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Final warning to unlicenced door staff
THE Private Security Industry Act became law in November last year, and, following a locally defined 'grace
period', door supervisors and door supervisor managers should be regulated and licensed in order to do their job. Door supervisors who are SIA licensed are accredited individuals who are trained in basic civil and criminal
law, licensing law, drug awareness, crime scene preservation, first aid, conflict management, health and safety legislation and emergency procedures.
Working with the Security Industry Agency, and local authorities in the region, Merseyside Police is ready to enforce the terms of the act, but the SIA identity cards are still in the process of being issued, following months of delays and mistakes. Merseyside Police and partners, issued a final warning to door supervisors and their managers throughout Merseyside to get licensed by 1 July this year, or face legal action. But many who have duly applied, still do not have their badges due to yet more delays and problems entirely out of the control of the door supervisors and their managers.
Sgt. Nick Cowell from Sefton Licensing Unit said:- "We have been enforcing this legislation since it's introduction within the Security Industries Act in November 2004. We appreciate the complexities of introducing a new system of registration for door staff, so we have enforced it using discretion. After consultation with the partner agencies, we are now agreed that the time is right to end this period of discretion. With effect from the 1 July 2005, if any door staff are not wearing the blue SIA badge, they should not be working on the doors of licensed
premises.
The registration of door staff will ensure that all staff providing security at licensed premises throughout the county will be approachable and accountable. With the importance of our night-time economy in the Sefton area, it is crucial that the staff on the front line of that industry help to provide a safe environment, in which visitors and residents can enjoy all that Sefton has to offer.
Although there have been a couple of teething problems with the application process, as with the introduction of any new scheme, there has been great support from the Door Security Industry. They are aware of a need to stop rogue operators and encourage any moves made to combat the problem."
Time will tell if this legislation will make the doors of bars or venues safer or will just, as most of the door staff and bars have said:-
"Be an expensive waste of time, that will do more harm than good." Due to the delays in the issue of the blue cards, there is now a huge national shortage of licenced door staff and this could see lots of venues being forced to close because of the need to comply with the requirements of the new licencing law stipulating a specified number of door
staff. This is proving unnecessarily difficult because of the extreme tardiness in processing the applications for licences.
One of the door staff who has the new ID said:- "This is a complete joke. I only just got my card a few days ago, some of the staff I work with have passed all the tests and paid huge amounts of cash for the ID, but still they are waiting for them to arrive. It is not making the doors safer, it is only making them far more dangerous at present. Lots of us are now considering taking legal action."
It seems a pity that an idea that has been broadly accepted as necessary and benficial has been marred by these administrative hiccups, which seem likely to place the Police in an invidious position and to engender a sense of unfairness and resentment within the night club community. It's to be hoped that the requisite badges are rapidly forthcoming and that the situation is soon resolved to the benefit of all concerned, not least the public!
SUNNY WEATHER BEATS LOVE & MONEY
64% of people in Southport admit that summer makes them sing! 105.4 Century FM surveyed over 1000 people in the Southport to discover what makes them feel happy. The survey revealed that 39% of those questioned said that sunny weather is the thing most likely to makes them smile compared to only 4% of people who said money!
Top 5 things that make us happy:-
1. Sunny weather 64%
2. Spending time with family and friends 15%
3. Being in love 12.5%
4. Careers success 4.5%
5. Money 4%
Surprisingly summer beat love as a natural mood enhancer, but this may come as no surprise to people who suffer from SAD in the winter months.
Around 1 in 50 people in the UK suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is a type of depression or mood disorder with symptoms, which are worst in the winter months.
Sufferers complain of symptoms such as feeling miserable, having no energy, being tired, having low spirits and feeling depressed. With up to 1 in 8 people in the UK suffer symptoms of winter ‘blues’ (sub –syndromal SAD) it is not surprising that 64% of people say that sunny weather makes them feel happy.
Now that the summer has arrived in Southport everyone’s moods should improve, after a disappointing summer so far, August forecasts a glorious
heatwave.
Regional Marketing Controller Stephanie Barker commented:-
“The results aren’t all that surprising when you realise how many people suffer from SAD and winter ‘blues’ in the UK. At 105.4 Century FM we really embrace the summer and we encourage all of our listeners to do the same by having a sing-along summer.”
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RECYCLE 8 TILL 8 ON MERSEYSIDE!
