Government's alcohol blitz comes to an end

The Home Office's blitz on alcohol-related crime has come to an end, but police forces around the country are pledging to continue the battle.

During the two-month summer offensive, police cracked down on irresponsible operators and binge-drinkers.

They caught operators serving underage customers and, under new powers, issued fixed-penalty notices on anyone causing trouble in the streets.

But as the two-month stint drew to a close last weekend officers were determined to continue to work with licensees to keep the trade clean.

Inspector Paul O'Connor at Hertfordshire Police said: "We are always working on problems with irresponsible drinking and operating in town centres and will continue to do so.

"The addition of fixed- penalty notices has been a big advantage. The Home Office initiative has helped us work with licensees, but there is still much to be done."

Police in Staffordshire launched their own initiative this summer to expose licensees selling to under-18s, using teenagers as part of stings during the school holidays. One in three of the 50 licensed premises visited sold goods to the teenagers - although the majority of these were off-licences.

Karen Horton, licensee at the Chetwynd Arms in Stafford, said: "We're definitely supportive of this initiative and anything else the police are doing to cut down on problem pubs. It's also a good thing to keep it going and cut down on the number of operators doing it."

In Surrey steps introduced this summer have already helped reduce crime outside pubs.

Croydon came under particular scrutiny after football hool-igans went on the rampage during Euro 2004, but crime figures for the past two months are down on last year.

Chris Gould, licensing sergeant with Croydon Police, said: "We want to make the town a safe place for everyone to come and enjoy a drink and will continue our work to provide that."

In Lancashire police invited trade representatives out with them during the blitz. Burton-wood's financial director Nigel Wimpenny joined a patrol to Blackpool one Friday night.

"Seeing first-hand the types of incidents police deal with has helped us understand how we can offer solutions," he said.

The Home Office will release a complete breakdown of figures on the summer blitz later this month, but early indications are that the initiative was successful.

Half way through the eight-week campaign, police had hit 600 licensed premises, targeted nearly 2,000 troublemakers with fixed-penalty notices and confiscated alcohol from more than 4,000 adults and juveniles.

The Publican's reporter Tom Sandham goes out on patrol with Watford police​

Despite recent horror stories of drunks attacking men with saws in Watford, the atmosphere on Friday night was upbeat.

People had clearly been drinking too much as they spilled out onto the high street but with two police vans and at least 12 officers visible it was clear who was in charge.

During the course of the night the only incident of note was a woman who locked her keys in her car. But police viewed the scene as out of character for a town that usually attracts alcohol-related trouble at weekends.

With Lloyds, O'Neills, Walkabout and Yates's all within spitting distance and all vying for trade, it comes as no surprise that customers in Watford are young and the drinks cheap.

Some of the venues hold 1,500, which is why clear-out times have to be staggered.

The biggest problem police faced was dispersing drinkers content to hang around on the high street. It only needed the slightest spark to start serious trouble.

Sergeant Matt Curnow of Watford police added: "When you see people who have clearly had too much you have to wonder why they are still being served until midnight. They simply drink too much and the cut-price drink promotions don't help."

A huge responsibility rests on the shoulders of the industry but licensees in Watford have largely recognised this and are doing something about it.

"Problems stem from bad management," said Neil Campbell, who chairs the local Pubwatch (pictured)​. "All pubs in Watford are members and it makes a big difference to have regular contact with each other."

Down the high street, however, Joe Dobbin, licensee at the One Bell, was not so impressed with the developing scene. "I don't have that crowd in my pub," he said. "That's probably why I never have any trouble. You can't expect to offer such cheap prices and get away with it."