Back to basics: when to use physical intervention

It's one of the worst situations you have to face. A customer cuts up rough. They may be drunk. They may be angry. They may become violent. Good licensees, barstaff and doorstaff know how to calm things down.

But there may be occasions when you need more than quiet words and conciliatory gestures to gain control.

Physical intervention has long been a controversial area, and there has been little professional advice around to suggest when and how it might be used.

Staff might steam in, using their 'home-made' techniques - not only risking injury to the customer and themselves but getting you into trouble with the law for using 'excessive force'.

But now, at last, the licensed trade has its own good practice guide. It was launched last week at a seminar at the famous Ministry of Sound club in London, complete with demonstrations of how to deal with unruly customers.

Physical Intervention: Reducing Risk​ is the product of many months' work by the BII Awarding Body Skills for Security - the body that sets standards for the security industry - and experts in the field including Spirit Group's director of operational risk Mark Seymour.

It supports two new training courses accredited by the BIIAB, one in 'defensive skills' and one in 'escort and handling skills'.

Around 50 pub and club owners attended the seminar, which was organised by Southwark police and training company COI-Freelance.

Speaking at the event, Bill Fox, chair of the project group and director of workplace violence consultancy Maybo, hailed the guide as a "benchmark" which could be used in legal cases concerning doorstaff. "We thought it best to get something out there that is consistent," he said.

According to superintendent David Chinchen from Southwark Police the scheme will make a vital contribution to making the borough's venues safer. The new physical intervention guidance should help develop the interpersonal skills of pub staff and prevent situations escalating, he told the seminar.

"This is about enhancing skills for doorstaff and developing best practice," he said. "In Southwark we are seeing an ongoing reduction in violent crime - a 22 per cent drop last year - and the skills employed by door supervisors have been absolutely critical in some of the issues we have faced.

"There is a gap here and an opportunity, and these techniques could make the difference."

The guide explains how licensees and security providers can assess and reduce risk, put in place policies on physical intervention and choose and deliver the right training.

The following gives a flavour of the guidance.

The law

Licensees are obliged to ensure the safety of their employees, customers and contractors under several laws:

• Duty of care, which forms the basis of civil actions and compensation claims
• Health & safety legislation, which specifies actions to be taken to assess and control risks and report incidents
• Employment law, which makes health and safety a responsibility shared by employers and employees and obliges employers to minimise risk
• Security regulation, which ensures doorstaff have the necessary training and skills
• Licensing legislation, which is based on the four licensing objectives, including public safety
• The Human Rights Act, which includes the right not to be harmed in an arbitrary or unjustifiable way.

Assessing risk

Employers must consider the risk associated with tasks carried out by their staff. These might include:

• Refusing entry
• Intervening in disputes
• Refusing service
• Stopping customers smoking
• Ejection from the premises
• Searching
• Arrest

Reducing risk

Identifying the root cause of incidents - asking why they happen - will help tackle the factors that fuel escalation and risk. Frontline staff can themselves often suggest simple, creative and cost-effective solutions to the probems they face.

These might come in at various levels, for instance communicating better with customers, introducing 'proactive service' that makes customers aware of potential problems in advance, and staff training in incident reporting and self-protection.

Policies

Where work-related violence is a significant risk it's important that a written policy sets out how the employer is tackling the issue. A policy could include:

• How risks are assessed and reduced
• Incident management
• Post-incident management and support for employees and customers in the aftermath
• The house rules for customers and the sanctions available when they are broken.

Incident reporting

Employers must capture information on all violent incidents so they can learn from them.

There is a tendency not to report incidents but this can be overcome by challenging the assumption that violence is part of the job, designing a simple report mechanism, training staff in completing reports and promoting successful actions that have come from analysing staff reports.

Remember, support for the individuals involved must come before you attribute blame to anyone.

Training

Everyone working in a pub plays a part in reducing risk of conflict, not just doorstaff.

All frontline staff can be trained in good service, awareness of potential problems, knowledge of emergency procedures and an understanding of what's expected of them when it comes to physical intervention. Violent incidents should be rehearsed so all staff know what to do.

Training needs should be assessed on the basis of your risk assessment, your policy, an analysis of reported incidents and the exisiting knowledge and skills of your staff.

People should not be trained in physical intervention, however, until they have been trained in prevention, including conflict management skills.

Once that is in place, physical intervention training can be considered (see box, right).

Bear in mind that the training itself carries a risk of injury, which is another reason for being clear about who really needs these skills and why.

The training should in particular include the risks associated with use of physical skills such as asphyxiation, and the legal aspects. The higher the level of force, the greater the justification required for your staff to stay inside the law.

While the guidance doesn't set training standards or recommend specific approaches to physical intervention - about which there is still a lot of debate - it says that training should aim primarily to equip staff with lower-risk options, such as disengagement, escorting and holding. The relevance to the staff member's role and the actual risks they take is a major consideration.

• Copies of Physical Intervention: Reducing Risk​ are available from the BIIAB and Skills for Security at £5 excluding postage and packaging (see contact details, below).