The questions venue owners ask us first.

It starts with a confidential conversation about the concern and the routine. We then write a plan — officers, hours, vehicles if needed — and you meet the lead officer before the first day. Officers hold the SIA Close Protection licence and sign confidentiality terms.

Yes. Birthdays, weddings and private functions with a bar are a regular part of our work. We plan the numbers with you, staff the door and the bar area, and handle dispersal at the end.

Yes. Positions that involve a licensed bar or entry control are staffed with SIA-licensed officers; stewarding positions that don't are staffed accordingly. Your plan shows which is which.

Yes — every officer holds a current SIA licence for the role they're doing: Door Supervisor for bars, restaurants and licensed events; Security Guard for static guarding, retail and car parks; Close Protection for close protection; Public Space Surveillance for CCTV. We record the licence number and expiry and check it on the SIA register before their first shift. You can see the numbers on your Cover Board.

Start with your premises licence — many set a condition, typically one door supervisor per 100 customers, or a fixed number on set nights. Beyond that it depends on layout (one entrance or two), how busy your busiest hour is, and whether you serve until late. Tell us your capacity and licence conditions and we'll recommend a number and say why.

Regular cover: usually within a week of confirming. One-off dates: often within a few days, and same-day if we have the right officers free — call rather than use the form for anything within 48 hours.

That's how we prefer to run regular door work. Continuity is better for the venue, the officers and us. We keep the same team on your door wherever we can and tell you when someone changes.

Per officer, per hour, ex VAT. The rate depends on the licence the job needs, the hours (late finishes and bank holidays cost more), and whether it's regular or one-off. Regular weekly cover is quoted as a fixed weekly figure. Everything is written down before you commit.

Most one-off bookings have a minimum number of hours per officer, which we state on the quote. Regular door work is quoted per night.

We fill the shift. The office is on the phone on the night, we hold a pool of officers who can be called, and you are not charged for hours that weren't covered.

Your login to the same rota our office runs. It shows the officers booked for your venue this week, whether they've confirmed, their SIA licence number and expiry, when they checked in, hours worked, and any incident report from the night. You can also request extra cover from it.

Only the contacts at your business that we've invited, and our office. Officers see their own shifts, not your board.

Yes. Hours are logged per shift in the same system that runs the rota, so your pay is based on the record, not memory. Ask any of our officers.