Showsec develops qualification course for restraining and ejecting unruly customers at events
(08/05/2008)

The need to restrain and eject unruly customers at events is frequently believed to be a major role for event security companies. But, as Roy Wise, Training and Development Officer at Showsec, points out “Our focus is on the safety of the 99.99% of event goers who come to enjoy themselves peacefully. Our employees rarely have to deal with an ejection.”

However, a handful of Showsec operatives, such as supervisors, incident response teams and club-based venue teams, are in the front line when it comes to carrying out this procedure. The company has worked with the conflict management centre MAYBO to develop a qualification that provides these staff with techniques and protocols which cause minimum distress when ejecting a disruptive member of the public, based on violence reduction and physical intervention methods.

“Showsec wanted a customer-focussed course based on non-aggressive techniques and spent a lot of time selecting the programme,” says Bill Fox, Business Development Director of MAYBO. “Before this course, there had been different types of physical intervention training which were only recognised in individual sectors. Now we have a course that is recognised by all bodies relevant to the event industry.”

This April, six of Showsec’s team leaders were awarded their certificate in physical restraint, recognised by MAYBO, the BIIAB and Skills for Security, after successfully completing the course.

David Greer, Chief Executive of Skills for Security, said, “Bill Fox specifically developed this low aggression programme and we quality-assured the course. Employees holding this qualification are guaranteed the right training for the right job. They can also demonstrate their continuous professional development (CPD) to the government regulator, the SIA. Showsec is leading the way in developing staff to provide services for their customers.”

Roy emphasises that ejecting troublemakers is not a common occurrence at events but that this qualification will reassure both event organisers, members of the public and the staff themselves that Showsec teams are properly prepared in the event of the need for physical restraint.

“The fact that we have a qualification in physical restraint which is recognised in all key sectors of the events and security world is a big step forward,” he says. “I congratulate our seven supervisors in being first to complete the course and working so hard to maintain their continuous professional development.”