Personal Safety Training

Brooks Jordan is working with St Bede’s School in East Sussex to deliver personal safety training to students preparing to leave school for a gap year or to go to university.

When St Bede’s first approached Brooks Jordan they asked for breakaway skills training for their year 11 pupils but after the first booking, Senior Tutor Coranne Laws booked an additional date with managing violence & aggression trainers Chris Jordan and his team of experts for sixth formers.  Coranne commented,

‘We booked Brooks Jordan as part of a scheduled Personal Safety Day for year 11 students with the aim of preparing our students for the potential risks associated with the greater freedom and autonomy they begin to experience as they move into adulthood. We were looking to provide our students with some practical advice and techniques to enable them to avoid and manage possible threats to their personal safety when in the community, particularly in the evenings.’

Coranne went on to explain why St Bede’s had found Brooks Jordan’s training so useful;

‘The year 11 sessions were very successful, student feedback was positive and supervising staff supported the view that the Brooks Jordan sessions were excellent. Students were taught to understand aggressive body language and how to use their own body language to de-escalate potentially aggressive situations. Following this success we decided to book them again to train year 13 students, this time focusing specifically on preparing students for moving away to University. The trainers shared their knowledge of crimes commonly committed against students and gave advice to enable them to avoid common pitfalls.

Our 6^th formers appreciated the opportunity to discuss strategies and techniques and found the chance to practice breakaway techniques both enjoyable and empowering.’

Director Chris Jordan commented:

‘The training is about raising awareness, getting young people to consider potential risks and to plan ahead.  It’s also about looking out for each other when socialising – what might be regarded in police parlance as ‘target hardening.’

We’re delighted that St Bede’s School has chosen Brooks Jordan to deliver personal safety training to its pupils. The school is pleased with our work and we look forward to working with them for many years to come.

Why good professional physical intervention skills training is so important

Shoplifter begged for mercy as guard ‘choked him to death.

A shopping centre security guard killed a shoplifter trying to stop him escaping with a bottle of perfume.

Aaron Bishop, 23, turned blue and pleaded ‘please help me’ as he was choked by Sam Bawden, 25, according to witnesses.

Horrified shoppers begged him to let go of Mr Bishop, a former Guardsman at Windsor, but Bawden maintained a firm grip around the throat and when police arrived, Mr Bishop was dead.’

‘Four security guards tried to restrain him after he took the bottle of Joop! from the Debenhams store at the busy Quadrant Shopping Centre in Swansea.
Prosecutor Patrick Harrington QC said; ‘Mr Bishop was seen on CCTV to steal a bottle of Joop! perfume. It was priced at £35 but the cost proved very high indeed.

Bawden, of Neath, South Wales, denies manslaughter in July last year…
The case continues at Swansea Crown Court.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1313952/Security-man-killed-shoplifter-Guard-choked-death-35-perfume.html#ixzz10qCPEXI4

The above tragic news report just goes to highlight the importance of understanding the dangers involved in physical intervention.

As an experienced martial artist who as trained up to black belt standard in Judo and other martial arts I understand just how effective a properly executed strangle hold can be, but also recognise just as lethal this can be.

Many things can go wrong when applying physical intervention techniques (often known as Control & Restraint) which is why training should be of the utmost importance for employers who are likely to have to employees who may need to use  physical controlling techniques such as those working in the security industry.

The Police and Medical profession trainers have for many years known the dangers associated with physical restraint and there have been many incidents of defendants & patients losing their lives whilst restraint techniques were being applied.

Strangulation is a band technique now in any accredited Physical Intervention training course, but there are numerous other potential life threatening issues such as positional asphyxia.

This occurs when pressure is put on an individual’s chest whist attempting to pin them down to the floor etc

This restricts the intake of air causing the individual to panic which is often wrongly interpreted as fighting back and there have been many tragic incidents of this in police custody suites & Psychiatric wards.

The SIA have now recognised that training in physical interventions is important and have introduced this as a new module to be undertaken by anyone now wishing to gain employment in high level security work e.g. a door supervisor in the UK.

