Police CPI’s Mark Morgan discusses the development of the Licensing SAVI initiative and its impact on improving safety and security at licensed venues. 

Can you tell us about yourself and your role at Police CPI? 

I am an ex-police Superintendent and the lead for Police CPI’s Licensing SAVI initiative.

I have been involved in the policing of licensed premises throughout my career in both London and Liverpool. 

I am also a personal licence holder and can often be found in a variety of licensed premises.

I have two children who work in pubs and am therefore passionate about doing all I can to ensure the safety of staff and customers. 

What is the Licensing SAVI initiative and why it was created?  

It is a digital self-assessment tool for licensed premises, which was designed by Police CPI at the request of the Home Office.

It is supported and recommended by the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

Use of Licensing SAVI by venues will raise awareness of good practice and recognised standards in relation to security, crime prevention and reducing vulnerability, thus reducing the risk of crime and demand within licensed premises. 

Having undertaken the assessment, venues can apply for our accreditation which is a great way to demonstrate a commitment to safety. 

What benefits have you seen since the initiative was implemented into pubs and clubs?  

Since implementation, we’ve received positive feedback from users telling us that the system is user-friendly, that the content is useful and, more importantly, that they are learning about good practice which they can easily implement to improve safety and security at their venue.

Academic research showed 74% (of users) saw benefits associated with the scheme.

These related to improved safety for patrons and staff.

47% of research participants had experience of other licensing schemes, however the majority found Licensing SAVI better than others schemes and none found it worse. 

In terms of crime reduction, we’re starting to see evidence of the benefits with South Wales Police recently showing a 30% reduction in sexual assault, 30% reduction in assault with injury and 23% reduction in drunk and disorderly at venues who’ve undertaken Licensing SAVI.

Academic research with regards to venues in Telford & Wrekin shows a 24% reduction in violence with injury and a 17.9% reduction in incidents being reported to police. 

Do you have any aims to develop the initiative in the years to come?  

We are continually looking to improve and develop Licensing SAVI to ensure that it is as good a supportive tool as possible for those working in the industry and the feedback that we’re currently getting is that it is hitting the mark.

Developments include improving the digital platform to keep pace with technologies and regularly updating the question set and recommendations to keep pace with legislative/good practice changes or feedback from users and partners.  

Examples of this include the introduction of a counter terrorism question set to help prepare venues for Martyn’s Law.

We’ve also included advice around staff safety considerations, looking at measures that are in place to help them get home safely at the end of shifts.

I cannot emphasise the importance of developing and sharing good practice enough.

Ideally, I would like to see the Licensing SAVI logo gain mainstream recognition, becoming a recognisable standard for safety and security in and around licensed premises.  

This article was originally published in the October Edition of Security Journal UK. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.