Late at night, after leaving clubs and keen to get home, night-goers can turn violent, if situations for example over taxis are not defused.
Hence councils appoint taxi marshals, to combat illegal ‘pick ups’, control taxi queues, look after vulnerable persons, and dealing with confrontations.
One security firm running such Taxi Marshal schemes is Leisure Sec plc. The Henley in Arden based contractor’s marshals have radios and jacket mounted CCTV cameras, and are able to report any problems that they witness to the CCTV control room. They work with the Licensing Authority, Police and others.
Body worn video, the firm says, acts as a tool to deter crime and can be essential for evidence gathering whilst demonstrating the professional job of the marshals.
Nuneaton’s pilot scheme was in place between 11.30pm until 4am every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night during December.
Dennis Harvey, leader of Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, said: “It is extremely important that people feel that Nuneaton town centre is a safe and welcoming location where people can come and enjoy a night out.”
Another user of Leisure Sec plc’s Taxi Marshals is Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, which insisted on only appointing Security Industry Authority (SIA) accredited marshals who were also trained in conflict management.
The Solihull marshals work with police, the council CCTV control room, street pastors, door staff, Pub Watch, resident groups and local businesses.
Leisure Sec plc’s managing director Cusack Gordon said: “Our marshals act as a concierge and customer service representatives in busy town centres after hours. All our security operatives undertake training when employed, then additional modular training every 12 months, including conflict management, duty of care, social responsibility and customer care, physical intervention, FPOS (first person on scene), operational deployment, immediate action drills and queue control, incident report and witness statement construction, drug awareness, radio communication, searching, law, equal opportunities and managing diversity.”
Cusack Gordon has more than 25 years’ experience in the security industry and is a past Chair of UKASP (United Kingdom Association of Security Providers). And Leisure Sec’s National Training Manager Jagtinder Sidhu has more than 30 years’ experience with organisations such as the National Exhibition Centre, the National Indoor Arena and The International Convention Centre, as well as the Royal Symphony Hall where he provided physical intervention training to their security personnel with a view to their staff performing their own response squad duties.
Jagtinder Sidhu said: “We consistently receive positive feedback from our clients, for example, after more than a decade’s service to Rank Leisure’s Grosvenor Casino and Mecca Bingo sites around the UK, we beat 1800 other companies to be awarded Supplier of the Year due to our consistently high service levels.”
The company’s own Security App has been developed to incorporate the duties of a Taxi Marshal, which allows the operatives to record incidents on their ‘phones. Cusack Gordon added: “The app also enables our clients to view activities in real time. The main benefit noticed by customers is one of time saving; rather than compiling a number of faxed incident reports, our software allows the designated members of council staff to see all incidents for each site immediately and this information can be incorporated into monthly reports to assist management meetings and training schedules.”
Visit www.leisuresec.plc.uk.
