There are still the old-style bouncers who throw a punch first and ask questions later

Dick Hobbs of Durham University

The 100,000 men and women registered as door staff in the UK work in bars, clubs, concert halls, restaurants, even hotels and galleries.

As police numbers dwindle, they are increasingly involved in maintaining order in inner-city areas, according to a report by Durham University.

Professor Dick Hobbs, who worked on the two-year study, says barkeeps have long relied on hired help to keep the peace.

"You can go back to since we've had taverns - there's always been someone tasked with turfing people out when they get unruly. Today, they are really filling a vacuum left by police," he says.

"We discovered in some cities, you could have up to 30,000 people being policed by a dozen police, but there would be a couple of hundred bouncers there."

Raves helped changed what a night out means

With more and more venues open into the night, demand for security staff is booming. Since 1995, the number of new drinking licences has increased by 38%, with a similar increase between 1992 and 1995.

Professor Hobbs puts this down to the market created by club culture, which underwent a dramatic shift in the late 1980s.

"The patterns of drinking are different - it's chain drinking now, it's pub crawls.

"In the late 80s, going to clubs became cool again. Pubs started to imitate clubs in their d�cor, in how they marketed themselves."

Background checks

Although many security firms check the background of potential employees, Home Office research has found cases where firms took on people with extensive criminal records, or people newly-released from prison who set up their own firm.

Standing guard

100,000 bouncers in the UK Work in nightclubs, bars, pubs, restaurants, exhibitions, concerts, movie sets, private parties, big weddings, bowling alleys Aka door staff, safety hosts, stewards, door supervisors Some make a career of it, for others it's only temporary

Others used their jobs as cover for drug dealing or money laundering.

The researchers encountered bouncers who still viewed violence as part of the job. In one course, instructors taught trainees the rudiments of martial arts, encouraging them to inflict pain.

"There are young men coming into the business viewing it as a career in leisure management, but there are still the old-style bouncers who throw a punch first and ask questions later."

The government, which helped fund the report, has been pushing for a national register and standardised courses.

Courses typically last 10 to 12 hours

Last December, the British Standards Institution unveiled a standard for bouncers, with guidelines on appearance, behaviour, searches, and incident reporting procedures.

It also outlined a typical training course covering drug awareness, first aid and fire safety, and how to use body language to defuse potentially violent situations.

Yet saturation security can also spark violent confrontations, warns Professor Hobbs. To the drunk who feels invincible, a looming heavy can act as a red rag to a bull.

"Their demeanour can be threatening. At times, this is the right approach, but it can be challenging to some young men to take those guys on."