CONTRARY to popular belief it is not every day that I get thrown out of a Southampton bar for being rowdy.

But after door staff at the city's trendy Orange Rooms received awards for a new course on how to remove customers safely from the premises they kindly offered to give me a demonstration.

Altogether eight members of staff from the bar took the three-day training course that taught them how to remove aggressive customers from the bar without causing serious injury.

The bar is the first in Southampton to send staff on the nationally accredited course that is equivalent to a level-three award from academic awarding body ASET.

Based in Chilworth, Risks Contained has been running for a year and has already trained staff at Southampton Solent University, Portsmouth City Council and Southampton and Portsmouth hospitals on how to deal with difficult people safely.

Security staff are taught the legal issues on using force, basic escort drills to remove people off the premises, implications of using good and bad means of removing people and how to review incidents afterwards.

The course is run by training director Martin Farrow, a former police trainer and physical trainer in the military.

Martin said: "They are taught the pitfalls of using dangerous techniques like holding someone around the head and why that should not be done.

"The emphasis on the training is that when every method has failed the last thing we would ever do is to physically manhandle people. "It's more about recognising triggers, learning about body language and communication skills.

"They are taught safe methods of restraint. Things that don't involve bending limbs, things that cause injuries such as breaks and fractures."

Bar manager Neil Homer said: "The feedback from the door staff has been excellent.

"They were amazed at how simple and effective the techniques were."

PC Mike Sullivan, a licensing officer for Hampshire police, said: "If people are being taught to use reasonable force safely and properly it's got to be a good thing."