Comedy duo Hale and Pace launched the scheme

The county is a pilot area for a scheme aiming to make training and licences law for all door staff.

But only a third of staff in the region have done the training and returned their forms - suggesting many may attempt to work illegally.

Venues operating with staff breaking the rules also risk being shut down.

We will not restrict, but professionalise their roles Sergeant Bill Pinnell

To obtain a licence, bouncers must provide proof of identity, receive training and pass an assessment that includes health and safety, managing conflict, searching people and dealing with emergency situations.

They must also have a criminal record check to make sure they do not have any previous convictions that would make them unsuitable for the job.

Comedy duo Hale and Pace, whose "Two Rons" sketches poked fun at the old-style bouncer, launched the Hampshire and the Isle of Wight pilot scheme on the beach at Portsmouth in March.

The Security Industry Authority is hoping the new rules will make unprofessional door staff a thing of the past.

Its chairman, Peter Hermitage, says the industry as a whole has suffered because of a small minority who have given it a bad name.

Now, if bouncers are caught working illegally, they face up to six months imprisonment or a �5,000 fine, or both.

Professionalise roles

Sergeant Bill Pinnell, of Hampshire police, said: "Over the coming weeks we will be visiting licensed premises to make sure all door staff are licensed.

"We hope that the regulations will help to ensure that door staff are equipped with the skills they need - by doing so we will not restrict, but professionalise their roles."

The licence is the first nationally recognised qualification for door staff, who until now have been regulated by local authorities, if at all.

Of the nine pilot areas in England and Wales, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight is the first to enforce the new regulations.

By 11 April 2005 it will be illegal for door staff to work without a licence anywhere in England and Wales.