drink spiking’. There are horror stories written in the press, but in reality that we may never see accurate figures, for the reasons highlighted in this second article. Sadly I would agree from experience that in many cases people now scream ‘drink spiking’ because they are embarrassed or unsure of how they got so drunk. The fact is those working in the
Licensed Retail Sector have to take every potential case seriously and can never dismiss the potential consequences of a real drink spiking as exaggeration or an excuse.

If we consider that because of excess alcohol consumption many people have had nights they can’t remember (or part of the night); that alcohol is the most frequently used ‘date rape’ drug; that Ketamine now being used ‘recreationally’ as a drug of choice by 125,000 people in the UK; and that ‘date rape’ drugs they tend not to be traceable within relatively short period of time, it makes the prospect of ever finding out the true numbers of people spiked very low.

For those in danger of having their drink spiked, education into the risks and how to protect yourself from them is the most important step. Just understanding that alcohol is the most prevalent drug used in drink spiking, should go some way to helping people understand the real dangers. Protecting your drinks, being cautious of strangers behaviour or accepting drinks from them and in some cases the use of testing kits is a start. Having friends you trust to look after you, who are loyal, unlikely to disappear half way through the night and who will ensure you get home safely is the best ways of protecting yourself.

At
Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector to help them sell alcohol more responsibly. These include; The Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR) designed for front-line staff to help them meet their statutory requirements; The National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) which qualifies candidates to apply for their personal licence; Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course compliments these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and alcohol related disorder.

For young people we run the Certificate in Alcohol Awareness (CAA) which provides real honest advice on the effects of alcohol and sensible measures which can be taken to ensure that the harm that can occur as a result of excessive consumption are reduced.

Please visit our website at
www.btbl.co.uk. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or
Contact Us.

Friday 23 October 2009

Drink trader’s luck runs dry


To view the original article Click Here

Title – Drink trader’s luck runs dry
Source – Staines Informer
Date – 23rd October 2009

I’m not about to write another blog entry on the virtues of Responsible Alcohol Retailing and the short term business model that involves selling alcohol to children; these are areas I have touched on many times in the past.

Why I think this article is interesting is that it highlights one of the virtues we discuss in a number of our courses; people working in the
Licensed Retail Sector need to work with the authorities in a partnership approach, rather than seeing them as ‘the enemy’.

We urge people to consider the following mantra which we are often heard quoting: ‘if you are viewed as seen of the solution, then you are less likely to be treated as part of the problem’.

It seems from this article (and I emphasise that I am unfamiliar with the case itself) that this alcohol retailer was looking for ways round the
Licensing Act and the appeals process; through the constant delays they were able to continue to sell alcohol despite the offences committed. That the act provides for traders to continue to trade pending appeal is very important and must be maintained, any other course of action (where licensed premises were forced to close) would in many cases mean businesses become insolvent while they wait for an appeal hearing.

However the law must not be toyed with or abused otherwise the industry as a whole will undoubtedly suffer as a result.

What always strikes me as odd in these cases is the short sightedness of the business owner. A premises without a license to transfer, has a distinctly lower re-sale value then one with a licence with relatively few restrictive conditions.

What I don’t like to see is this type of prejudice by licensing officers who suggest that somehow it is the premises history which determines future ‘trouble’ and use this to make future premises licence applications more restrictive through the addition of conditions based on history rather than the content of the application, the integrity of the applicant or the nature of the new business.

We see this regularly; a ‘troubled’ premises has been closed and the licence revoked and new proactive responsible business owners are punished for the inability of previous owners. Surely it is obvious to see that although there may initially be a ‘history’ associated with a premises, a new professional designated premises supervisor will soon change this. Our experience shows that long term trouble is almost always due to poor management rather than simply the premises. Every licensing officer will know of an area on their ‘patch’ which has good and bad premises on it. What is the real difference between these two; almost always the DPS / manager.

This approach that the history of this premises should determine that future applications should ‘…not be easy in light of the unit’s troubled history.’ punish the new owners, customers and the community generally rather than the person who should be punished; the original owner.

The Licensing Act and subsequent guidance issued, provides for each and every premises licence to be considered on its own merits and without prejudice; for me this should include poor behaviour of previous owners who are no longer associated in any way with the premises.

At
Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector to help them sell alcohol more responsibly. These include; The Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR) designed for front-line staff to help them meet their statutory requirements; The National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) which qualifies candidates to apply for their personal licence; Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course compliments these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and alcohol related disorder.

