than we have presently. However, all the signs so far look like the industry is heading for an iceberg and we should man the lifeboats as soon as possible.
Since the implementation of the SIA in the UK, good stewards who’ve done the door for years have been told that under the new regime they will no longer be able to work, as they picked up an assault charge, for example, a couple of years previously. Hell, one lad I know had his application for a licence turned down and put to appeal because he was detained for a weekend by the police because of a breach of the peace after having an argument with his former girlfriend in their home. I’ve watched as lads who’ve done the door for years hang up their boots and call it a day rather than throwing nearly £400 at the SIA to get a little badge that says they’re fit to do the same job they’ve done for the last 20 years.
These are the very same men and women who put me through my apprenticeship when I started on the doors. If you can show me in black and white how certificates earned over a few days sitting in a classroom make you more proficient on the door compared to a rookie working with a team of experienced, professional doormen who over time can show him exactly how to spot trouble and deal with it proficiently and swiftly, then I’ll wear my SIA badge on my chest with the pride and justification it deserves. Until then, I’ll continue to piss and moan to anyone who will listen about how the SIA are killing the doorman community and making it near impossible for us to do our jobs.
I’ve sat back and watched as young students are brought on board by security agencies, put through their courses and then paid a damn near minimum wage for putting their safety on the line week in, week out while the agency rubs its hands at the increased profit margins. These are the very same agencies that filter out the more experienced lads because the profit margin is too low and then fill the gaps with young boys and girls who are thrust clean into the firing line. I’ve sat back and watched the SIA put the control of the UK’s pubs and clubs back into the hands of the weekend whisky warriors, and it hurts me to see the industry I love dying on its arse.
Modern stewards are now concerned about getting involved in separating troublemakers in case one of the parties reports their badge number and makes a false claim against them. Hearing the words, ‘What’s your fucking badge number?’ from some pissed-up asshole you’ve just thrown out for groping one of the barmaids is guaranteed to make you think twice. And now that these half-pint heroes know they’ve got control over you, there’s no respect for the stewards in a venue any more. Effectively, the SIA have tied our hands in political correctness. All we can do now is sit back and watch the show while the monkeys take control of the circus.
I still work on the doors and still suffer weekly abuse from those whisky warriors who plague the city. I sit here twiddling my thumbs waiting for the SIA to send me a badge in Scotland, saying that I’m a fit and capable human being to stand on a cold, wet doorway of an evening!
My love affair with the job is still there – for the time being. However, as time goes by and the job becomes more and more tied up by the politically correct brigade and the wonderful SIA, I may have to cut ties with the old lady of my life and move on to pastures new and find another job to love. When the industry does die, would the last member of the SIA please put the lights out after them?
B IOGRAPHY OF S COTT T AYLOR
As well as working the doors, Scott works for a large entertainment company based in Aberdeen as the security manager for their venues. In 2004, as a side project while he taught himself web and graphic design, he built a door-steward-related website called Door Network, which has over 1,000 registered members and is getting more and more popular by the week. Scott uses his spare
Since the implementation of the SIA in the UK, good stewards who’ve done the door for years have been told that under the new regime they will no longer be able to work, as they picked up an assault charge, for example, a couple of years previously. Hell, one lad I know had his application for a licence turned down and put to appeal because he was detained for a weekend by the police because of a breach of the peace after having an argument with his former girlfriend in their home. I’ve watched as lads who’ve done the door for years hang up their boots and call it a day rather than throwing nearly £400 at the SIA to get a little badge that says they’re fit to do the same job they’ve done for the last 20 years.
These are the very same men and women who put me through my apprenticeship when I started on the doors. If you can show me in black and white how certificates earned over a few days sitting in a classroom make you more proficient on the door compared to a rookie working with a team of experienced, professional doormen who over time can show him exactly how to spot trouble and deal with it proficiently and swiftly, then I’ll wear my SIA badge on my chest with the pride and justification it deserves. Until then, I’ll continue to piss and moan to anyone who will listen about how the SIA are killing the doorman community and making it near impossible for us to do our jobs.
I’ve sat back and watched as young students are brought on board by security agencies, put through their courses and then paid a damn near minimum wage for putting their safety on the line week in, week out while the agency rubs its hands at the increased profit margins. These are the very same agencies that filter out the more experienced lads because the profit margin is too low and then fill the gaps with young boys and girls who are thrust clean into the firing line. I’ve sat back and watched the SIA put the control of the UK’s pubs and clubs back into the hands of the weekend whisky warriors, and it hurts me to see the industry I love dying on its arse.
Modern stewards are now concerned about getting involved in separating troublemakers in case one of the parties reports their badge number and makes a false claim against them. Hearing the words, ‘What’s your fucking badge number?’ from some pissed-up asshole you’ve just thrown out for groping one of the barmaids is guaranteed to make you think twice. And now that these half-pint heroes know they’ve got control over you, there’s no respect for the stewards in a venue any more. Effectively, the SIA have tied our hands in political correctness. All we can do now is sit back and watch the show while the monkeys take control of the circus.
I still work on the doors and still suffer weekly abuse from those whisky warriors who plague the city. I sit here twiddling my thumbs waiting for the SIA to send me a badge in Scotland, saying that I’m a fit and capable human being to stand on a cold, wet doorway of an evening!
My love affair with the job is still there – for the time being. However, as time goes by and the job becomes more and more tied up by the politically correct brigade and the wonderful SIA, I may have to cut ties with the old lady of my life and move on to pastures new and find another job to love. When the industry does die, would the last member of the SIA please put the lights out after them?
B IOGRAPHY OF S COTT T AYLOR
As well as working the doors, Scott works for a large entertainment company based in Aberdeen as the security manager for their venues. In 2004, as a side project while he taught himself web and graphic design, he built a door-steward-related website called Door Network, which has over 1,000 registered members and is getting more and more popular by the week. Scott uses his spare
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