MERSEYSIDE Waste Disposal Authority (MWDA) are opening their Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) till 8.00pm each night to encourage Merseyside residents to go green for the summer.
The longer opening hours at the Centres are set to see more BBQ bottles and summer catalogues recycled rather than wasted. The region’s 14 Household Waste Recycling Centres, including the new £1 million flagship recycling park at Irlam Road, South Sefton, will be open during the evening to help Merseyside residents ensure that their recycling efforts don’t get way-laid by the chance to make the most of the good weather through the summer.
Carl Beer, Director of MWDA, comments:- “With the good weather people are out enjoying the sun and their recycling efforts can sometimes fall by the wayside. The average family eats outside nine times over the summer with BBQs, picnics and parties – which all contribute to an extra build up of plastic, glass and paper waste in addition to the normal amount produced by each household. When cleaning up the mess what can be easier than putting the extra wine and beer bottles, cans and packaging in separate bags, and popping down to your local Recycling Centre rather than popping it into the bin. We hope that with the new opening hours it will allow residents to find a few minutes to fit recycling into their lives.”
More than 100 visitors at a time can use the new Sefton site, which caters for paper, card, textiles, cans, glass engine oil, green waste, rubble, scrap metal, white goods and batteries. Materials are kept separate, enabling 70 per cent of the items received to be recycled. The Centre is also home to an educational facility, which includes exhibitions and a classroom, so that local residents and children can learn the importance of reusing and recycling.
Carl Beer continues:- “We would like to see 40% of the region’s waste being recycled, which is quite an increase from the 13.5% recycled last year. Our Recycling Centres are an integral part of helping us to achieve that, alongside the kerbside recycling schemes. We hope that by opening for extra hours a day it will be more convenient for people to drop as the shop, go out for the evening, or even on their way to work. We have to reduce landfill as the Government’s new cash fines are coming into place, which could result in extra payments of £70million by the end of this decade.”
As the nation hits BIG recycle week, a week aimed at raising awareness of the need to recycle, MWDA have put together ten top tips to get you in the mood for recycling and to help kick start the summer evening trips to the recycling centres:
Top Tips for recycling:- Newspapers, magazines, direct mail, paperboard, glass bottles, food, drinks cans, aluminium foil, jars, clothes and green waste (composting) can all be recycled.
1. Check www.recycle-today.co.uk
for local bring sites or ring your council to find out about kerbside collections.
2. Set up recycling bags in your office and kitchen to collect paper, cans, bottles and other recycling goods.
3. Buy loose fruit and vegetables instead of packaged.
4. Try and avoid buying disposable items such as razors and nappies and buy more durable items instead.
5. 9 million disposable nappies are used every day; these take 500 years to decompose in landfill, use real instead.
6. Take a packed lunch to work to cut down on extra packaging
7. Set up a composting bin, your local council can help
8. Be a savvy shopper, take a list so you don’t over buy
9. Reuse your carrier bags, they take up to 500 years to degrade in a landfill site
10. Rent or borrow things for parties rather than buying disposables at the supermarkets and offer glasses if you are buying wine there for the event
Where you can recycle on Merseyside:-
Liverpool
· Otterspool Waste Recycling Centre, Jericho Lane, Aigburth, Liverpool
Sefton
· South Sefton Recycling Park, Irlam Road, Bootle
· Sefton Meadows Waste Recycling Centre, Sefton Lane, Maghull
· Southport Waste Recycling Centre, Foul Lane, Southport
· Formby Waste Recycling Centre, Altcar Road, Formby
Wirral
· Bidston Moss Waste Recycling Centre Wallasey Bridge Road, Wirral
· Clatterbridge Waste Recycling Centre Mount Road, Bebington, Wirral
· West Kirby Waste Recycling Centre, Greenbank Road, West Kirby, Wirral
Knowsley
· Huyton Waste Recycling Centre, Ellis Ashton Street, Huyton
· Kirkby Waste Reception Centre, Depot Road, Kirkby
St Helens
· Newton-le-Willows Waste Recycling Centre, Junction Lane, Newton-le-Willows,
St Helens
· Ravenhead Waste Recycling Centre, Burtonhead Road, St Helens
· Rainhill Waste Recycling Centre, Tasker Terrace, Rainhill
· Rainford Waste Recycling Centre, Southern's Lane, Rainford
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