What is a door supervisor licence?
A door supervisor licence is the SIA licence for guarding premises licensed for alcohol or regulated entertainment. It covers the same activities as a security guard licence plus those specific to licensed venues.
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<a href="https://secureoptix.co.uk/glossary/door-supervisor">What is a door supervisor licence?</a> — diagram by
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</figure>It is the broader of the two common front line licences, which is why many officers hold it even for roles that would only require security guarding — a door supervisor licence generally allows guarding work, but the reverse is not true.
The qualification behind it includes conflict management and physical intervention content, reflecting that the role involves refusing entry and managing intoxicated people rather than observing a quiet site.
Which licence a deployment requires is determined by the premises and the activity, not by what the client calls the role. Placing a security guard licence holder on a licensed venue door is a common and serious error.
In practice
A hotel that has started opening its bar to non-residents.
The night porter has been on the door for years and holds a security guarding licence. The bar now has a late licence, a queue on Fridays and a man refusing to leave at closing time.
The duties have changed underneath the licence. Guarding a building and supervising a licensed premises where alcohol is served are treated differently, and the second needs a door supervisor licence — the fact that it is the same person at the same door does not alter that.
This is the commonest licensing drift in the trade: nobody re-licensed anybody, the venue simply started doing something new around them.
What goes wrong in practice
- Officers with a security guarding licence deployed on licensed premises.
- Licence category not checked against the specific assignment before deployment.
- Qualification content assumed to cover physical intervention refresher requirements without checking.