Pubs warned as unlicensed doorstaff appear in court

Prosecutions against unlicensed doorstaff and security firms are being stepped up, five months after the door workers registration scheme became fully live in England and Wales.

Two doorstaff and the boss of a security company in North Wales were found guilty under the Private Security Industry Act 2001 on August 30 in Llangefni Magistrates Court of working without being registered.

Stephen Owen, a local authority planning officer and part-time door supervisor, was found working without a Security Industry Authority (SIA) licence at the Ship in Bangor, North Wales. He was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £100 costs.

Another door supervisor, Ricky Davies, was found guilty of working without a licence at the White Lion, Bangor. He was fined £100 and ordered to pay £100 costs.

Dewi Williams, 55, a director of Bangor-based security company Venue-Sec, was also found guilty of working without a licence and supplying unlicensed doorstaff. He was fined £500 and ordered to pay £100 costs.

The final phase of the law was introduced on April 11 - when it became an offence to work in England and Wales as a door supervisor without a licence. Part of the law also states that pubs found with unlicensed doorstaff could be forced to close, with licensees facing fines or even a prison sentence.

Sue Sheath, SIA head of investigation for Wales, said: "Door supervisors and their managers who persist in working without a licence put themselves at risk of prosecution, and unlicensed activity will not be tolerated. This is a warning to all directors, owners and managers of security companies to get licensed."

SIA national spokesperson Robert Buxton said: "If licensees are using doorstaff they must check they are licensed. This is easy to do - if someone is licensed they should be wearing their SIA badge."

• For further details visit www.the-sia.org.uk​ or call 0870 2430 100.