Please visit our website at
www.btbl.co.uk. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or
Contact Us.

Friday 16 October 2009

War memorial defiled


To view the original article Click Here


Title – War memorial defiledSource – Metro
Date – 16th October 2009

You can present every argument under the sun in defence of the
Licensed Retail Sector, but if a picture speaks a thousand words, this one speaks several million.

This type of behaviour is deplorable, there is no way or desire to defend it. This man (you can call him a student, but at 19 he is a man not a child) is going to pay very heavily indeed for his actions, not just in the immediate consequence of his actions, but in his name and this image being on the internet forever.. a punishment which even he probably does not yet understand the severity of.

But we can and should not concentrate on this individual, but on a society which breeds such behaviour. Is alcohol to blame?

Certainly alcohol is not innocent in all of this, it plays a part in our society and not always in a positive role; but equally not always in a negative role. Alcohol is present in almost every civilisation in history, every country on the planet and has been around for longer than humans have ‘ruled’ the planet. Ever since plants bore fruit, fruit has fermented producing alcohol; the infamous images of drunk elephants are a David Attenborough special.

We have to learn to live with alcohol and we have to learn to sell and consume it responsibly; something sadly sections of society have forgotten. Prohibition does not work and neither does deregulation; tackling alcohol consumption alone is not the answer.

This behaviour can only be prevented by a much wider co-ordinated approach and in partnership with the many authorities involved in regulation, the
Licensed Retail Sector itself and consumers, parents, teachers and other key figures in communities. We need to work together to create a society which doesn’t accept that drunkenness can be an excuse for vile behaviour, but which honours the heroes our country produces and the sacrifices some of them make and doesn’t stand idly by while those who abuse alcohol ruin it for the majority who enjoy alcohol responsibly

At
Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector to help them sell alcohol more responsibly. These include; The Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR) designed for front-line staff to help them meet their statutory requirements; The National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) which qualifies candidates to apply for their personal licence; Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course compliments these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and alcohol related disorder.

Please visit our website at
www.btbl.co.uk. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or
Contact Us.

My Wife is too young to drink – at 22 / Supermarkets reject calls for ‘alcohol kills’ warning signs




Title – My Wife is too young to drink – at 22 (Metro 16-10-09)
Title –
Booze plan ‘will not work’ (Metro 16-10-09)
Title –
Supermarkets reject calls for ‘alcohol kills’ warning signs (Evening Standard15-10-09)

The argument about the
Responsible Sale of Alcohol by supermarkets runs on and on, both sides (the supermarkets and the government) seem to be getting further and further apart; this makes the prospect of further legislation for the whole of the Licensed Retail Sector more likely.

The first two articles here are from the same paper on the same day and demonstrates the ‘no-win’ position the supermarkets are in. On the one hand berated for selling alcohol as a loss-leader and for high profile promotions and chastised when they enforce their policy towards the sale of alcohol to ‘children’.

Many of the arguments simply don’t work and seem to be as a result of the desire to grab a headline rather than a sensible argument. The current proposal for minimum pricing is not a ‘stealth tax’ as it is not an additional tax, it is money that will go to the drinks manufacturers and retailers (welcome I would think, unless the analysts believe that overall sales will fall, which they must if they are so worried about it). That it will lead to some kind of explosion in illicit production is a farfetched suggestion, as if we will all set up stills in our front room… Equally going down the route that ‘alcohol kills’ signs be displayed under the shelf displaying Moet Chandon is a slippery slope to warning that chocolate, salt, chips, petrol, cars etc. kill (I know my argument is a little extreme). Why not give the general public some credit and provide information and ‘education’ which allows them to choose for themselves without lowering ourselves to scaremongering and patronising.

That in the same edition there is an article effectively mocking a supermarket for it’s very responsible approach to underage sale of alcohol seems a little strange. In this case I am 100% on the side of Sainsbury’s. Yes it is frustrating for the couple involved, but they should be able to see the sensible side (and for that matter the funny side) of this situation. Hundreds of times a day up and down the country people selling alcohol are faced with adults trying to buy alcohol for youngsters and making up all sorts of stories to justify it. If they are caught they face personal sanction, fines and the threat of loosing their licence. Most of the big supermarket chains have now adopted a challenge 25 policy (if you look under 25 you’ll be asked to prove you are 18) to make life easier for employees and to meet their responsibility of not selling alcohol to children (and if we are honest to meet the requirements of licensing officers). This lady not only looks under 25, she is under 25, so the member of staff followed their required procedure.

