DOORMEN are a regular feature outside bars and clubs in south Essex and are primed to deal with troublemakers - but one believes that the reputation they sometimes get is unfair.

The Echo spoke with Dean Stevens, 27, of Queens Road, Rayleigh, who runs the door security at the Last Post in Weston Road, Southend.

Mr Stevens is a father-of-two and aside from keeping the clubbers of the seaside town safe and well behaved, he trains as an MMA fighter at Team Sure Grip in London Road, Leigh.

He is currently training for a fight on October 29 which he fits around family life with his 18-month-old daughter and four-year-old son, and his work as a doorman. He said that although he trains in the discipline, it is not something that comes into his work.

Mr Stevens added: “People think that working the door is all about violence and that is just not the case.

“I and the rest of the staff are not there to hurt someone, that is not our job, we have to be respectful of the place where we work and so do the customers. Sometimes you get individuals who think it is OK to just cause problems.

“In those situations, you have to have someone who can get someone out safely. People do not quite get the fact at times that we are there to keep people safe.”

Mr Stevens has worked as a doorman for five years and previously worked on the door at Chameleon nightclub in Lucy Road.

Since becoming a MMA fighter, he has noticed a change in the way the customers view him and he tries to ensure his work and his sport have a clear divide.

He said: “A lot of people see me through the fighting, they shake my hand and are very nice to me because of that.

“But, I have to say to these people that fighting is not a part of my job, and they should respect me they way want to be respected.

“I tell them that they should speak to me how they expect to be spoken to.”

He believes there has been a change in the way security is dealt with today compared to when he started.

He said: “There are so many people who have just come out of school and get their badge to be a doorman.

“You get guys who people call ‘shirt fillers’, who are there just because they have the badge.

“Every Friday or Saturday night, we need five people on the door and there are guys like this working.

“In clubs, you are dealing with people who are around 18 and they are not causing any danger most of the time. Whereas in pubs, you are dealing with adults so it is a more developed threat.”

Mr Stevens feels that there are doormen who use their title to be forceful with customers but believes they are few and far between.

He said: “I have worked in places with doormen who have used that title to be over the top with the people we are meant to be looking after.”

Mr Stevens has had a few experiences in his career which have taught him to be aware of the dangers in his job.

He said: “Someone held a blade on me as the Last Post and in that situation I had to go over the top.

“It can be quite scary and intimidating, but as soon as you show fear to your punters, then they have the upper hand.

“So you have to be a strong presence in all situations and not be intimidated.

“When you get problems you cannot show your fear because if you show them that, they will act on it.

“Nine out of ten people who come in to a pub or club are good people, but there are others who think that they can cause trouble. If they do they will get chucked out and that is it, but if they did these things in the street, it would be an offence.”

Mr Stevens said that due to a lack of police officers on the street in Southend on the busiest nights of the week, he and his colleagues sometimes find it difficult to ensure the safety of customers.

He said: “We have a lot of people coming down from London nowadays and there is not enough police. So every time we call for assistance, you can be waiting for around half an hour to an hour.”

He is aware of the issues that also surround the profession and he hopes that despite his personal image as a hard man, he can continue to be looked upon as a defender of his customers.