By Chris Summers BBC News Online

Naresh Shah was a victim of mistaken identity

By the end of this year all bouncers will have to be properly trained, vetted and licensed. But it will be too late for victim Naresh Shah.

One Saturday night in March last year Mr Shah, a 45-year-old accountant, was stabbed to death in his own home by a gang of thugs, some of whom worked as doormen at a nearby pub.

The doormen, who left their posts outside the pub for nine minutes to carry out the attack, only later realised they had targeted the wrong house.

We can only hope the barbarians who did this will get the maximum possible punishment and their nightmare will begin as ours will never end. Atul Shah Brother of victim The killing of Naresh Shah - click here for full story

Mr Shah was the innocent victim of a gang of thugs who were not licensed or trained.

Eventually all bouncers and doormen in England and Wales will have to have a licence from the Security Industry Authority (SIA), which is being launched on 1 April.

Similar legislation is planned by the Scottish Executive.

Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK which already has such a system, although it is more limited in scope than the SIA.

The SIA would check applicants' criminal records and send them on a training course with an accredited firm.

Phyllis Starkey MP, who has been campaigning for years to have doormen licensed, said Mr Shah's murder was "particularly appalling".

But she said it was by no means an isolated incident.

Incidents involving bouncers Jul 1997: Glen Soames jailed for four years for attack which left a reveller at a club in Cheltenham, Glos, permanently brain damaged. May 2002: Graham Speed jailed for four years for killing a customer at a bar in Wrexham, North Wales Jun 2002: Richard Boodan jailed for 15 years after raping girls he met through his job at Somerset nightclubs Jan 2003: Warren Fitzgerald convicted of blackmailing a customer at a Soho strip club

Dr Starkey said there had been numerous examples of bouncers using excessive violence on customers and in some parts of the country, such as Merseyside and Essex, they had also been involved in drug dealing or allowing drug dealing.

"Responsible people within the security industry want standards set so that doormen are not just seen as people who duff up drunks but actually defuse situations.

"An enormous number of people go out to enjoy themselves and they need to know that the door staff are properly trained, and vetted, and are there to make them feel safer."

Mr Shah's brother Atul welcomed the SIA but said it had come too late for his family.

He said: "My brother was an extremely kind person who would not harm anyone and yet he was butchered to his death without being shown a shred of human kindness by people who care so little for human life."

The Essex-based National Association of Licensed Door Supervisors (NALDS) is one of several organisations hoping to be accredited for training.

NALDS operations manager Robin Gardner said the courses would cover knowledge of criminal and licensing laws, first aid, fire precautions and conflict resolution.

Conflict resolution

The majority of doormen would not chase someone down the road, or get involved in a brawl far from the venue they are protecting. Robin Gardner National Association of Licensed Door Supervisors

Conflict resolution training is designed to enable doormen to resolve disputes before they become violent, or to defuse them with minimum force if violence has already broken out.

Mr Gardner said bouncers were often goaded by drunken or troublesome customers and he said: "Doormen sometimes see the red mist but it's usually up to their experience to overcome it.

"The majority of doormen would not chase someone down the road, or get involved in a brawl far from the venue they are protecting. In fact many venues have rules forbidding door staff from stepping outside."

Mr Gardner said the SIA would work to the benefit of both door staff and the general public.

Head doorman Mark Young was jailed for his role in the attack on Naresh Shah

He told BBC News Online: "For example, I have got 12 licences from different local authorities, each of which cost money. The most expensive is Westminster, which charges �346.

"Under the new system you will need only one licence to work anywhere in England and Wales, and it will probably only cost �90."

Rotten apples

But Mr Gardner said the SIA would enable the door security industry to weed out the rotten apples who give it a bad name.

Licences will last for three years and door staff will have to take refresher courses before getting their licences renewed.

Working without a licence will become a criminal offence.

The SIA will also be able to withdraw licences if the holder is convicted of a criminal offence, such as assault or drug dealing.

An SIA spokeswoman said no fee had been set for the national doormen's licence yet.