Doorman shot dead shielding girl clubber, 21

Title – Doorman shot dead shielding girl clubber, 21
Source – London Lite
Date – 16th July 2007

Had Kolawole Babadiya been an ordinary member of the public or had he been a public servant such as a police officer, this story would have made headline news. A man putting other people’s safety in front of his own and protecting a young lady from harm selflessly. But Kolawole worked as a door supervisor in an industry that still has a bad name and is still looked upon by the outside world, as a kind of underworld that they would rather not get involved with or know too much about.

It is undoubtedly true that there were underworld elements in the security world for many years, but the Security Industry Act 2001 started all of us working in the industry, on the path of professionalism and it is down to all of us to ensure that we take it further and make it better. Employees and employers alike have a duty to the public and their colleagues, to ensure that the industry grows from these beginnings, to allow us to reflect what those working within it are actually about.

There are door supervisors across the country performing heroics, there is not a night that goes by without someone standing up and protecting those that can’t protect themselves and ensuring they get to go home safely. Sadly however few nights go by without an injury occurring to a door supervisor trying to protect a member of the public or resolve conflict and this heroism often goes unnoticed and unrecognised by the communities they work in. But few door supervisors go into the role for public acclaim, most are happy to know in themselves that they are performing a vital role in society and one that few are willing to take on because of the risk associated and the relative lack of protection they are afforded.

Kolawole Babadiya is one of society’s heroes and should be recognised as such. According to this report he stepped forward to protect another and paid the ultimate price. There is noting that could have protected him from this cowardly attack and he would have been aware of that when he took the action he did. How more heroically can anyone in our society act.

All of us who work in the security industry have a responsibility to continue to improve the levels of professionalism we all demonstrate, in order to ensure that those heroes amongst us can be recognised for their role by the wider society. The respect that this recognition will generate in turn will make our working lives easier and safer.

Training is now mandatory for those working in the security industry. We provide National Certificate for Door Supervisors courses (NCDS) for corporate clients as well as individuals seeking to apply for a Door Supervisors License. But we also provide further training that the SIA, as well as other leading bodies including the police, acknowledge is essential for the industry to progress. These include Physical Intervention Courses (PI), In-House Security Induction Courses (IHSI), Conflict Management & Resolution (CMR) and others that we are continuing to develop to help those working within the industry to move to the next level of professionalism.

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

Lone nurses ‘at risk of attack’

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Title – Lone nurses ‘at risk of attack’Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 9th July 2007

This Royal College of Nursing survey reiterates what anyone working in the NHS, whether they work alone or as part of a team within a surgery or hospital already knows; the NHS is not an altogether safe place to work and the problem of aggression and violence faced by all healthcare workers, remains at an unacceptable level.

There can never be a reasonable excuse for any individual saying a bad word to a health care worker in the course of their duties, let alone acting aggressively or violently. These individuals are the ones we call to our aid when we most need assistance and anything but thanks, is simply unacceptable.

However we are also all aware that some sections of, and individuals within, our community, either hold different views, are prejudice or are simply unable to control their emotions and their aggressive / violent tendencies. So with this in mind we must not stop working on eradicating any instance of work related violence, but must also prepare those working in these environments to deal with these situations effectively and professionally.

It is clearly proven that to resolve the problem we first need to understand it. In workplaces across the country and across almost all sectors, there is a continuing problem of under-reporting of incidents of violence in the workplace. People affected on a regular basis see these incidents as part of their working environments and something they 'just have to get on with'. It is certainly true that we have to deal with these situations; but reporting them helps not only record the incidents for employers to be aware of and act upon, it can also aid in the understanding of trends, patterns and ultimately solutions to these problems. Reporting can also play a key role in those individuals involved, coming to terms with what happened and preventing re-occurrence in the future.

Ultimately the approach of the Security Management Services of the NHS is a positive one, the solution to reducing the number of incidents of workplace violence within the NHS and other organisations where staff face similar problems is three fold:

1. Reporting, Recording and Monitoring.

2. Training – Especially Conflict Resolution Training and in more serious cases Physical Intervention Training

3. Technology

We run courses in Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) and Physical Intervention (PI) for clients from a variety of sectors, both private and public. We understand that each situation is very different and research the needs of our clients carefully before tailoring our courses to meet their needs specifically.
Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk

Police avert car bomb carnage

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Title – Police avert car bomb carnage
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 29th June 2007

Terrorist attacks have plagued major cities across the UK for decades, the IRA carried out many successful attacks throughout the 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s until the ceasefire was finally agreed. Since then there have been several devastating successful attacks and many more failed attacks on the UK’s infrastructure carried out by groups with a suspected links to 'al-Qaeda'.