As with the other modules that have to be taken delegates will have to demonstrate their competence in this area to receive their pass accreditation.

Hopefully this training will give those individuals now joining this industry the necessary tools they need to carry out the job without putting others or themselves at risk.

Sadly though this would not have prevented the death of Aaron Bishop or the criminal proceedings being brought against Sam Bawden as this training is currently only compulsory for those individuals who are now seeking to obtain the SIA badge and there are no current plans for this to be extended to those already licenced.

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Lock Up Your Daughters* – (And Other Unrealistic Suggestions for 21st Century Living)
Any parent will tell you their greatest concern is for the safety of their children. Conscientious parents wouldn’t dream of letting younger children cross the road without teaching them how to cross safely – so why is it so hard to provide the same life skills when teenagers start to socialise independently?
The answer may be that teenagers simply don’t want to listen to over protective parents. Or perhaps parents don’t feel able to provide the right advice – after all the world is now a very different place to how it was even thirty years ago. For these reasons schools are now starting to buy in life skills training for teenagers about to make their way in the world for the first time.
Life Skills Training
So what does the training cover? For pupils of Silverdale School, a beacon language academy in Sheffield, this training has been on offer for over ten years. The programme covers managing personal safety awareness, risks to be aware of when visiting, local public houses, night clubs, taking taxis, and generally going out and about alone in an unfamiliar city – a common experience for students heading off to university for the first time. Students new to an unfamiliar town experiencing independence for the first time often find it exciting to visit backstreet pubs where they will be unfamiliar with the area, its reputation or, once inebriated may even have difficulty finding their way home. This can pose its own risks as students new to and unfamiliar with an area may be easily identified by local thugs who see them as easy targets.
So here are a few of the simple tips taught by Brooks Jordan –
When you go clubbing/partying
• If possible try to go out as a group of friends or at least arrange for someone to be your nightclub buddy for the night.
• Arrange to regroup at the end of the evening to travel home together.
• If an individual wants to go home separately make sure the rest of the group know where that person is going and who with.
• If someone you don’t know offers to buy you a drink, make sure you watch the drink being served and handed to you.
• It is also best to drink bottled beers straight from the bottle. However undignified this may seem, it makes it much more difficult for someone to drop something in to a bottle than a wide necked glass (Date Rape drugs etc ). Although this practice can cause other problems e.g Wails decease
• Don’t leave your drinks unattended – leave someone you can trust to watch over them or finish your drink before leaving it.
• Watch out for each other – if one of your group seems suddenly disorientated or appears to be drunk without having had too much to drink, speak to one of the bar staff or club security team quickly and ask for help. It is now a legal requirement for door staff to be trained to identify and deal with someone who may have been given a date rape drug.
• Women out partying should also pay attention to their environment both the area – student accommodation can often be located in rougher neighbourhoods – and also the venue itself. In particular women should avoid drinking too much and should remain aware of their surroundings at all times. Being aware of warning/danger signs alerting you to potential dangers is far more difficult if you are under the influence of drink or drugs.

Personal Safety when travelling.
Getting Home
• Make sure you have the number of a trusted taxi company handy
• Order the taxi as if you were ordering it for someone else (find a quiet spot to do this)
• For example – ‘I’d like a taxi for my sister please’ ‘Yes – travelling from Upper Parliament Street Nottingham to High Street Beeston’. ‘ What time shall I tell her to expect you?’….. ‘How long will it take her to get here?’ ‘What’s the name of the driver?’
• This gives the impression that there is someone at home expecting you to get home, knows what time this will be and the name of the driver and the taxi firm if you don’t arrive at the agreed time.
• When the taxi arrives make it sound as if you’re just receiving a phone call – ‘Yes I’m on my way home now – yes it’s just arrived’. ‘The driver?’ (To the driver) ‘Sorry its my sister/ Mum/ Auntie just wanting to make sure I’ve got the right taxi can I just tell them what you’re name is and what time they can expect me home?’
• Back to the phone ‘ Yes of course its a proper taxi his number is (read out the drivers number or the registration plate number).
• If you don’t have a nightclub buddy to take this call and there isn’t anyone at home waiting for you then still ring an answer machine and leave this conversation as a message on the machine. It serves the same purpose – no driver intent on abducting you will risk it if they think they’re likely to get caught. There are easier victims out there after all.
• When travelling on other forms of public transport such as buses or trains, avoid taking the window seat as anyone taking the aisle seat next to you will block you in. Sitting in the aisle seat will give you a far better chance of getting out if something untoward happens.
If you think these tips are useful and know someone who might want Street Survival training then contact us here for details of training in your area. If you mange a youth group or are in teaching and want more details for your club school or society then contact us to get further details of our Street Survival Skills Training for Teenagers or for more advice on Personal Safety Go to : www.brookskordan.co.uk
*Young men between the ages of 16 and 26 are the most vulnerable group in society as statistically they come off worst as victims of violent street attacks. [This may or may not surprise you and will be covered in more depth in next month’s blog.]

