Page 40 - Door Supervision Training Booklet

adverse effects of drugs, then this would obviously come under the category of a serious drugs problem, and the licence could be revoked. A number of drug seizures, however, as the result of effective searches at the point of entry, would not be used against the venue.
This legislation, again, stresses the importance for door supervisors to take an active role in the fight against drugs on licensed premises.
Dealing With Drug Offences
As shown above, there are severe penalties for the possession and supplying of drugs. Because of the possible sentences involved, many of the offences are 'indictable offences' and as such, door supervisors have powers to arrest where there are reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act is taking or has taken place.
If, for example, whilst searching a customer at the door under the conditions of entry, you find him to be in possession of what you suspect to be a controlled drug from either Class A or Class B, then you have the power to arrest that person and detain him for the police. You would be arresting him for the unlawful possession of a controlled drug, as defined by Section 5 of the Misuse of Drugs Act.
If during a routine patrol of the toilets inside the club or pub, you see one person passing what appear to be drugs to another person, then you have the power to arrest both of them, the first person for unlawfully supplying the drugs to another, and the second who took the drugs for unlawful possession.
In all drug related arrests door supervisors must take special care to keep observations on each person arrested in case they try to dispose of evidence (i.e. drugs) prior to the arrival of the police. Where possible the drugs should be seized at the time by the door supervisor pending police arrival, and then handed over to the officers when the facts of the arrest are related to them.
Evidentially it is usually better to have a witness when making arrests, so where possible door supervisors should try to work in pairs, although it is appreciated that this is not always possible.
Whether or not to arrest someone for a drugs offence is a matter for each door supervisor to decide at the time. Many factors will help you decide, especially any particular house policy laid down by the management, or specific instructions from the local police. Some premises, for example, only formally arrest drug dealers they catch, handling simple users by seizing their small amounts of drugs and then refusing them entry to the premises. The drugs are then handed over to the management or kept in specially designed locked safe-boxes near to the reception area until the end of the evening, when the police collect them and take them away for destruction.
It must be stressed at this point, however, that whenever door supervisors do seize drugs from people, that they must be immediately handed over to either the manager or the person in charge of the door staff. Door supervisors will rarely have any excuse for being found in possession of controlled drugs themselves. The age-old excuse of 'I took them from a customer and forgot to hand them in' is very unlikely to be accepted by the police or the courts these days.
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