O2 Academy Brixton Premises Licence 'Under Review'

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04 May 2023

The Met police have reportedly submitted an application to review the O2 Academy Brixton’s premises licence.

A Met police spokesperson told the PA news agency: “On Monday 16 January, the licence of the O2 Academy Brixton was suspended for three months. On 14 April, the Met police submitted an application for a review of [the] premises licence to Lambeth council and will be seeking a revocation of the licence. This matter will be decided at a future council sub-committee hearing on a date to be confirmed.”

On 15 December 2022, a tragic crush at the London venue claimed the lives of two people and left a third in a critical condition.  A member of the security personnel was one of the two fatal casualties.

Health and Safety Review of O2 Academy Brixton

In April 2023 Lambeth Council announced that it would undertake a health and safety review of the venue, acting under Regulation 3 and Schedule 1 of the Health and Safety (Enforcing Authority) Regulations 1998 which gives local authorities responsibility as the enforcing authority for health and safety related issues in a wide range of premises.

An online petition calling for the venue to be saved has reached over 80,00 signatures (correct as of 4 May 2023).

Better Training and More Staff Needed to Ensure Venues are Safe

“The outcome of the incident in December shouldn’t be the closing of venues through the withdrawal of licences, it should be the police and the venue working together with the security company to provide better training, guidance, and service provision to ensure that the venue is safe rather than shutting it down altogether."

–Kieran Mackie

Managing Director, Amulet

Kieran Mackie, Managing Director at Amulet, the security services arm of Churchill Group, feels that there are several improvements that should be implemented before considering closure:

“This announcement from the MET Police is sad to hear as O2 Academy Brixton is an iconic venue. In my opinion, this is an example of why we need tighter legislation and better training of security personnel to reduce the risk of incidents like this.

“The outcome of the incident in December shouldn’t be the closing of venues through the withdrawal of licences, it should be the police and the venue working together with the security company to provide better training, guidance, and service provision to ensure that the venue is safe rather than shutting it down altogether. I am sure if correctly staffed and managed by a responsible well-trained security team, the venue could be operated safely for many more years to come. 

“The issue is that margins are tight in the security industry and people look to provide the minimum they can to make venues safe and keep costs low. Having the correct number of staff and ensuring that all security employees are trained correctly and briefed fully on the venue and the event should be the bare-minimum requirement, not an aspiration.”

Picture: a photograph of the exterior sign at O2 Academy Brixton. Image Credit: Adobe Stock

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 04 May 2023

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