The Committee will receive an overview/update of the work of the Police Licensing Officers (Richard Tottle and Alistair Day).
Minutes:
Richard Tottle (Police Licensing Officer) provided an introduction/update to the Committee and highlighted the following:
· Alastair Day (Police Licensing Officer) was unable to attend the meeting due to transport issues;
· That he was new to the role having retired as a Police Officer of over 30 years;
· That his work included liaising with licenced premises, Police colleagues and Council licensing colleagues;
· Some of the current issues in Wiltshire’s premises included the use of drugs and violence in our venues and they were continuing to help support the tightening up of safety within the nighttime economy and work to push drugs out of venues, reduce alcohol related violence, identify predatory males and tackle the sale of alcohol to those under 18;
· The Licensing SAVI scheme to support development of safer premises for staff and customers was funded by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and provides best practice guidance for venues and highlights what venues should provide to keep their patrons safe. Venues receive a star rating with a certificate recognising their achieved safety level similar to hygiene status certificates.
The Chairman asked Richard if they worked with colleagues in the neighbouring authorities and if there was a close connection with other local Police forces to look at trends. Richard confirmed that he had a contact within Swindon Police and that he would like to pursue other neighbouring Police forces and engage with the Fire Service with the hope that if they attended a venue that they were interested in then they could share observations and findings.
The Committee asked the following questions which included but were not limited to:
· How do you identify the premises that are continuing to sell alcohol to those that are intoxicated and how tough do you come down on those premises that are selling to those that are drunk? It was noted that although premises are businesses and obviously making money was the priority, the licensing conditions clearly state that they are not to continue to sell to those that are intoxicated. Officers would rely on members of the public reporting this information and this was encouraged. Some may not think to report what they perceive is a minor issue, but calls of this nature are acted upon and the Police would visit premises with Council Licensing colleagues to remind premises of their obligations under the Licensing Act, see if further staff training is required and if problems continued then consider a review of the premises licence.
· It is felt like you are missing reports from concerns from members of the public as it is difficult to use the Police 101 non-emergency number and if there were easier ways to report concerns there may be more received and in turn easier for the police to build up a picture of concerns in relation to some premises. It was noted there was also an online 101 reporting system available to encourage the reporting of low level concerns/crimes and residents were encouraged to use this to report issues.
· Was the Ask for Angela initiative in use across the whole county? It was noted that this was covered in the WAVE training provided and it was still ongoing and pushed for awareness with licenced venues.
· When new landlords take over premises do they receive visits from the Police to ensure that they are fully trained and aware of their responsibilities in relation to the Licensing Act? It was noted that capacity did not allow for general visits but that they had links with Wadworth’s and Arkells breweries to ensure that the relevant training for the landlords is received.
· We acknowledge there is a lot of emphasis on keeping women and girls safe – but men also need to be safe is that on your radar to ensure that they are not being coerced etc. It was noted that Police are not blind to male on male predatory behaviour, but that the statistics show that over 99% of issues reported are related to women and young girls and that is why there is the current focus and was part of Operation Vigilant.
· There are concerns about when licenced premises have loud music there are young children sitting next to speakers – what work do you do when a child is at risk? It was noted that again if this was reported it would be looked into as the prevention of children from harm was one of the four licencing objectives and if a licensing condition was being breached this would be investigated.
The Chairman highlighted that the Committee would welcome further updates either written or in person at future meetings and that he would like to enhance the Committee’s link with the Fire Service and suggested that he write to them to see if they can update on any licensing aspects, and how they work with Licensing Officers and the Police.
Resolved:
1. That the Committee note the update on behalf of the Police Licensing Team.
2. That the Chairman write to the Fire Service on behalf of the Committee to invite them to update on their links with Council Licensing and Police colleagues and attend a future meeting to present this update.