Bars and clubs have been given an extra four months before their bouncers must comply with new regulations to “give them more time to adapt”, a Justice Ministry spokesman said.
The extension was given to ensure operations are not adversely affected as a result of the transition, the ministry told The Sunday Times.
A legal notice published on April 1 had stipulated a transition period of six months – until October 1 – before the regulations had to be fully implemented.
However, another legal notice published during peak holiday season on August 12 extended the transition period to January 31.
The new regulations distinguish bouncers from other security guards as “private guards at places of entertainment” and they must apply for a new licence to work as such.
To qualify for the licence, applicants will have to submit proof to the Police Commissioner that they have served for a period of five years – either in Malta or abroad – in the police, armed forces or prison services, or for an accumulated period of five years as a private guard.
The new regulations also apply to bouncers in current employment, meaning those who do not have the required experience will not be granted a licence.
Those currently working as bouncers without the necessary experience, however, can continue to do so until January 31 thanks to an extension period announced last month.
“The extension is meant to ensure that while the objectives of the new provisions are met, the delivery of services by operators in the sector is not adversely affected as a result of the transition to the new system,” the ministry spokesman said.
The regulations were drafted following years of complaints that some bouncers in certain entertainment areas – particularly Paceville – were prone to heavy-handedness and that some were employed without a licence and without being subjected to background checks or provided with training.
In the most notorious incident, a Sudanese man died in 2009 from a blow to the head following an altercation with a bouncer in Paceville, and the public clamour for more stringent regulation of the security industry intensified the following February when police arraigned two bouncers for attempted murder after a Paceville incident which left two Italian men hospitalised.
The Justice Ministry spokesman told The Sunday Times last week that the ministry was confident the introduction of specialised private guard categories offered a unique opportunity for the sector to enhance the quality and standards of its services.
In addition to the licensing distinction and the requirement of five years’ experience, the new regulations stipulate that the Police Commissioner may require any applicant for a licence to attend a specialised training course.
For guards in places of entertainment, the course should cover how to address difficult situations insofar as possible without recourse tophysical restraint and how toexercise minimum use of force in situations where use of force is absolutely necessary, among other things.
However, the Justice Ministry spokesman confirmed that up to now, no licensed security companies are in a position to run these courses.
“The ministry has not received any requests from licensed security institutions to approve training courses specifically designed for the specialised private guards categories,” he said.
The postponement was announced during the peak of a summer in which Paceville has again made the headlines for violent incidents, including the knifing of a bouncer in July and the stabbing on an 18-year-old man last month, allegedly by a 16-year-old boy.
Last month this newspaper also published an allegation by two friends who claimed they were left struggling for breath after a bouncer sprayed a type of gas indiscriminately in Paceville.
Speaking to The Sunday Times last month, Philip Fenech, president of the tourism section of the Malta Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises – GRTU, had said the new regulations would make a positive difference as bouncers would be more aware of their rights and obligations.