Venue Policies

METHOD STATEMENT

Search of Persons and Personal Belongings

Extreme Video T/as Epic Studios

in accordance with the instructions issued by the promoter and / or venue manager recommends the management of search procedures relating to persons and personal belongings in the following manner:

1.1 GENERAL A search of persons and / or their belongings will be instigated in liaison with Promoter / Emergency Services / Local Authority Licensing. It is essential that the likelihood of search is contained within the Conditions of Entry or Conditions of Purchase of Ticket or Conditions of Attendance. Where search is listed as a condition of entry only then, Regency Security Services (UK) Ltd only, on behalf of Epic Studios will retain that right to search at entry. Searching once inside the venue can only take place where the right to search is listed as a condition of attendance or continued attendance. The purpose of the search is to, where possible, ensure a safe environment and the safety of individuals attending the event, through the identification and, where appropriate, voluntary surrender, of items that may endanger safety or are contrary to other conditions of entry. The search procedure itself will identify prohibited items as well as acting as a deterrent to those approaching the area of search that may voluntarily surrender or voluntarily dispose of prohibited items in their possession.

2.1 METHOD OF OPERATION Epic Studios will, in consultation with those agencies as listed above, conduct the search of persons and their belongings in the following manner:

1. a) Any area designated for the purposes of searching will, where possible, be under cover and, where available, monitored by CCTV. A table for use during searches of personal belongings should be provided;
2. b) Personal searches will be conducted by those of the same gender as that of the attendee;
3. c) Permission will be gained from the event attendee for either a personal or belongings search. Consent will be verbal wherever possible. If, however, due to language limitations, excessive noise or the establishment of a pattern (for example, 100% personal search where attendees can observe those in front being searched), then non-verbal consent will be accepted where intention is clear, for example, the opening of arms to a horizontal position at ninety degrees from the body in a manner indicating compliance with a personal search will be deemed to constitute consent;
4. d) the search will be of outer clothing and belongings only;
5. e) Event attendees will, at all times, be asked to move, remove or handle their own possessions, such as contents of pockets or of bags. At no time will a staff member put their hands inside pockets or bags, rather, they will request that the event attendee moves / removes items so that a further search may ascertain that no other items remain or so that the remainder of the bag is visible for inspection;
6. f) Items constituting either a danger or risk to health or safety of either the event attendee or others, or items specifically excluded from admittance to the event (event organiser / promoter to provide guidance), will not be admitted to the venue;
7. g) In the event of the discovery of a prohibited item, the event attendee will be advised that they, in possession of the prohibited item, may not enter the venue. Venue policy will dictate the subsequent course of action to be one of the following, where available:

• The voluntary deposit of the prohibited item in a designated surrender bin; such deposits will not be receipted and items will not be returned (traditionally used for the likes of alcohol, glass containers etc.);
• The receipted deposit of the item at a designated deposit / reclaim centre within the campsites; such deposits may be collected at the conclusion of the event upon production of the relevant receipt (traditionally used for the likes of cameras etc.);
• The deposit of the prohibited item in the event attendees’ vehicle or other mode of transport. It should be stressed that, irrespective of the facilities / services available on any given site, it will be the responsibility of the attendee to take items of value to a place of safety (be that deposit / reclaim centre if available or vehicle or other). h) In the event of the discovery of items that may constitute a breach of the law, the event attendee shall be detained by appropriately licensed staff and the Police will be informed via Radio Control in a manner described elsewhere within this document. It should be clearly stated via the use of signage etc. that, in the event of exit and subsequent readmission to the venue (for example, for smoking break (indoor venue) or to return to the campsites (outdoor venue) event attendees are liable to be searched on each and every readmission.

3.1 SEARCH OF MINORS A minor is defined under UK Law as a person under the age of 18 As described within the above narrative, searching will be conducted with the permission of the individual to be searched. In searching of minors, no physical contact (viz. laying on of hands) will take place. The minor will be requested to empty their pockets/bag(s) and demonstrate they are empty but at no time will there be any contact. There are two possible scenarios that can be encountered when searching a minor and contraband/restricted items are found or where admittance to the venue is denied on other grounds (such as a minimum age restriction, intoxication etc.).

