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drinkanddrugsnews
| 7 February 2011
www.drinkanddrugsnews.com
The banner behind Tony
Oliver’s desk reads: ‘If it’s there,
we’ll find it!’ Tony runs BAC
Safety, a company specialising
in training in the search and
detection of drugs and alcohol.
He and his business partner,
Rich, have clocked up more
than 40 years experience
between themworking in the
security industry.
‘I was in the prison service for 25 years’ says Tony,
a lifelong Notts County supporter and England fan.
‘Working in the security department, I dealt with
searches of all kinds. It still astonishes me the
lengths addicts will go to to stop their cravings. I
can’t begin to tell you how cunning people can be
when it comes to hiding their stash.’
Tony hasn’t just worked in the field, he’s also
been on the other side of the fence, having been in
treatment himself: ‘During my time in treatment, I
experienced first hand the unsettling effect the
presence of illicit substances have on the other
people who are in treatment. One of the clients
actually brought a bag of pills into the centre, and
it changed the whole atmosphere – noone could
concentrate, we were all unsettled and on edge
until the drugs were eventually found.’
Wanting to give something back to the treatment
sector following his own journey out of addiction,
Tony started volunteering for a couple of
rehabilitation centres in Staffordshire and soon
realised that staff were keen to prevent illegal
substances from coming into the environment, but
often didn’t have the required skills to actually do
that. The searches were happening, but not in a
meticulous and methodical way.
‘I realised that although searches were taking
place, they weren’t preventing substances getting
onto the premises. I felt I wanted to pass on the
skills I’d learned, so when I took early retirement, I
started BAC Safety to teach searching techniques
and handling confrontation.’
BAC Safety trains staff in techniques for
searching people, rooms, communal areas, grounds,
luggage and baggage. They also teach staff how to
handle confrontation, diffusing potentially volatile
situations before they have the chance to escalate.
Personal safety is also a crucial part of search and
detection:
‘I have had a needle stick injury myself and I can’t
tell you how agonising it is to wait three months for
the results to see whether you’ve tested positive for
HIV or hep C. Just a few weeks ago, after we’d done
some training in the West Midlands, one of the
support workers who’d been on our course said he
found a bloodsoaked needle in the pocket of one of
the clients he admitted to detox. He said that if it
hadn’t been for the training he received, it’s highly
likely he’d be waiting for his own blood results right
now.’
It’s a fact that the Care Quality Commission
(CQC) requires high quality care and high
standards for clients and staff, and that all
treatment centres have procedures in place to
properly deal with their protection and safety.
This becomes crucial when it comes to preventing
illicit substances from entering a treatment centre.
Tony wants staff to be more aware of the
people on their premises and not to be afraid to
come forward if they have concerns. He tells the
story of a tennis ball thrown over a wall into a
treatment centre: ‘At first the staff thought it was
someone who’d thrown the ball for a dog, but
when they looked closer, there was a split in the
ball and a stash of drugs hidden inside. It’s
teaching staff to look beyond the obvious.’
BAC Safety also offer a searching service,
providing their own trained staff to carry
out’searches: “Staff can build up a bond of trust
with their clients and may not wish to damage any
therapeutic relationships, so we can carry out the
searches on the company’s behalf.
‘I love what I do and we’re busy sharing our
expertise with rehabs all over the country. We’re
currently training recovery champions in conflict
management, as they deal with a high volume of
people who are inebriated or high on drugs, and
we’ll also be doing a workshop at UKESAD (UK/
European Symposium on Addictive Disorders) in
May on searching and handling confrontation.
“However, being an expert in search techniques
can have its disadvantages, for example when
you’re telling your wife you can’t find the laundry
basket or the lawnmower!’
w: www.bacsafety.com
e: enquiries@bacsafety.com
t: 07581 345872 or 07815 497366
Search and detection
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