A Personal View on Licensing SAVI

Mark Morgan, Licensing SAVI Business Manager, gives his personal view on the initiative.

‘We all enjoy time out with friends or family. A drink. A meal. A dance, karaoke or just a game of darts! These activities that we took for granted pre-pandemic seem more precious than ever today.

The hard-hit hospitality sector from bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants through to stadiums, arenas, theatres, hotels and guest houses, and sports and social clubs, deserve our support and consideration as their businesses start to recover.

To better understand this ‘semi-post pandemic’ marketplace, we commissioned a YouGov survey of 5,050 adults aged 18-45 in England between 16 August – 5 September. It found that adults feel significantly less safe in licensed premises now than they did pre-pandemic with those feeling most vulnerable being women and individuals from the LGBT and BAME communities.

It also highlighted the need for a safety award – and specifically, our own police safety award, the first of its kind, called Licensing Security & Vulnerability Initiative (Licensing SAVI), which was developed at the request of the Home Office by Police CPI, which works alongside the Police Service to reduce crime and build safer communities.

We are encouraging licensees to complete our Licensing SAVI on-line self-assessment, which brings together into one place for the first time all the information they need, such as management practices and operational security, to run a safe and secure venue. Licensing SAVI provides a Star-Rating and can go on to give a Licensing SAVI Award for display at venues and to use for marketing purposes to promote their business.

Venues can use Licensing SAVI as part of their business recovery plan and as a training tool for staff returning from furlough and the recruitment of new staff to replace those who have left.

We believe Licensing SAVI is the way forward for all types of venues who want to show customers how much they take safety seriously and want to re-build their businesses in a way that makes them safer for staff, customers and the local communities they serve.’

You can find out more about the assessment process, or undertake the Licensing SAVI self-assessment by clicking the button below:

Maximise Safety over Christmas and New Year

We’re seeing continued growth of Licensing SAVI across the country, now having venues in over 80 different town and cities.

As we’ve mentioned previously, recent incidents at licensed premises both locally and internationally remind us why reviewing safety and security practices is so important and how using Licensing SAVI can ensure premises are best prepared for a variety of scenarios that could arise.

The following advice is provided to licensed premises to maximise safety during the Christmas and New Year period:

Review Policies

Review venue policies and risk assessments to ensure they are current, with a focus upon vulnerability and safety. Free templates, including women’s safety and the recently added incident and refusal logs, along with numerous other resources are available within Licensing SAVI.

Use the policies as the basis for staff briefings and training, encouraging discussion as staff understanding what to look for and the role they play is key to success.
Check Premises Licence

Check Premises Licence conditions to ensure plans are compliant, especially when considering using space differently such as outside areas which may not have been used before; and submit Temporary Event Notices where necessary as early as possible
Review your resources

Review your available resources – if you need the additional support of Security Industry Authority (SIA) registered Door Supervisors or any other staff, then plan early as we know recent challenges exist
Uniform

Ensure staff are wearing branded uniforms/badges so customers know who to ask for assistance.
Drinking vessels

Consider using polycarbonate or similar drinking vessels, decant any bottles to reduce risk of injury or harm, and ask staff to clear rubbish quickly and remove to secure storage.
Drinking promotions

Run sensible drinking promotions such as a Designated Driver Scheme or Club Soda scheme and make free water available.
Be on the look out

Remind staff about 21/25 age-identification schemes to manage underage drinkers and that it is an offence to serve a drunk person (or on behalf of drunk person)

Encourage staff to be on the look-out for drink spiking, monitor unattended drinks and provide immediate assistance to customers feeling dizzy, disorientated or showing signs of intoxication; also for the venue to provide signage warning not to leave drinks unattended
Be prepared

Display or ensure staff have available the phone numbers of reputable taxi companies and / or signpost nearby transport hubs and consider your dispersal plans when everyone leaves at the same time.
Test alarms

Check smoke alarms are working and keep decorations clear of exits to allow for escape in emergency and ensure staff know their role in emergency procedures.
Terrorist threats

The terrorist threat is ‘substantial’ which means an attack is ‘likely’. Crowded places are particularly at risk.

Managers and staff will need to be vigilant for anything out of the ordinary or that doesn’t feel right no matter how small or insignificant it may seem.

Call your local police on 101 or in an emergency 999. For further information on action to counter terrorism visit: find out what to look out for and how to keep yourself and others safe or | Protect UKs.