1; the minor is with a parent / guardian / adult; or, 2; the minor is on their own. 1. Minor is with an adult. The supervising adult will be requested to escort the minor from the premises, to deposit the prohibited item in a place other than that contained within the licensable footprint, or to ensure that the minor is returned home or to a place of safety out of the event premises.

2. Minor is unaccompanied. The minor will be denied entry to the venue, but will be instructed to contact a supervising adult immediately to escort them from the premises. This call can be made by Venue Management or their agent with the permission of the minor. During this process, and whilst waiting for the arrival of the nominated adult, the minor should be accommodated in a place of safety. This place of safety can be inside the venue in an office or supervised waiting area with CCTV surveillance where possible. The minor should not be left on their own either inside or outside the venue. Should no adult be available to collect them or it is believed the minor to be under no adult supervision then the venue or authorised agent will contact the police to seek advice and help with the welfare of the child. It should be acknowledged that searching of minors is more of a deterrent measure than of an action likely to find well concealed prohibited items.

Venues and clients will be made aware of this and will be encouraged to ensure that Conditions of Entry and expanded to include Conditions of Attendance at an event so that action may be taken in the event of prohibited items being seen on the event premises.

1. Purpose of the CCTV system
Epic Studios has installed the CCTV system to:
• Deter crime
• Increase personal safety and reduce the fear of crime
• Assist in the prevention and detection of crime
• Assist with the potential investigation and identification of offenders
• Protect the venue and property
• Assist with the identification of actions that might result in disciplinary
proceedings against contractors, staff or visitors
• Assist in the management and monitoring of the studio facilities including
the investigation of accidents
• As a means of assistance to staff in case of emergency situations
2. System
The system comprises of a number of static cameras. These cameras are located at various points throughout the venue as well as covering the main entrances. The camera locations were determined by risk assessment High, Medium, Low level risk with the assistance of historical data and incident reports.
The CCTV system is owned and operated by Extreme Video. The General Manager has overall responsibility for the CCTV system. The HIKVISION system was installed and is managed by Hewes Security who have full admin access to the system.
3. Storage
The servers which support the cameras and record the images captured are kept in a secure location. The system is cloud based, its HIKVISION operating systems are in the CAR and Rack rooms. Extreme Video Ltd understands that all systems, information, documents and recordings obtained and used as data is protected by the GDPR. The viewing and copying of the images will be strictly controlled. The images captured by the cameras are recorded continuously. Provision of images for a specific event as detailed in clause 1 will only be provided in line with the below:
4. Access to CCTV
The following members of staff are authorised to view images captured by the CCTV system:
• Senior Management Team
• Technical Manager
• The Data Protection Officer
• Head of Security
• External CCTV providers (engineers for the purpose of maintenance)
Policy Prepared By Laura Rycroft 23/11/2021
• IT Manager
• Police/ Law enforcement agencies
Viewing of CCTV images will only take place in a restricted area to which other employees will not have access while viewing is occurring.
5. Retention
Images recorded by the system will not be kept any longer than is necessary and for a maximum of 40 days except in circumstances such as where a law enforcement body is investigating a crime, the footage is required for insurance purposes or as part of an ongoing investigation. In such cases these images will be downloaded onto a disc and secured in a safe place. A record will be kept of any images kept after the 40 day time period and the reason for this.
6. Signage
Warning signs have been placed in all external areas where CCTV is operational. In addition further signs have been placed internally within the venue. All sign locations and content are compliant with the Information Commissioners Code of Practice.
7. Complaints
Any complaints about the operation of the CCTV system should be addressed to the General Manager and will be dealt with under the companies complaints procedure.

Policy Prepared By Laura Rycroft 23/11/2021