Entire GK estate to joinPubwatch by year-end
by John Harrington
Greene King has vowed to get every one of its entire 600-strong estate into a Pubwatch scheme by the end of the year.
The decision, taken at a meeting of Greene King's executive last week, follows revelationslast year that just 22% of Greene King pubs, excluding those recently bought from Laurel, are part of Pubwatch organisations.
Greene King's head of security, Bruce Thomas, who is also a committee member of National Pubwatch, said the executive members were in unanimous agreement to push for complete membership.
The plan is to send a memo to the pubs, business development managers and operations directors, explaining the benefits of being part of Pubwatch and including advice on starting a scheme if one is not in place.
"We would definitely be able to describe the benefits of being in a Pubwatch in terms of intelligence gathering and liaising with the local authorities," said Thomas. "It would assist managers in difficult areas of the business. We've quite a few instances where people have been assisted with a particular problem because they are in Pubwatch.
"I applaud the decision and think it's the way forward for Greene King Pub Company.
"It demonstrates as a company that we are committed to running houses that are safe places to be in, and we are doing our bit against crime and disorder."
l Tickets for the second National Pubwatch Conference are selling fast, with only around 80 places left for the event, which takes place on 6 April at Buckingham Chilterns University, High Wycombe, Bucks.
Speakers will include Simon Leach from the Home Office, John McNamara of the BII, and solicitor Jeremy Allen. Contact Malcolm Eidmans on 01707 650095.
