Trade leaders question alcohol-related crime

by Tony Halstead

Trade leaders have poured scorn on new police figures that claim alcohol-fuelled violence linked to pubs has soared 15% in a year.

MPs seized on the statistics to make further calls to delay licensing reform.

Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations chief executive Tony Payne said it was wrong and unfair to automatically blame licensed premises for problems in town and city centres.

And boss of the Bar Enter-tainment & Dance Association Jon Collins claimed there was no definition as to what actually constituted an alcohol-related crime.

'There is no statistical consis-tency across the whole spectrum of alcohol and town-centre disorder; it is a very subjective issue, Collins said.

'What does alcohol-related crime actually mean, especially when you consider so much disorder breaks out around kebab shops and taxi ranks, which are necessarily sited close to licensed premises?

He added: 'We have consistently told the Home Office there needs to be some consistency across this evidential approach.

Collins questioned figures from Cleveland, which suggested alcohol-fuelled violence had risen 175% over the 12 months. 'These sorts of figures do not bear any resemblance to the real world, he claimed.

Collins complained that different approaches used by police forces inevitably meant pubs and clubs did not know exactly what policy was employed from area to area.

The police figures were published in response to a written parliamentary question tabled by Liberal Democrat MP Don Foster.

Foster, backed by Conservative leadership hopeful David Davis, criticised Government plans for extended pub hours.

'Labour is reckless to press ahead with longer hours when pub brawls are on the rise, he said.