Many of the IRA’s attacks were directed at areas where the public gathered as well as high profile locations many of which were given verbal warnings prior to the explosions, but there were also attacks without warning that killed and maimed many victims. Suspected 'al-Qaeda' linked attacks seem to take a much more random approach; the targets tend also to be high profile locations but it is conceivable that they consider any target in the UK to be legitimate, areas that are packed with members of the public, targets that will cause the most disruption, targets that will cause the most casualties and devastating injuries and above all targets that will induce fear in as many members of the public and the government as possible; warnings are not given before explosives are detonated.

For people working in the licensed retail sector, transport and high profile tourist areas, this means that the thirty years worrying when the next wave of IRA attacks was going to take place may finally be over, but the stress that accompanies the threat of attacks is back and now they have a new threat to deal with.

In June 2007 the staff and customers at Tiger Tiger in central London had a remarkable escape from what could have been a devastating attack planned for outside their front door, at a time the premises was packed with customers enjoying a night out. Thanks to the vigilance of an ambulance crew who noticed the fumes coming from a vehicle and alerted the authorities, an explosion and certain mass casualties was averted. The emergency services, who acted promptly and decisively at great risk to themselves to make the car bomb safe and evacuate the area, also deserve much credit.

Door Supervisors are once again in the front line of these latest attacks as licensed premises once again become a favoured target for terrorist. Their role in the safety of customers and members of the public is once again paramount and the serious nature of the threat anywhere in the country should not be underestimated. Equally any premises where the public congregate in any numbers under this more random target selection, should be taking measures to reduce the risk to their staff and customers. There is the potential that the more plots the police, emergency services and the public thwart, the softer the target the terrorist will look for; so everyone must remain alert no matter where they work.
Beyond The Blue runs the National Certificate for Door Supervisors course (NCDS) that will qualify successful candidates to works as door supervisors or security guards once they successfully apply for the SIA Door Supervisors Licence. We also run In-house Security Induction Training (IHSI) directed at specific venues usually based on a Consultancy project to develop and reorganise a clients security systems. These courses will examine the role staff play in prevention of any attack, as well as emergency evacuation responses in the case of any threat.

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

Second man held over warden funeral attack

Title – Second man held over warden funeral attack
Source – London Lite
Date – 28th June 2007

Fortunately attacks of this ferocity are rare, but they are certainly not unheard of and cause constant fear and stress, to those employees placed by their work in these environments, on a daily basis.

Certain jobs in society at large are essential to all of us even if we don’t know it or always appreciate it; the police, fire brigade and ambulance service all seem obvious choices as heroes within our society. They all fight to protect us, our friends and family and our way of life, yet they are all subject to regular violence both verbal and physical, some resulting in serious injury or worse.

So if they are our heroes and still face daily abuse and violence, who are our villains and what sort of dangers do they face because of societies label? Well for many people traffic wardens would fit this category perfectly. None of us really want a ticket or worse to have our vehicles towed when we mistakenly (or hoping that we’ll get away with it) park in the wrong place. But without them to maintain our highways we would simply stop moving in our big cities like London. Chaos would ensue, stress levels would rise and even more aggression and violence would manifest itself on the roads.

However everyone would agree that no matter what the provocation or the situation (which has yet to be clarified) there can be no justification for such a viscous attack, but unfortunately most of us also realise that there are people in society capable of this kind of act.

Employers have a responsibility towards their staff; they have to ensure that staff are trained to a suitable level and are clear of what is expected of them. Staff also have a responsibility and that is to follow this training and not put themselves, their colleagues or members of the general public in any kind of risk during the course of their duties.

We run Conflict Management and Resolution courses (CMR) specifically tailored for our clients. We concentrate on the skills required to work safely in the specific environment in which your employees are working. This is done through extensive research and planning prior to any course being run. We also run Physical Intervention Courses (PI) for any employee who finds themselves in high risk environments, so that they can defend themselves against physical attack and remove themselves from that situation successfully.

