11/10/2025
I saw a Facebook post recently with lots of criticism about having to complete refresher training for relicensing, along with general digs at door supervisors and the SIA.
I’m also unhappy with the insistence on the licence-integration model—especially since, in 2018, I was assured we could opt out and focus exclusively on the CP role and on managing hostile encroachment into the principal’s safe space.
That said, we are where we are—so I’ve chosen to highlight a few positive reasons to understand the front-of-desk SO role and specifically the DS role at licensed venues, which many of us frequent with our principals.
Understanding the door supervisor’s role is essential for any Close Protection Operative because much of a CPO’s risk picture is shaped at the venue threshold. Door supervisors control access, conduct searches, read crowd mood, and enforce house policies—functions that directly affect how safely a principal can arrive, move, and depart.
Knowing their legal powers, consent-based search protocols, ejection procedures, and incident recording standards helps the CPO plan realistic routes, coordinate protective formations, and avoid unnecessary escalation. Just as importantly, door teams are an immediate source of local intelligence (hostile individuals, spiking trends, tensions in the queue) and can act as force multipliers when briefed well.
I'd even go so far as to say that understanding how door supervisors handle physical interventions is vital for a Close Protection Operative because the same incident can span the venue threshold and the CPO’s protective bubble.
Door teams set the tone on proportionality, least-force, and consent; they manage crowds, create space, and control egress—all of which directly affect a CPO’s ability to shield, extract, or de-escalate.
Knowing door-team protocols (communication cues, positions, ground-restraint risks, safeguarding and post-incident welfare checks, evidence preservation, and reporting) helps the CPO integrate seamlessly, avoid “blue-on-blue” confusion, and maintain legal and ethical standards under public scrutiny.
Put simply, being fluent in door-supervision practice improves liaison, speeds decisions, and tightens the protective bubble around the principal.
Regarding physical intervention, using aligned methods and coordinating clearly with door supervisors makes interventions safer, quicker, and more defensible—provided they’re effective.
And that is down to the training provider you choose.
