Drink, drugs and the men on the door!

TAMASH LAL finds out why they don't believe new regulations will make matters better.

DOORMEN say they are becoming increasingly powerless to deal with a surge in drunk and drug-fuelled violence in Swindon.

A fear of being prosecuted has left many disillusioned doormen wondering how they are meant to cope with rising levels of disorder.

Security staff say a bad public image, plus an increasingly litigious climate, means it is now themselves, not the troublemakers, who are more likely to end up in the dock.

Their fears were thrown into sharp focus recently when doorman Garry Curtis was convicted of common assault for evicting a reveller from the Lava Lounge in Fleet Street.

Swindon magistrates rejected Mr Curtis's claim that he had used reasonable force to do his job, and fined him £1,000.

The verdict means it is unlikely the 32-year-old lorry driver will ever work the doors again.

He said: "I'm absolutely gutted, I love the job.

"I do it because I enjoy it. Most people are great, and we hardly ever have any trouble.

"But when we do, we have to act to protect others.

"Sometimes we have to evict people, but it has got to the stage when we are not allowed to do anything."

The incident which resulted in the court case happened in July last year.

Mr Curtis was dealing with a fight between a group of women on the dance floor.

He said: "A husband of one of the women started thumping me in the back.

"I told him to stop, but after the third time I told him he was leaving.

"I walked him to the back of the club, but there are three doors, and I had to put his head under my arm to open them.

"It was a reasonable use of force to evict someone who refused to leave and was being a nuisance."

Gary's boss Billy Hawkins, who employs 50 doormen at his firm, Swindon-based Cerberus Security, said his staff operate in an increasingly grey area of the law.

He said: "We can't do our job without fear of someone making a complaint.

"We are allowed to use reasonable force, but how do you define that?"

"We are always thinking, 'hang on, I could be arrested'.

"The trouble is the courts have no idea of what we have to deal with.

"Young people are drinking much more, and mixing it with drugs, mainly cocaine, which means they are much more aggressive.

"Some nights there is anarchy on the streets in the town centre.

"We do our best to be diplomatic, and calm things down when someone becomes violent.

"But what can we do if someone refuses to leave, or there is a fight? We have to escort them out. I am not blaming the police, they have to follow up complaints, but the courts need to be more aware of what we are up against."

Billy, a 29-year-old father of one, says security staff have been tarnished with a bad reputation, which doesn't help them in court.

He said: "Most people think we are thugs and steroid freaks.

"We are fed up with it. We don't go around punching people, it's all about being diplomatic.

"People don't realise what it is like doing our job. We are spat at, and I have been told that me and my family will be killed and my wife will be raped, but you have to ignore it.

"We go out of our way to help people, if there is a fight in the street we don't have to do anything, but we will always help."

Doormen are currently vetted by Swindon Council, and must complete an NVQ course covering issues such as health and safety.

But the Government is introducing a new, tougher system, which requires further training in such areas as conflict management and drug awareness.

Staff will also undergo a criminal record check.

But bouncers say that the new licence, being introduced in Swindon in August, will not help them keep nightspots trouble-free.

Honda worker Ian Murphy, who also works for Cerberus and has been a part-time doorman for 15 years, said: "We welcome the new regulations. We don't want thugs working as doormen, but it's all very well teaching us about health and safety, what we really need to know is what we can and can't do."

Police say a culture of binge drinking has led to a rise in incidents of drunkenness, assaults and vandalism in the Fleet Street area, which draws around 6,000 revellers every weekend.

But Insp Simon Dicks, who works with the council's specialist crime and disorder unit, insisted that the law is clear on how far doormen can go.

He said: "If someone is causing trouble, then doormen have the right to evict them using reasonable force in the circumstances.

"But if they step over the mark they are subject to the same rules as everyone else.

"The new scheme will mean that doormen are taught about their powers and trained in areas of conflict resolution and restraint techniques.

"If staff act in a trained, controlled manner they are less likely to inflame the situation."

Lava Lounge manager Kai Taylor said door staff were crucial to clubs and bars.

"I simply wouldn't open if we didn't have them," he said. "Everything would get out of hand.

"Women also feel much safer when there are door staff."