Page 35 - Door Supervision Training Booklet

door staff as well. For these reasons it is important that door supervisors take seriously their role in preventing the use and sale of drugs on those premises.
Incidents of violence are known to increase at pubs and clubs where illegal drugs are sold and used, as users fight amongst themselves, and dealers fight over territory and money.
Drugs affect people in different ways. While some relax and enjoy themselves, others suffer severe mood changes and may become violent. As a door supervisor you are likely to be on the receiving end of such aggression.
Customers may overdose on the premises, which means that door staff may have to neglect other security duties to administer first aid, with all of the obvious health risks to themselves.
For these and other reasons it is important that as far as is possible, drugs are kept out of the premises. It is one of a door supervisor's prime duties in protecting premises to keep drug related incidents to a minimum, and to use pro-active measures to stop dealing and misuse from taking place.
In order to be able to do this it is necessary to have a basic working knowledge of the laws and your powers in relation to controlled drugs, so that you can decide on the best course of action in any given situation.
This section aims to give you a brief appraisal of the drug laws which commonly apply to security personnel, explaining how to deal with breaches of these laws, outlining the types and classes of controlled drugs commonly found on licensed premises, and signs which might indicate to door staff that their premises may have a drug problem.
Classification Of Drugs
In 1971 the Misuse of Drugs Act was brought into force to regulate the use of 'controlled drugs', and defined numerous offences under the Act. It defined three categories of drugs according to their toxic effect, prevalence of misuse, danger to society and their subsequent penalties for misuse. All of the major controlled drugs have been listed here, but the most common drugs of misuse found or used on or around licensed premises have been highlighted.
Class A Drugs
The hardest drugs are found under this category, namely the narcotics and the hallucinogenic drugs. Narcotics were included in this class because of their dangerous addictive qualities, and the hallucinogenic drugs because of the violent reactions and activities of those who take them. Drugs in this class include: -
Morphine
Opium
Heroin (diamorphine)
Pethidine
Cocaine
Mescaline
Crack
LSD
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