POLICE fear more unlicensed bouncers could appear outside pubs and clubs in Oxfordshire in the run-up to the festive season.

They are launching a campaign to remind all licensed premises that door staff must be licensed in order to work legally.

The concern follows Government announcements that the Security Industry Authority (SIA), which regulates the private security industry, is to be steadily disbanded.

Police fear this could lead to an increase in the number of inadequately trained door staff appearing at nightspots around the county.

Thames Valley’s licensing officer Tony Cope said the awareness campaign co-incided with a series of incidents in the last six months where door security staff had been “a bit heavy handed.”

Mr Cope said: “The last thing we want is to go back to the Wild West days and door staff being a law unto themselves.

“This year we have decided to really target door staff to make sure they are fully aware of their responsibilities.

“There is a bit of a concern that some of the door staff might not renew their licences because they think the SIA does not exist any more.

“There is a concern in the lead-up to Christmas that we shall start seeing un-licensed door staff appearing and causing us problems.

“The legislation does still exist, but there is a void at the moment as to who will enforce it. We want to get across to the licensees that the legislation is still in place.

“If anyone is in a security role, they have to have a licence and go through basic training. It’s a responsible job so they have to be licensed.”

Mr Cope said in an average week, police received about three complaints about door staff in Oxfordshire, but less than 10 per cent were justified.

Pub doorman Lee Donnelly was attacked outside the Four Candles in George Street, Oxford, in January.

His attacker Sean Keaney, then 18, of Outram Road, Cowley, is serving a three-year sentence behind bars for the attack.

Mr Cope added: “They have a highly volatile job to do. In the majority of cases they do their job very well. We do get the odd one or two that go over the top.

“There is a fine line between assaulting someone and assisting them off the premises. We had to ask the door company to change the staff at one place because they were getting involved in fights and causing more incidents than they were defusing and the premises realised this.”