There is a feeling of a fresh start among the door supervisors who protect pubs and clubs across Scotland - but don't mention the word bouncer.

Kenny Mitchell, training manager at Up Front Security, currently employing almost 900 door staff in Scotland, said yesterday: "You have really got to stop using the word bouncer. It is now strictly off limits. The qualification is called the National Certificate for Door Supervisors.

"The industry has always been professional but has suffered from a bad public perception, driven by characters like Hale and Pace. This regulation is good news for the industry."

As of today, the Security Industry Association's (SIA's) remit will run north of the Border to regulate a business that has suffered from association with individuals such as convicted gun runner Paul Ferris, linked to Premier Security - with a reported turnover of £6.2m.

Until now, major cities in Scotland adopted a voluntary scheme of licensing door staff. While pub or club owners could have their licences refused or revoked, under the SIA regime individuals found to be working as a door supervisor without correct paperwork could face a £5000 fine or a six-month prison sentence.

In preparation for today, officers from the Scottish Crime and Drugs Enforcement Agency have visited Merseyside Police, which recently ran the UK's biggest operation on rogue security firms. Operation Seahog involved SIA experts, immigration officials and staff from the Department of Work and Pensions.

Hundreds of construction sites were raided and dozens of people arrested while companies under suspicion of laundering money had their accounts investigated.

Senior officers hope to emulate that joint working method in Scotland to remove rogue firms and organised criminal networks.

The SIA said it would be working closely with the police over the next few months to enforce legislation and catch unlicenced operators. Licences take approximately six weeks to be granted, but certain specially approved firms which have already licenced 85% of their employees will be able to employ the remaining 15% as they wait.

Mr Mitchell, who this week has been training students to SIA standards in Inverness, said: "On an average weekend night in Glasgow, you have three to four times more door supervisors on duty than police officers.

"It is important that door supervisors can spot and prevent situations from arriving and not be left dealing with situations after they arrive: it's the ability to defuse situations before they become problematic. When people become angry or aggressive, we need to know how to handle the situation so it doesn't escalate any further.

"We use a lot of role play in the training so that people can see how their own reactions can affect the reactions of others."

Alan Morton, managing director of Up Front Security, agreed: "The term bouncer is really becoming obsolete. Bouncer is becoming a term of degradation. I think it is used to describe the very type of person that licensing will eradicate, such as those with a long criminal record and a history of violence.

"The industry is now becoming dominated by large professional suppliers of door supervisors. They are transparent and will run upstanding companies.

"However, that is not to say that there are not organisations which exist below radar, ones which still would attempt to evade SIA enforcement and also try to continue to evade other bodies. There are people for example who would not pay taxes and do not employ suitable people to work in public safety."

Cleaning up the image of the industry has been an expensive business, firms can pay £250 for the training of each candidate, with the individual spending £245 on licence costs. The SIA demands a criminal record and passport checks as well as a minimum of 30 hours training in law, licensing policy and skills such as conflict management.

Mr Morton, who started out as a door supervisor in Glasgow 18 years ago, said: "It is an expensive and sometimes painful time for the industry, but essential."

Laying down the law