By Dixon Bond Okello
Who is to blame for the death of a customer at club Guvnor? Here’s my Expert Opinion.
Club bouncers are an important part of a comprehensive nightclub and bar security plan. However, employing overly aggressive bouncers with little training and inadequate procedures can contribute to the Death of a Nightclub or a customer, like it happened at club Guvnor.
The duty of a bouncer is to monitor the crowd to see that everyone behaves. The goal should be to see that everyone has a good time, but within established limits. The best bouncers are personable, friendly and can talk to patrons without appearing threatening or intimidating. But in Uganda, usually these bouncers have little experience and receive no real formal training in criminal or civil law that they must apply. In a crisis, these inexperienced bouncers will be forced to rely on their own common sense and instincts to solve a problem. This can be a scary concept.The truth is that, in most top clubs in Kampala, most “rich” and so called celebrities try to appease the bouncers to win favours. These guys will be given VIP treatment at the expense of others. When they start a fight, the bouncers will always be on their side and throw you out.When they come in late, the bouncers will ask you to leave a table for these guys. This is wrong! Most club bouncers in Kampala are well known criminals and former petty thieves. That’s why the never last long in any club. Club owners don’t even bother doing a back ground check.
If two or more customers get into a fistfight, they must be removed from the club immediately for everyone’s safety. The question is how to do it safely? The correct method is to delay the ejection of the more passive offender, if possible, until the more aggressive co-combatant has completely vacated the property. The reason for this is that it is foreseeable that two people who were engaged in a fight inside will continue the assault outside. The bouncers have no legal basis for detaining someone unless a crime has been committed and cannot hold someone who wishes to leave voluntarily and continue to fight.
So,who is to blame for the death of a customer at club Guvnor?As a well trained events security man(SA,Greece and Egypt) I would definitely say the bouncers.
