These days you wouldn’t be blamed for worrying for your safety at a music event, especially with growing concerns over gun violence and terrorist attacks. Sadly no venue is safe as far as these threats are concerned, not even the nightclubs. This year alone saw a number of these incidents happen in nightclubs, such as the shooting at the Peppermint Club and the attack at the Reina Club in Istanbul, Turkey, not to mention last year’s shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando.
This is unfortunate considering that nightclubs are considered to be places where one can unwind and have fun, where incidences of violence are a remote possibility as people escape the woes and worries of daily life by seeking refuge on music-filled dance floors. Today, however, we live in a different time. Sadly this means that nightlife security must be prepared more than ever to face the growing realities and dangers that come with being at a music venue, nightclub, concert hall or the like. The old ways of doing nightlife security are not enough anymore, and changes must be made to tackle them more effectively.
So how can nightlife security face these threats especially now that such attacks cannot be predicted easily? For one, being proactive is the key. Nightlife security must always be on the lookout for possible suspicious activities and address them immediately before the worst happens.
Also, security training and tactics must evolve. Security personnel at every bar, nightclub or concert venue should know and be trained on specific procedures pertaining to all eventualities they may face while on the job, ranging from fire to terrorist attack.Perhaps itâs time to consider requiring nightclub businesses to have specialized certifications when hiring security personnel.
This might include putting to a debate whether security should be armed in any way, be it lethally, less lethally or non-lethally. If the answer is yes, should they open carry their weapons as a deterrent or should they carry in a concealed manner? These are questions that must be examined and answered by venue owners, those in charge of security and security personnel themselves.
It is understandable that these are uncomfortable questions to some. But patron safety comes first and the matter of security itself is a delicate subject that needs to take account a lot of factors, including not just safety itself but also the matter of public perception. Admittedly, the idea of strict security in a place for fun and unwinding may be quite discomforting for some people, yet this doesn’t take away the need of ensuring that nightlife events, festivals and concerts go smoothly without dangers to patron safety.
As difficult as these questions and thoughts may be, these are matters long overdue to be tackled. After all, nightlife security is about protecting the people pouring on the dance floor every night to have fun.
Addressing these concerns will effectively hels save more lives in the process.
