UPDATE: New safety measures in place at Area as police appeal for witnesses

The club is set to reopen this weekend


Area will reopen tomorrow (6th October) with new safety measures in place after two stabbings at the nightclub last weekend.

This comes as South Yorkshire Police have confirmed that no arrests have been made in connection with the incident, and are urging any witnesses to contact them.

All clubbers at Area will be subject to a standard search policy at entrances and IDs will be scanned. One in three people will be taken through a knife arch, which will be similar to security detectors at airports.

Two Wi-Fi enabled body cameras will also be used by door supervisors at each open entrance, while CCTV cameras will be able to capture a head and shoulders image of all customers.

Two people were stabbed at Area last weekend

Two people were stabbed at Area last weekend

An event calendar must be sent to the Police and Licensing Authority each month and 'traffic light' risk assessments will be carried out for all events, with heightened security in place for amber or red events.

A spokesperson for Area told us: “Safety is of paramount importance to us at Area, in these uncertain times we want our customers to feel and be safe.

With the guidance and advice from the local authorities, customers can expect to see increased security measures, female door staff, ID scanning and body cameras linked to local authorities and in place for all trading sessions at the venue from this Friday.”

Paddy Whur, from Woods & Whur Licensing Solicitors, commented: “I was instructed on Sunday to represent the interests of the club in dealing with the extra-ordinary circumstances within Sheffield over the weekend.

I was delighted that South Yorkshire Police worked with us on Monday to agree a strong partnership approach in dealing with the some of the localised issues.

This was a great example of how a responsible operator and a receptive police force can act quickly to guarantee the safety of the night time economy.”

Meanwhile, South Yorkshire Police have stated that there are no further updates at this time, and no one has been arrested.

They are urging anyone who knows anything about the events of Sunday morning to come forward.

Anyone with information on the stabbings should report it via 101, quoting incident number 130 of 1st October. Information can also be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.