Page 27 - Door Supervision Training Booklet

SEARCHING
Door supervisors working at licensed premises have no legal or statutory powers to search any person. Under no circumstances can they forcibly search anyone. The manager or licensee of the premises can, however, make it a 'condition of entry' that people wishing to enter consent to being searched by the door team prior to being allowed in. This is usually done to prevent items that are not allowed onto the premises from being brought in, as a method of protecting the venue, its staff and customers.
Such items would include: -
• Illegal drugs
• Offensive weapons
• Other unauthorised items (i.e. incendiary devices, fireworks, laser pens, paint-sprays,
alcohol)
Preventing such items from being brought into the premises reduces the chances of serious harm to customers and staff, and reduces the likelihood of the licensee being prosecuted.
A condition of entry simply means that customers may be allowed to enter the pub or club on the condition that they allow the door staff to search them. If they refuse to consent to such a search, then they may be and should be refused entry.
If the licensee or manager authorises such a condition, then it is good practice to display a sign outside the premises explaining this to all potential customers. Displaying such a notice warns customers that the venue has a search policy, so preventing most from trying to bring unauthorised items in, and also shows that the search policy is a management decision, and not just something devised by the door staff themselves.
Such signs should explain that: -
• Customers are liable to be searched prior to entry
• Entry is conditional on customers consenting to a search
• Customers refusing to be searched will be refused entry
• Searches are for illegal drugs, weapons and other unauthorised items
• The police will automatically be called if customers are found with such items
How far each customer is searched is again up to the management of the premises, and the individual door supervisor's discretion at the time. If a club has a particular problem with drugs abuse, then the searches will need to be fairly thorough as small amounts of controlled substances can be easily hidden. If another club has a reputation for fights and violent disorder, then the emphasis on the searching is more likely to be for offensive weapons such as knives, knuckle-dusters and coshes. Full strip-searches should not be carried out by door staff, however.
Permission must always be obtained from the customer prior to a search, because as we have already mentioned you have no legal or statutory powers granting you authority to search any person without their express consent. So before you consider searching a customer at the point
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