According to a police investigation, security personnel at Brixton Academy, the south London venue for Nigerian musician Asake’s concert where two people died in a stampede, allegedly accepted bribes to allow concertgoers without tickets to get in.
A security guard who was on duty the night of the incident informed authorities that the practice has been going on since 2009 and that some of his coworkers received £1,000 in cash in bribes from concertgoers who showed there without tickets.
He further asserted that the venue’s security company was aware of the unlawful transactions.
The guard, employed by AP Security, told the BBC, “There were people taking money… Some staff made £1,000 cash. Our company knew what was going on and they knew the people who were doing it, and they did nothing about it.”
The guard who reported the incident, going by the fake identity Rohan, stated that only 110 out of the required 190 security guards were on duty the night of the fatal crush.
He compared the crowd at Asake’s performance to “being in a really awful car crash – being crashed on and stamped on.”
When a few individuals bribe their way in, according to Rohan, things can quickly get “out of hand” as soon as others hear about the breach and decide to try their luck.
The whistleblower said: “When you let a few people in, they would text their friends, and they’ll text their friends.
“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 issue of bribes, according to Rohan, had been discussed in staff meetings, but AP Security management had not disciplined guards who were accused of letting people in without tickets.
Additionally, he admitted that ticket-buying bribes did not only occur at Brixton Academy but also at a number of other venues and festivals where he had worked.
According to a police official who spoke with the BBC, security for another event that took place at the same Brixton academy a week prior to Asake’s concert was opened to those without tickets.
Following the incident, Brixton Academy’s license was suspended, and Lambeth Council extended the suspension until April 16 on Monday, January 16.
The license holder for the venue, AMG Group, declared that it was committing “full cooperation to police.”
Watch the interview below…
