Peaceful Jubilee bodes well for licensing reform

Related tags Bank holiday weekend London

Peaceful celebrations over the Queen's Golden Jubilee bank holiday weekend have proved that relaxed opening does not lead to late-night violence,...

Peaceful celebrations over the Queen's Golden Jubilee bank holiday weekend have proved that relaxed opening does not lead to late-night violence, according to the police.

Pubs across the country were packed with customers celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Queen's succession to the throne - but reports suggest there was very little or no trouble in most areas.

Over the entire Bank Holiday weekend, there were just two arrests for drunken and disorderly behaviour, both in London, according to the Association of Chief Police Officers.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police told thepublican.com: "We are delighted that the weekend went so well.

"Allowing pubs to open until 1am did not seem to have a detrimental effect on crime and disorder."

This echoes trade hopes that a successful Jubilee would add weight to calls for a permanent relaxation of opening hours under proposed licensing law reforms.

Licensees said they were delighted that the Jubilee weekend proved to be such a trouble-free success.

Janice Clark, spokeswoman for Six Continents Retail, said that there wasn't any trouble in any of the company's pubs. "Everybody had an extremely good time especially as the Jubilee celebrations were coupled with the football and we haven't heard of any trouble whatsoever," she said.

Police in Essex said while the celebrations were mainly peaceful, there was one incident where a man was shot dead by two attackers at the White Horse pub in Barking, Essex, after he finished singing karaoke.

Police are appealing for witnesses to call them on 020 8345 4341.

But elsewhere in the county, licensee Susan Gadd, who runs the Crane in Basildon, said the weekend was "excellent" for trading. "The atmosphere was brilliant and of course it was a good weekend for trading as well. There wasn't any trouble whatsoever," she added.

Related topics Licensing law

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