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Security guards at London's O2 Academy Brixton took bribes, says ... - Resident Advisor

by Michael Lawson
Tue, Jan 17, 2023 05:58 ET
in Employment News, Press Release

  • Security staff at iconic London venue O2 Academy Brixton often took bribes to allow people in without tickets, a whistleblower told the BBC. The security guard, who has worked at the venue, explained how members of his team would let "a couple of hundred" extra people through the doors in exchange for cash, with some making up to 1,000 a night. He also insisted that the employer, AP Security, was aware of the practice. The news comes after a crowd crush at a concert for Afrobeats artist Asake on December 15th. Two people—Rebecca Ikumelo and Gaby Hutchinson—died in the days after the incident. "When you let a few people in, they would text their friends, and they'll text their friends," the whistleblower said. "And the bouncers started being greedy, and it got out of hand. And people wanted to come in anyway, without a ticket. You can train someone to the max, but when that happens in front of you, you actually stop… you freeze." The BBC report follows news that O2 Academy Brixton will remain closed until at least April while the police continue with their investigation. Venue owner Academy Music Group (AMG) said it's "committed to understanding what happened." The Asake concert ended early after a large number of people tried to enter the venue. One attendees told the Guardian it was the "most poorly organised thing I've seen." We'll report more on this story as it unfolds.

    Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiGGh0dHBzOi8vcmEuY28vbmV3cy83O...


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