Managing Euro 2020 Success - Advice for licensees showing European Championship football matches in 2021

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Introduction

• The 2020 UEFA European Championship is a major opportunity to attract customers who want to watch live matches in the great atmosphere provided by pubs. Postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament will be played in June & July 2021 but is still called “Euro 2020”.

• If you are planning to show Euro 2020 games in your pub this summer, you may well already have management practices in place to deal with any issues that arise. If not, the advice below is intended to be helpful, concise guidance to ensure that you have busy and successful events over the tournament. This guide has been produced by the BBPA in partnership with UKHospitality, the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII), the Local Government Association and the National Police Chiefs’ Council with the aim to encourage police, licensing authorities and the licensed trade to work together to ensure a safe and successful tournament. It is also supported by the Institute of Licensing, National PubWatch, and the National Association of Licensing Enforcement Officers NALEO).
  
  April 2021

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Extra requirements due to COVID-19

• The UK Government has updated the COVID-Secure workplace guidance for pubs (Working Safely - Restaurants, pubs, bars and takeaway services) so that it reflects Step 2 of its Roadmap for England. The tournament begins on 11th June and ends on 11th July and therefore potentially covers both Steps 3 and 4. Further updates of the Government guidance are likely so you should check it on a regular basis.
  
  In preparing to screen any of the matches, check the relevant national guidance for your pub that is applicable at the time. England, Scotland and Wales each have their own sets of guidance. In particular, make sure you understand and apply any restrictions regarding capacity, social-distancing, group sizes, seated customers and noise levels.

Advice for licensees

• • All advice provided below should be read alongside the latest COVID guidance and your risk assessment should be reviewed and updated as necessary in light of that guidance.

• • Consideration should be given to contacting the police and/or your Licensing Officer to let them know in advance of your plans for showing Euro 2020 matches where there could be implications for either (or both) of these<br>bodies, so that they can incorporate these plans into any actions they may be taking;

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• • Make sure that the DPS is on duty if possible. If not, a duty manager should be available to oversee the event;

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• • Make sure that there is no excessive consumption of alcohol - remember it is an offence to serve somebody who is drunk or to buy a drink for somebody who is already drunk. Posters reminding customers of the law are available free-of-charge from the BBPA’s website;

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• https://beerandpub.com/campaigns/the-law-on-serving-drunks/

• • If you feel admission and control could be an issue, consider use of Door Supervisors (remembering that they must be SIA registered) to help control the number of people watching matches/events;

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• • Review access to your premises and consider restricting the number of entrances (should fire regulations permit);

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• • Whilst fixtures involving England, Scotland or Wales are likely to attract large numbers of customers to watch the game in your pub, also be aware of games where the national team playing may also attract a large following from the local community and plan accordingly;

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• • Consider making taxi numbers/late night public transport/train information readily available to assist customers in leaving the venue safely after evening games;

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• • Consider the use of tickets to control admission and prevent overcrowding, if this is likely to be an issue in your pub;

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• • Consider the use of plastic glassware such as polycarbonate if necessary, particularly for outside areas and to avoid unnecessary waiting for service and/or to lessen the risk of injury;

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• • When serving glass bottles, consider the use of PET bottles or decanting into plastic glassware if appropriate;

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• • If you do use glass, ensure that empties are collected regularly and any broken glass is quickly cleared away;

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• • Be aware that under-18s may be attracted to watching events and matches in your venue; continue to be vigilant about preventing the sale of alcohol to them;

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• • Think carefully about where TV screens are situated so as to avoid potential congestion. For similar reasons it is advisable, as far as possible, to prevent screens being viewed from outside the premises by non-customers;

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• • If you have CCTV, ensure that it is fully operational with all cameras recording. It would be advisable as good practice that a staff member able to operate the CCTV system is available;

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• • Be sure to monitor and control smoking areas where appropriate, especially at half-time and at the end of the<br>match;

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• • Pass on any concerns or reports of disorder to local police (and other premises if you are in a Pubwatch);

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• • In the event of trouble outside the premises, keep customers inside;

