Legal
The single biggest reason Door Supervisors lose their licence is because they say the wrong thing at the wrong time. This is invariably due to a lack of knowledge and foolish pride!
They say "pride always come before a fall" and in the male-dominated world of security this is definitely true. By playing down the severity of incidents, in order to impress the rest of the team, you don't help anyone, other than the person making the complaint. In this section we will look at what you need to do to protect yourself against false accusations.
What does it mean to be Assaulted?
An "Assault" occurs when a person threatens you with physical violence, and you are afraid that, that person may carry out their threat. This is known as "Verbal Assault" and is an offence for which only a Police Officer can make an arrest. A physical assault is where a person punches or kicks you, which causes only minor discomfort. This discomfort can take the form of reddening of the skin, black eye, etc, and is known as "Battery". As with Verbal Assault it is an offence for which only a Police Officer can make an arrest.
However, for the assault to have legally taken place, you must truly believe, you are in immediate danger. Never say anything, which the person could take as consent, i.e. "Come on then" or "Enjoy the moment". If you say things like this, it tells tell the Police you weren't afraid, This means you are as guilty as your attacker as you have agreed to a fight. In your role, you are expected to be more aware of the effects of drink and drugs - and act accordingly.
What should you say?
You should tell the truth is the simple answer. The truth is you should always be afraid in your job - if you not afraid then you are a danger and a liability to the people with whom you work! You should be afraid for yourself! You can never be certain of what level of violence they are prepared to use! You should be afraid for the general public and other innocent bystanders. If any of them are injured as result of your actions you will have to justify why your actions were necessary. Finally you should be afraid for your attacker. If they are injured, you will have to explain why it was necessary for you to use force. Remeber if you have an honestly held belief that you are about to be physically attacked - you are legally entitled to take action - before you are hit! However you will have to convince a Court, this was "reasonable and necessary" under the circumstances.
Therefore you should always try and ensure the following
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Make sure any discussions you have with attackers/customers are carried out in front of CCTV cameras. This helps you get evidence of theirs and your behaviour leading up to the event. Rest assured if they go to Court, the Magistrate or Judge will see a completely different image of that person.
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Make every effort to calm the attacker down, using your Conflict Management skills.
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Make sure people see, and hear you, politely explaining what you want the attacker to do, prior to the incident (These will be potential witnesses who can confirm you version of events)!
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Maintain space and a relaxed posture, with palms open and facing downwards. Your body language needs to be reflected in your witness statement.
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When the attack happens, try and maintain space in the first instance, and ask them to modify their behaviour.
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If you have to use force - then use the minimum amount necessary to gain control of the situation. All the time this is happening explain assertively, that you will stop as soon as they stop behaving in this manner.
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Once they have stopped resisting/fighting you may not use force any longer, as you would then be breaking the law. (Not one single punch or slap - irrespective of what crimes the attacker might have committed.
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Make sure you write the details of the incident into your Pocket Book as soon as possible after the event.
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Use the notes in your pocketbook to help you write your witness statement.
Downloads
Temporary Download facilty
A Rough Guide to Writing a Witness Statement Involving An Assault
A Rough Guide to Using a Pocketbook