Private security and emergency services come together for safety exercise at London’s Cuckoo Club

The SIA is running the exercise in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Service, Profile Protection Security Services Ltd, West End Security Group, Safer Business Group, the Princess Royal’s Volunteer Corps, Inspirations Theatre Company, and The Cuckoo Club itself.

The training event at The Cuckoo Club comprises a series of real-time simulations involving actors and volunteers of possible emergency scenarios. These are:

• mass stabbing (gang related knife attack)
• invacuation (external marauding terrorist attack)
• corrosive attack (using the three Rs remove, remove remove)
• suspect package

This event will strengthen the resilience of the venue. Cuckoo Club staff and Profile Protection Security Services Ltd (the security provider) will also benefit from completing the brand-new Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) Security e-learning.

Paul Fullwood, the SIA’s Director of Inspections and Enforcement, said:

The private security industry has an important role in protecting the public. Security operatives can often be the first on the scene in an incident. This exercise at The Cuckoo Club will provide a learning environment for door supervisors and nightclub staff to respond to a set of simulated exercises with the support of the emergency services.

He added that:

The common goal of all of the partners is ensuring that going to a London nightclub is as safe as possible for customers and those working at the venue.

The objective of this exercise is to enhance public safety in the night-time economy by working with venues and security staff.

It is also to showcase best practice (so, putting the Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) Security e-learning package into practice), to demonstrate partnership working within the community and to run a series of exercises in a real-time environment.

This emergency planning exercise at The Cuckoo Club continues a programme of exercises and follows on from the last event in Chesterfield on 21 September. A pilot event took place in Buxton, Derbyshire in October 2019 but the programme of exercises was disrupted due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The new Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) Security e-learning is specialised training for front line security operatives. This free course was designed by government counter-terrorism experts from the National Counter Terrorism Security Office, the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure and the SIA. The custom-built training provides up-to date counter-terrorism knowledge to help security professionals prepare for and respond to terrorist incidents whilst on duty.

Further information:

• Invacuation: an invacuation or lockdown, occurs when circumstances dictate that people’s safety is better ensured by them being kept inside the building with the doors and windows locked and the blinds/shutters closed. People should be moved away from the windows and doors for prime safety.
• The Security Industry Authority is the organisation responsible for regulating the private security industry in the United Kingdom, reporting to the Home Secretary under the terms of the Private Security Industry Act 2001. The SIA’s main duties are: the compulsory licensing of individuals undertaking designated activities; managing the voluntary Approved Contractor Scheme.
• For further information about the Security Industry Authority visit www.gov.uk/sia. The SIA is also on Facebook (Security Industry Authority) and Twitter (SIAuk).