June 1st 2010 marked a new era in training for door staff in the UK. For the first time, physical intervention training became compulsory for new entrants into the door supervisor industry.

New training, available from 1st June, means that candidates now wishing to train as door supervisors will be required to pass a one-day physical intervention skills training session, as well as pass three examinations, in order to gain the qualification required for a Security Industry Authority licence to practice.

The new training is modular and brings the door supervisor training in line with Security Guard, CCTV and vehicle immobiliser training which was updated in March this year.

The door supervisor course now consists of four units:

Unit 1: Working in the Private Security Industry

Unit 2: Working as a Door Supervisor

Unit 3: Conflict Management for the Private Security Industry

Unit 4: Physical Intervention Skills for the Private Security Industry

Units one and three are common units across Security Guarding, CCTV, Door Supervision and Vehicle Immobilisation. This means that individuals only have to take the assessment for these units once. It will make it easier if an individual wishes to get multiple SIA licences. For instance, if you pass all four units for door supervision, and at a future date wish to get an SIA (Security Industry Authority) vehicle immobiliser licence, you would only have to take the unit specific training for vehicle immobilisation which would be a one-day course.

As much of the legislation and operational procedures are the same across the security sectors, the SIA hope this new modular system will make the training process for SIA licences more accessible and simpler for individuals wishing to enter the industry.

Door supervision is currently the only sector which is required to undertake physical intervention skills training, and currently only new entrants are required to comply. However, the Government are considering whether to introduce these physical intervention skills as a compulsory upgrade for existing licensed door supervisors. However, if they are introduced it will not be before June 2011.

The physical intervention training focus on non-violent, non-aggressive techniques which are intended to defuse conflict and violence rather than escalate situations.

It deals with:

Disengagement – this element focuses on basic defensive skills

Assault avoidance and evasion

Releases from grips and grabs

Rescue skills

Holding – this element focuses on restrictive intervention

Escorting skills

Holding skills

All techniques are designed to be flexible, easy to learn and safe for door supervisors, customers and staff alike.