New scheme to test pub-goers for drugs

Licensees in Staffordshire will be forced to test customers for drugs or face losing their licence.

Police in south Staffordshire will be piloting a scheme next year where they will test pub and club goers for heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, amphetamines and cannabis.

If customers have taken or handled the drugs they will be refused entry and searched by police - and if the pilot scheme is successful it could be rolled out nationwide.

Publicans have been told that they must co-operate with the local police or it will be held against them when their licences come up for renewal.

The news has caused a mixed response within the licensed community. Michael Pierce, who runs the Chicago Rock Café in Stafford welcomed the scheme. "We are committed to providing a safe and drug free environment for our customers and actively support Staffordshire Police," he said.

But Bill Crossfield, licensee of the Kent Hounds in Well Hill, Chelsfield, Kent, said he wasn't sure about the initiative. "I'm all for anything to do with stopping drugs, but I am wary about stopping people before they come into a pub. It won't stop the problem of those pubs that have dealers on the premises."

The Federation of Licensed Victuallers' Association's Tony Payne slammed the idea. He said: "I wouldn't go to a pub where the police were on the door. Even if you haven't done anything it puts you off. It's an infringement of human rights."

Chief Supt Howe of Staffordshire Police said: "We have clear evidence that a large volume of crime is drugs related, whether it be for violence, vehicle crime or anti-social behaviour.

"Through our efforts with drug referral agencies and our work with partners, we can assist those with drugs problems, however we also need to address the element of enforcement. These crimes affect the quality of life for everyone in our communities."

A £40,000 computer the size of a briefcase is used to test for drugs, funded by the Communities against Drugs Fund. Police will take a swab from the hand and it is understood that in the future the test will become part of the condition of entry to local public houses and nightclubs across the country.