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• • Make sure that the DPS/duty manager holds the keys for the front doors and can secure them at any stage;

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• • If there is trouble at your premises, call the police immediately and cease serving alcohol;

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• • Ensure there is sufficient room available for the expected level of customers, and that there are contingency plans in place if this exceeded e.g. refusing entry if capacity is reached;

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• • Check that all fire exits are completely clear and unobstructed and your fire risk assessment is reviewed accordingly;

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• • Check that your premises remains accessible to all – please see the BBPA’s "An Open Welcome" guidance on its website for further information;

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• https://beerandpub.com/briefings/an-open-welcome/

• • Check whether there is a public outdoor large screen event in the immediate area. Some unfortunate incidents have occurred in the past when people have spilled out of these events and into local pubs. Consider refusing<br>entry if this is likely to happen;

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• • Contact your Licensing Officer for any information on local requirements, and ensure noise is kept to a reasonable level for local residents, particularly if screening any matches outdoors.

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Screening matches outdoors

• If you choose to screen matches in outside spaces there are additional points to consider as part of your risk assessment:

• • Positioning of any outdoors screens so that as far as possible they cannot be viewed by non-customers beyond the premises boundary;

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• • Consider the impact of increased noise levels outside with regards to local residents;

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• • Ensure any counter-terrorism measures are reviewed and that staff have been made aware of the signs to look out for;

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• • Consider the increased use of staff in outdoor areas during the screenings and afterwards;

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• • Ensure that any temporary outdoor structures for either screening the match or sheltering customers have been properly constructed and that they remain safe and secure, especially in bad weather. Any such structures must be open on at least two sides (i.e. 50% of their sides) to meet the definition of an “outside space” for the purposes of the Coronavirus Regulations.

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Further guidance

• The BBPA strongly advises licensees to carry out a risk assessment and record any decisions made – such a record will be useful if despite your best efforts some individuals are determined to cause trouble in your premises. The BBPA has produced a guide, ‘Managing Safety in Pubs’ which may be of help when developing risk assessments. This is free to download from www.beerandpub.com.

Counter-terrorism considerations

• Whilst no specific threat has been identified it is important that premises consider the risk from those intent on causing wide-scale harm and panic and should therefore remain vigilant for anything that seems out of place or
  unusual.

• Licensed Premises remain attractive to terrorists seeking to attack publicly accessible locations where large numbers of people gather. A risk assessment should be carried out that takes into account the premises preparedness and resilience, the security culture of all staff. Security planning should be responsive to any necessary changes in security functions as a result of COVID-19, such as searching or managing queues of people. Health confidence will be important to your security staff and they must be supported with appropriate PPE so they remain confident in carrying out their security responsibilities.

• Threat Level: UK Terrorist Threat Levels are published online. Knowing where to find the threat levels and understanding them is important when security planning. Understanding the threat can help inform your risk
  assessment and ensure appropriate and proportionate security arrangements are in place, and help prioritise actions as threat levels provide an indication of attack likelihood. www.mi5.gov.uk

• Suspicious Activity: Terrorists like all criminals will reconnoitre their targets. Staff must be vigilant and confident they can report suspicious behaviour without delay. If you suspect there is immediate danger you should tell a Police Officer by dialling 999 or if there is no immediate threat please call the National Anti-Terrorist Hotline – 0800 789 321. If you see something that doesn’t feel right, the Police want to hear from you.

Guidance Documentation and Support:

• • Physical Distancing and Search Guidance
  • Protecting Queues for Vehicles Used As Weapons
  • NaCTSO Crowded Places Guidance – www.NaCTSO.GOV.UK

• It is highly recommended that management and staff undertake the free online Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) Elearning Counter-Terrorism Awareness product. For further info and registration follow https/://ct.highfieldelearning.com and download the ACT App. For further information please see www.NaCTSO.GOV.uk or ct@highfieldelearning.com

• Please contact your Force Counter Terrorism Security Advisors. For further contact information visit www.NaCTSO.GOV.UK and use the Crowded Places Guidance pathway

General

• For further information on this document, please contact Andrew Green, Policy Manager at the BBPA, agreen@beerandpub.com