THE boss of a North Yorkshire-based security firm claims his private training course for pub and club door-staff is being snubbed by the police.

Graham Watson, managing director of Harrogate-based Stag Security Services Ltd, has complained that people needing the required industry-approved training to become registered door supervisors are not being given the option of taking his firm's course because the York-based police licensing unit, which oversees the force-run Doorsafe scheme, only tell applicants about its own in-house training.

Current legislation requires all door staff to register with the local authority and to complete industry-recognised training.

But PC Dave Boag, who is in charge of the North Yorkshire Police Doorsafe scheme, denied there was any deliberate snub to Mr Watson's course.

He said: "With Doorsafe we have got a scheme that has been well established for years and is the envy of quite a lot of people."

He said the two-day course, which costs £150, including registration - Mr Watson's course costs £75 plus the £50 registration fee - was instructed by drugs squad officers, serving and ex-police officers and first-aid experts. Applicants were vetted through the Police National Computer and rechecked every three months.

On successful completion, trained door staff can work anywhere in North Yorkshire without having to pay registration fees with each local authority.

PC Boag said he was happier to direct people on to the police-run course as he knew what it entailed and he could make sure applicants attended and passed. He added: "I am not saying the training offered by Mr Watson isn't good."

Mr Watson is also angry that people applying for the police course can get a temporary badge to work in a matter of days whereas people taking his course can only get one when police have seen their training course certificate - a document that can take weeks to arrive.

PC Boag said that temporary badges were issued at the discretion of the Doorsafe co-ordinator, and he had to make sure that applicants had the required training.

Updated: 10:01 Thursday, November 21, 2002