Pubwatch
Keeping a safe watch on pub life
Pubwatch is a national scheme that aims to achieve a safe social drinking environment in licensed premises, helping to reduce alcohol-related crime. Basically, it is the licensed trade's equivalent of Neighbourhood Watch. Working in partnership with the police and local authorities, it involves licensees sharing information about individuals who cause or threaten damage, disorder, violence, use or deal in drugs in their premises or are a general nuisance, and agreeing on actions to deal with them.
Normally this action consists of refusing to serve individuals who cause, or are known to have previously caused, these sorts of problems. Having agreed these policies, Pubwatch members then publicise them and stick to them. The publicity alone can have a very significant effect on such problems, but refusing admission and service to those who cause trouble has proved to have a significant impact on anti-social behaviour.
All licensed premises in Surrey Heath belong to one of three Pubwatches. These are Camberley Town, which is chaired by Martin Lock from the Carpenters Arms, The Six Villages, chaired by Conrad Sturt from the Half Moon PH in Windlesham, and the Frimley and Mytchett Pubwatch, which is chaired by Annie Cowell from the Rose & Thistle in Frimley Green.
ID scheme reduces underage drinking
Surrey Heath is the only borough in the county to run a seizure of identification from licensed premises scheme. This gives door staff of PubWatch members the option to retain ID if they believe it does not belong to the person presenting it, or if they believe it is false. Seized ID is retained in a police evidence bag then collected by officers from Surrey Police on a weekly basis. Officers will contact the person who is named on the ID and subsequently interview them and the person who used the ID and if that person is under 18 then their parents will be contacted and asked to attend. If it is found that an offence has been committed, and it is the offender's first such offence, they will be required to sign a behaviour agreement. However, if it's a second such offence, the offender may be prosecuted under the Identity Cards Act 2006.
Since the seizure of identification scheme started in Surrey Heath in the summer of 2007, there has been an 80 per cent decrease in underage drinking in Camberley Town Centre. At the start of the scheme, door staff were seizing approximately 30 IDs a week; this has now reduced to around one or two per week. PubWatch members receive training from Surrey Police to ensure they can differentiate genuine ID from false ID.
Prior to Camberley Police bringing in this scheme, door staff in some venues were already seizing documents and there was no accountability for any documents seized. Documents were being mislaid, lost and in some cases unlawfully used. Door staff now adhere to a strict protocol when seizing any document, i.e. under CCTV, a receipt is given to the user and a sticker is placed on the document stating the reason for the seizure prior to it being placed in a police evidence bag. The seizure is also recorded in the incident log. Any documents that are not claimed by the holder will be returned to the issuing office, i.e. the DVLA or the passport office with a covering letter.
Pubwatch is a great example of partnership working, bringing together the business community and local enforcement agencies to help residents and visitors to Surrey Heath enjoy a drink in a safe environment.
Visit National Pubwatch - www.nationalpubwatch.org.uk Opens in a new window