Conflict Resolution training for UK Door Supervisors is to be strengthened

Plans to raise standards by introducing additional training for UK door supervisors form part of a Home Office consultation launched recently.

The aim of the new proposals is to protect the public by raising standards of training across the industry.

Additional training will include physical intervention, first aid, special considerations when dealing with young people and awareness of the threat of terrorism.

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) has already included the additional training elements as part of the new qualifications being introduced from June 2010.

View the full article http://www.sourceuk.net/article/14/14087/higher_standards_for_uk_door_supervisors.html

Brooks Jordan comments.

These proposals have been welcomed by the industry as a whole.
Today more than ever door supervisors need specialist training, terrorism is not going to go away and our public houses, nightclubs and other events where large crowds gather are obvious targets.

Anyone who has worked in the licensed trade knows the problems that can be caused by young people who have had too much to drink or taken drugs so extra training in relation to dealing with young and venerable people can only be a good thing.

As for training in physical intervention the industry is somewhat divided over this, but I believe this will also improve the professional image of door supervisors.

Individuals who go in for this kind of profession are usually physically capable and have experience of dealing with violence.

Many have a military background or are skilled in some kind of fighting art and there are times when these skills are appropriate.

Brooks Jordan provided some training to door staff and licensed premises management staff in the West Midlands in 2009 commissioned by the Police and the Licensing Authority.

The training was mainly on Conflict Resolution/ Personal Safety but we included a short introductory session on both Breakaway Skills and Physical Interventions.

This training concentrated on “No Pain” mechanically sound techniques. Door staff in particular were amazed at how effective these technique were and could not understand why this was not part of their training.

Others that have to retrain individuals already get this training, e.g. the Police, the Medical Profession (Acute Psychiatric Units), the Prison Service and others within the security industry

Having been involved in the licensed trade in the seventies & eighties and having worked alongside door staff during this period I am able to say that the door staff today (SIA badged) are a totally different breed.

For information on current courses on door staff Conflict Resolution training please go to: www.brooksjordan.co.uk
Or email info@brooksjordan.co.uk

Talk of the Englishman defending his castle provokes such a rush of blood to the conservative head that judgment disappears. Last week Munir Hussain was sent to prison for inflicting violent vengeance on a particularly vicious burglar
Read full article at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/dec/22/munir-hussain-crime-law-defence#start-of-comments
This case is very similar to the Tony Martin case in that there is both a moral issue and a legal issue involved here.

Many people sympathise with Tony Martin & the Hussain brothers and belive these individuals should not have been convicted.
But under English law they are guilty as the force they all used was not reasonable.
In both cases the force they used went well beyond reasonable.
The simple fact is that at time Tony Martin pulled the trigger and the Hussins delived the blow that caused the brain injury to the robber any threat to personal safety had passed as in both cases the robbers were running away.
I expained in detail the critria that needs to be in place to establish self-defence in my October article.
In both cases it was perfectly legal and within the law to go after the robbers as we are all entitled to chase criminals in order to carry out an arrest and detain them until the Police arrive but that is all.
In theses two cases Martin and the Hussain brothers went that bit further and sought revenge and so could not rely on a self-defence plea.