People who look or are under 25 need to get used to being asked to provide ID, that is the way local authorities and government are leaning and many outlets are now forced as part of their licensing conditions to enforce a ‘challenge 21’ or ‘challenge 25’ policy. Imagine this lady had been under 18 and this man had been buying alcohol for her and they had been caught, the story would be all about the irresponsible retailing of alcohol; sometimes the industry just can’t seem to get it right. As for the argument that they should have used ‘common sense’, well ‘common sense’ is much easier when you know all the facts and less easy when on a daily basis you are lied to by people trying to purchase alcohol, battered by the press & government for being irresponsible and all on close to minimum wage… A sense of humour and a little perspective rather than a newspaper article would seem a more logical an approach…

At
Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector to help them sell alcohol more responsibly. These include; The Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR) designed for front-line staff to help them meet their statutory requirements; The National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) which qualifies candidates to apply for their personal licence; Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course compliments these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and alcohol related disorder.

Please visit our website at
www.btbl.co.uk. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or
Contact Us.

Thursday 15 October 2009

16-year-old student died during party drink binge



To view the original article Click Here


Title – 16-year-old student died during party drink binge
Source – Metro
Date – 15th October 2009

I don’t think that there is much need for comment on this story, it speaks for itself.

It is terribly sad that someone of such promise should die in this way and this story should act as a warning not only to others who are tempted to drink similar amounts (20 shots is a figure that far too many will associate with a ‘big night’ rather than a ‘lethal dose’) but to alcohol retailers who may encourage excessive consumption of alcohol, turn a ‘blind-eye’ to excessive consumption or sell alcohol to young people.

The only thing I must emphasise is that this is not an isolated incident; it is not unique to underage people and can happen to anyone regardless of their previous experience, size, sex or the amount they normally consume.

At
Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector to help them sell alcohol more responsibly. These include; The Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR) designed for front-line staff to help them meet their statutory requirements; The National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) which qualifies candidates to apply for their personal licence; Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course compliments these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and alcohol related disorder.

Please visit our website at
www.btbl.co.uk. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or
Contact Us.

Friday 9 October 2009

Cocaine abuse doubles in 4 years


To view the original article Click Here

Title – Cocaine abuse doubles in 4 yearsSource – Independent
Date – 9th October 2009

I have often commented on the number of cocaine users in the UK, the addictive nature of cocaine and the fact that cocaine use has become ‘accepted’ in certain parts of our society.

This article is of interest for two reasons, firstly it highlights the concept that cocaine is (or more accurately ‘has’) taken over from heroin as the drug of choice for those parts of society which ‘glamorise’ the use of drugs like this as an acceptable even desired aspect of ‘a active social life’. The description of cocaine as London’s middle-class dirty secret’ by a former addict and the very fact that the number of addicts seeking help has doubled is a good sign that a few people are seeing cocaine for what it is an addictive illegal drug; we should however note that 2000 out of 1 million users is still a very small percentage of users seeking help with their addiction and sadly a very small number of addicts realising that their desire to include cocaine use as part of their ‘social life’ is an addiction.

The second part of this article which I liked as it dispels another myth is Paul Hayes’s (National Treatment Agency – Chief Executive) comment that in ‘…early-20s night-clubbing, pub-going, cocaine use is becoming more normal among that population. It’s become an adjunct to alcohol or cannabis use.’ This is a statement which should worry those charged with enforcement of drug policy and treatment of drug users. When drug use becomes part of every-day activities, it becomes socially acceptable and almost decriminalised in the minds of users. By being glamorised in the eyes of users, the rhetoric of the dealers is believed rather than information provided by health-care workers, scientist and doctors who really understand the chemistry, social and medical consequences of drug use.

The other group of people who should be worried about this association between ‘normal’ social activities and cocaine use, is the business owners in whose premises drug use inevitably takes place. The consequences to them personally, to their business and premises licence where drugs are used can be severe; where there are drug users there are inevitably drug dealers.

At
Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector including The National Certificate for Licensees Drug Awareness (NCLDA). For other sectors our bespoke Drug Awareness (DA) courses, which examine illegal drugs, their effects and the drug litter synonymous with their use, are specifically designed to reflect the nature of our clients working environment. Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course complements these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and drug related behaviour.

Please visit our website at
www.btbl.co.uk. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or
Contact Us.