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

Man killed for bump on Dance Floor

Title – Man killed for bump on Dance Floor
Source – The London News
Date – 24th July 2007

The potential consequences of actions that take place in every club, every night across the country are sometimes taken for granted. An action as simple as a bump on the dance floor can escalate very quickly into an uncontrolled situation that can result in serious injury or in this sad case, the death of a customer.

There is not always the time for staff to react to these situations and resolve them and there is no indication, on this occasion, of action that was taken by the staff, but there is no doubt that training is the first step to providing a safer environment.

The important issues to consider are not just the statutory requirements such as the Door Supervisors License, but additional training, mentoring and positive and constructive management that encourages good communication and professionalism. Training to consider, beyond the statutory requirements, could include In-House Security Induction (IHSI), First Aid, Fire Safety (FS) and Physical Intervention Training (PI), amongst others.

But beyond the need for training, is a cohesive approach to running a venue. Training needs to be carried out across the different staff groups working and not restricted to specifically tasked individuals. The days of bar staff filling the customers with alcohol and doormen throwing them out has gone and staff from the cloakroom to the management need to be singing from the same sheet. This ensures that there is communication between bar staff, ticket issuing staff, cloakroom staff, toilet attendants, door supervisors, first aiders, cleaners, glass collectors and the management. Providing training such as Conflict Management & Resolution (CMR) to a wider group of staff provides more staff with the skills to recognise, deescalate and resolve conflict before it gets out of hand and results in aggression and violence.

We provide training in many areas to help those working in the licensed retail sector and beyond, to provide a professional approach to the venues in which they work. Tragedies like the death of Lee Cook must be a reminder to all those people working in the industry that customers expect those working to be professional, well trained and attentive, in order to maintain a safe environment for them to socialise in.

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

Student shot at Hip-Hop concert

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Title – Student shot at Hip-Hop concert
Source – The Times
Date – 12th March 2007

When parents send their children off to University they expect the experience to be one of learning, not just academically but also socially, to prepare them for the rest of their lives. Most are not naive enough to think that University is purely an academic experience and understand that many students are forced or choose to take part time work to cover the every day costs of living, as well as the odd night out.

But parents also expect their children to be entering a safe and controlled environment, but nowhere is immune from the scourge of gun crime and in this case someone’s son took on a part time job working as a security steward and found himself on the front line and gunned down in the process of his work.

We run both National Certificate for Door Supervisors (NCDS) as well as Conflict Management and Resolution courses (CMR) and Physical Intervention courses (PI) for those people working in venues at Universities and Student Unions in these front line positions and other areas where they may face aggression and violence in their workplace.

We do not claim to be able to eliminate this kind of freak occurrence, but we can successfully train staff to reduce the levels of conflict they face in the workplace through management of the situations they encounter and the teaching of conflict resolution skills.


We have over 15 years of experience of working with and alongside young adults and students in the security and licensed retail sector within Universities and Students’ Unions and pride ourselves on our ability to communicate and train this demographic effectively.



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

Man shot in stomach at University

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Title – Man shot in stomach at University
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 11th March 2007

Universities are places of learning; we associate them with safety and serenity not violence and gun crime. But it seems that nowhere in the country is immune from the scourge of the criminal element, who seem to be more and more willing to use weapons as a matter of choice.

This incident at Loughborough University Student Union was certainly not an everyday event, but the seriousness of the incident should leave everyone in no doubt about the dangers faced in even the most unexpected work environments. The student security steward who was shot would have expected to deal with the odd incident of aggression or even violence but would never have expected to face this kind of situation or a gun.

We run both the National Certificate for Door Supervisors (NCDS) as well as Conflict Management and Resolution courses (CMR) and Physical Intervention courses (PI) for those people working in venues at Universities and Student Unions in these front line positions and other areas where they may face aggression and violence in their workplace.

We do not claim to be able to eliminate this kind of freak occurrence, but we can successfully train staff to reduce the levels of conflict they face in the workplace through management of the situations they encounter and the teaching of conflict resolution skills.
We have over 15 years of experience of working with and alongside young adults and students in the security and licensed retail sector within Universities and Students’ Unions and pride ourselves on our ability to communicate and train this demographic effectively.

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