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A Guide to minimising the risk of crime and disorder in licensed premises during international football tournaments

UEFA Nations League Finals

On Thursday 6th and Sunday 9th June 2019 – England are playing in the finals of a ‘smalll’ football tournament in Portugal – the UEFA Nations League finals.  England could (in theory) end up winning some silverware and no doubt there will be some interest with the matches being shown in a number of venues.

Sussex Police want to support each town to ensure that it remains “business as usual” on these dates by aiming to reduce the risks posed by any individuals who will use the tournament as an excuse to participate in alcohol fuelled crime and disorder.

The purpose of this document is to assist Licensed Premises, Designated Premises Supervisors (DPS), Venue Staff and Door Supervisors to understand the preventative measures that can be taken to minimise this risk.

THE VENUE

All attempts should be made to ensure that the venue is organised in such a way to lessen the risk posed to customers and staff. The following are suggestions that can be implemented to assist with this:

  • Glasses are replaced with plastic to reduce the risk of serious injury in the event of violence or disorder.
  • All bottled drinks e.g. beers/lagers should be decanted into a plastic container and the empty glass bottle disposed of promptly and by a secure method.
  • Glass collectors should be employed to remove empty drinking receptacles at regular intervals.
  • All non essential furniture should be removed and placed in a secure location. Routes to and from exits and bar/staff areas should be kept clear and where appropriate extended to cope with increased capacity.
  • Pool tables, football tables, darts etc. should be removed or covered at a minimum of two hours prior to kick off. All pool cues, balls and other accessories should be removed and secured away from public access.
  • If CCTV is a condition on your licence or you have it installed, it should be fully operational. Make sure that this is advertised on the premises as this can often act as a deterrent to crime and disorder. The position of cameras should be checked and there should be minimal blind spots. At least 1 member of staff on duty should be familiar in how the CCTV system works and how to download footage to a suitable external media e.g. DVD/Memory Stick for Police evidential purposes.
  • If your venue is a member of the BCRP, please ensure you have access to the latest intelligence and information concerning excluded persons and that your Barwatch radio is charged and fully operational should contact with nearby venues be needed.

DOOR SUPERVISORS/ SECURITY

  • We encourage your venue to hire Security Industry Authority (SIA) accredited Door Supervisors on a risk assessment basis during the screening of UEFA Nations League games, even if this is not a condition on your Premises Licence. This is recommended for all games featuring England and any others which might attract a local community interest.
  • We suggest a minimum ratio of one Door Supervisor to every 100 customers. There should a minimum two SIA Door Supervisors.
  • Door Supervisors should be familiar with the venue, emergency exits, the Duty Management structure and Fire evacuation procedures.
  • Door Supervisors should be confident in conducting searches upon entry for drugs and weapons.
  • Large, rowdy and aggressive groups should be refused entry and where appropriate other venues and/or Police notified.

PREMISES/ VENUE STAFF

  • All staff members should be familiar with the location of Door Supervisors.
  • All staff should look to identify groups or individuals who are heavily intoxicated and are engaging in an aggressive and anti-social manner. Door supervisors should make early inventions if issues arise within the venue to prevent problems escalating.
  • Sussex Police can be notified of any emerging issues through the normal channels e.g. 101 for non emergency, 999 for emergency.

THEFTS

There will be individuals who will be actively targeting busy venues during a football tournament in order to commit crime. This can be minimised as follows:

  • Enforce a policy that all unattended bags, luggage and other valuable items will be removed from public access, recorded and placed in a secure location until reclaimed.
  • Staff will encourage all persons entering the venue, not to leave property unattended and warn them that thieves might be operating in the venue.

FOOD

If you are intending on showing a number of matches throughout the day there may be some customers who take advantage of remaining within your venue to consume alcohol for a lengthy period of time. One suggestion could be to provide a facility for food to be sold in between matches if you don’t already, to reduce binge drinking and excessive consumption of alcohol.

UNDERAGE SALES & FAKE ID

We would also like to take this opportunity to remind you of the need to remain vigilant with regards to underage sales of alcohol, proxy sales and the use of fake identification. You should be robust in determining whether people seeking to enter your premises are already intoxicated and refuse them access accordingly.

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