Now Ye're Talking - to a Nightclub Bouncer

B_ecke_r wrote: »

are you told to let in a certain ratio of females to males?

Certainly not where I work. Granted, we get mostly students so the ratio would be fairly equal usually.

punisher5112 wrote: »

What procedures are in place to stop crushes?

Are you under pressure to allow as much in as possible or even too many to make the business more money.

Do you really check I.D properly?

Do you ever get a few sneaky digs into the thick ones that fight and cause trouble.

What's the worst experience you have had?

Have you ever had to throw patrons out for doing drugs or selling and would you hold for Gardai.

1. Security is positioned outside to stagger the queue which is very effective. The importance of this was highlighted by the terrible events in Tyrone.

2. We certainly aren’t under pressure to let as many in as possible. Since our club is so busy we can be easily turn away anybody who we believe to be too intoxicated and still fill the club. We use a clicker to count the amount of people entering and once the max limit is reached the door is closed.

3. Yes we certainly do, although females can be extremely difficult. If we have any doubt at all we’ll ask for a second form of ID which usually does the trick. That being said, of course you’re always going to have the 16 and 17 year olds who managed to get an ID that looks just like them.

4. This is a big no no these days. Sometimes you might love to give somebody a sneaky dig but it’s just not worth losing your security license. If we want to ‘persuade’ them there are plenty of arm locks etc. that are acceptable and certainly aren’t pleasant.

5. Now this is a tough one. I’d say probably the time a refused entry to an individual who was extremely intoxicated and covered in his own vomit. He became threatening and abusive and after about 20 minutes of trying to argue with me, attempted to push past me. I had to grab him and push him back outside, getting covered in his vomit in the process. Not a good night.

6. Standard practice if you catch somebody taking what you believe to be drugs is to remove them for the premises for being ‘intoxicated’. One thing you never do is accuse them of taking drugs. You have absolutely no way of proving the white powder in that bag is anything other than baking powder, and simple possession isn’t an arrestable offense unless it’s enough for sale and supply. On the other hand, if somebody were to be caught say with a bag of what appeared to be ecstasy pills, he would be held for Gardaí as you can be fairly sure that it’s for sale and supply.

[Deleted User] wrote: »

How do you deal with over aggressive colleagues?
I remember working in a large Cork City club and one guy used to escalate every situation, where a person would just (say) need to be spoken to would end up with a scuffle and them getting removed.

I ended up requesting a more (logistically) difficult area of the club rather than work the main floor, because of him.

Thankfully where I work there is very good management who would nip this in the bud very quickly. There are certainly some individuals working in security who are only waiting for the opportunity to grab someone and physically remove them.

I’ve never been in a situation like you where I’ve had to move position though.

mikemac2 wrote: »

Do you view the Gardai as there to help you for some out of control situations or maybe do you view them as a threat and they will want to prosecute you after a big fight?

Maybe both?

I would certainly view them as an asset. We have a great relationship with the Gardaí who would often chat away to us outside.
That being said, you’re always careful when they’re around, even in the way you might speak to an aggressive individual, as you’d never know how they’d react. A decision you make in a split second could lead to them reporting you to the Private Security Authority.

thomasm wrote: »

Have you ever had anyone accuse you of discrimination for refusing to allow entry?

Every. Single. Night.

There are some individuals that if you ask for a second form of ID you are called a racist. People will pull any card when they’re drunk and desperate. It certainly doesn’t strike fear in our hearts.

Hoboo wrote: »

Do you think bouncers should be tested for steroids? Any I've known were a complete liability.

I’ll have to say where I work we actually don’t have any of those types. I’m no Arnold Schwarzenegger myself.

With regard to the testing, I’d see it as quite a breach of privacy.

xieann wrote: »

What town / city did you start?

Who are your favourite and easiest clients? What do you think of Trip Advisor reviews?

I’d rather not say to avoid being identified.

I’ve only ever really worked with people in the 18-25 age group, I’ve only rarely worked with other groups.

I think when it comes to nightclubs they always have pretty bad reviews. I think this is because most people who have a good night won’t bother with a review, but if someone is annoyed at being kicked out they’ll make sure to write the worst review possible.

devlinio wrote: »

A club I go never check ID. In the 3 years, I've been going there, they have never asked people in the queue for ID. There are often 16-year-olds in there, who just walk on in. This is probably due to the fact that the club can be quiet a lot of the time, but still.

That club is certainly leaving themselves open to major trouble. It will catch up to them sooner or later.