Pubs face Games security chaos
Police fear that pubs and bars could find themselves struggling to man the door during busy periods.
Some pubs could even face closure under the terms of their licence.
Olympic venues will need more than 23,700 security staff during the Games, with this number including 7,000 military personnel.
G4S, the security company, will also recruit more than 10,000 temporary staff as part of the total. The rest will be made up of volunteers or students.
Despite the fact there are currently 211,000 Security Industry Authority (SIA) registered doorstaff in the UK, not all of these work within the entertainment sector.
Adrian Studd, Olympics licensing lead at the Metropolitan Police, warned: “The Olympics is drawing in door supervisors from around the country.
“It is going to be a short contract — six weeks maybe — and there is going to be money available to those door supervisors.
“No doubt some of them will be thinking they can make a quick buck.
“They will be working for £10, £15 or £20 an hour on the door but they can work at the Olympic site for more hours and more money.”
He advised licensees to consider tying supervisors into contracts and explaining to them the benefit of long-term job security.
“If you have doorstaff you need to be talking to them about the value of staying with you and resisting the urge to go elsewhere for the short-term money,” Studd advised.
His view was supported by Ian Graham, chairman of the Association of Chief Police Officers’ alcohol harm and licensing working group, who warned: “We have spoken to the SIA and obviously the Olympic Park requires a certain number of security staff there.
“Doorstaff are going to be attracted to work in Olympic venues because the pay is going to be significantly better. The issue is that it will draw staff away from their day jobs. At the moment there aren’t enough doorstaff to go around.”
National Doorwatch chairman Ian Fox warned this could be a “massive problem” and predicted that a large proportion of doorstaff could be working at the Games, leaving pubs across the UK without adequate cover.
However, the SIA said it has been making pubcos and doorstaff companies aware of the issue. A spokeswoman said: “It is something we want to make people aware of. Ensure you are prepared.”
A spokesman for the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) said pubs are working hard to ensure door cover.
He added: “There will be pressure over the summer, but we believe BBPA members have been planning ahead to make sure they have the cover.”
Adrian Studd and Ian Graham were speaking at the National Pubwatch conference last week.
