How trade helped cut crime

Police believe the sharp fall in violent offences under the much-criticised new licensing regime has been fuelled by a number of factors - not least the proactive measures taken by the trade itself.

It's been a long time coming, but last week's announcement that violent crime has fallen 11% since the Licensing Act went live means the trade can shout a collective 'I told you so' to the Daily Mail, and others who predicted Armageddon under the new regime.

Initial, and more rational, reports in the national media suggested the kind of binge drinking that leads to violence was on the way out.

And punters really are starting to ape their counterparts in Europe by drinking at a slower rate - as flexible pub opening times mean violent flashpoints are avoided.

But for top police officers, this change is only part of the story. Other factors have had a huge impact in making streets and licensed venues safer places, including the Home Office-funded police campaign to tackle alcohol-fuelled disorder, which ran for six weeks over Christmas.

That is not to mention steps taken by licensees and operators before the second appointed day (24 November).

Birmingham city centre has seen an 11% year-on-year fall in violent crime over the festive period, with the popular Broad Street hotspot reporting a 25% drop since the new laws were introduced.

'What we have seen is less of a rush at the end of the night. It seems that people are starting to plan their evenings to suit them, not the hours dictated to them,' says Chief Superintendent Peter Goodman.

Reducing night-time disorder

But Goodman points to the 'gradual impact' of a string of initiatives to reduce night-time disorder in the city. On Broad Street alone, this included police patrols in strategic areas and bringing in taxi marshals for rapid dispersal of crowds. Licensees have contributed by agreeing not to discount drinks after 6pm on Fridays or Saturdays.

The extra police powers under the Licensing Act have also had an impact and Goodman says three premises in Birmingham have been closed down since 24 November because of irresponsible behaviour.

'I think the change in licensing hours has had an impact but it has to be seen in context,' Goodman stresses.

Other police officers point to the impact of the Home Office's Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaign (AMEC), which ran for six weeks up to 24 December. An extra £2.5m was allocated to forces across the country to cut alcohol-related disorder. It was used for underage sting operations, early intervention to defuse potential disorder, and to step up the use of fixed-penalty notices for drunken yobs.

During the AMEC in York, extra police numbers allowed officers to visit 690 pubs and clubs and make 668 arrests, mainly for alcohol-related offences.

The result was a 20% fall in violent crime on the previous year. 'Part of the reason was the highlyvisible policing over the peak period of Christmas and the New Year,' says York licensing officer Mike Welsh.

But Chief Inspector Andy Hirst adds a note of caution: 'We spent money on having extra officers out in the evening under the AMEC and we can't sustain that presence throughout the year.'

Accusations of 'bogus spin'

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis goes as far as accusing the Government of 'bogus spin' over the figures. He says the big police blitz means comparisons with previous years are meaningless. Davis says: 'The Government should not use these bogus, inappropriate and spun statistics to justify 24-hour drinking (yes, he still uses this term).'

Other top policemen point to action taken by the trade in the run-up to the Licensing Act going live. Leicestershire and Rutland Inspector Nigel Banks says operators were forced to 're-evaluate' steps they had taken to improve the safety of their venues when filling in premises licence forms.

As a result, measures were put in place to deter crime and promote responsibility. For example, the 'Challenge 21' scheme - where staff ask for the ID of anyone who looks under 21 - is now standard practice across Leicestershire and Rutland.

Banks argues that the change actually began in March 2004, when the Government's National Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy forced operators to look at their policies.

'There's been a far greater spotlight and focus on how premises are run,' he says. 'People think, 'what am I doing at the moment, and what can I do in the future'?'

Banks notes that flexible opening and extra police resources and powers have contributed to the 11% fall in violent crime across the region.

But he adds: 'To say the Licensing Act has had that impact would be naive if taken in isolation.'

Another trend that occurred in the run-up to the new regime has been the rise of pubwatch schemes. National Pubwatch's honorary secretary Malcolm Eidmans notes a sharp increase in the number of schemes starting up in the past six months or so.

Impact's not easy to measure

In some areas, crime in pubs and clubs has fallen by up to 40% after the introduction of a pubwatch scheme, Eidmans says. 'I've not got the slightest doubt that's had some impact [on late-night disorder], but it's not easy to measure.'

He adds a combination of factors has led to the fall in crime, including the dire weather that kept many people at home over the festive break.

The town of Millom in Cumbria saw drink-related crime fall 40% at Christmas. Millom Pubwatch co-ordinator PC Eddy Hope put this down to the success of the scheme, which saw 30 yobs banned from pubs and clubs in the town.

However, Steve Baker, crime reduction and partnership manager for Thames Valley Police and secretary of Aylesbury Pubwatch, is more cautious about the direct impact of pubwatch on overall night-time crime.

Although pubwatch reduces problems inside licensed premises, it doesn't necessarily stop violence on the streets.

Baker says crime rates have changed little in Aylesbury since the new laws began. This is mainly because opening hours have scarcely altered in the Buckinghamshire market town. A few pubs had later licences before 24 November anyway while licensees, police and council officers have come to 'common sense compromises' not to open much later.

Fewer people on the high street

For Ultimate Leisure boss Mark Jones, the fall in disorder could simply be because fewer people venture into the high street under the new licensing laws, now their local pubs are open later.

He points to the unimpressive performance of high-street operators after the new laws began. Like-for-like sales growth at Walkabout operator Regent Inns halved to 0.5% in the half year to 31 December.

'Evidence has emerged that people are spending more time in community pubs out of the town centre, whereas before they were the only place to experience late-night drinking,' says Jones.

l Can the Mail do a Will and apologise - Protz column, p8

Checklist of crimes

During the six-week Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaign from 12 November to 24 December:

l All violent crime fell 11%

l Serious violent crime fell 21%

l 25,486 arrests were made

l 21,995 on-licence premises, and 5,159 off-licence venues, were visited by police and partners

l In test-purchase operations, 29% of on-licence and 19% of off-licence premises were caught serving minors

l 649 summonses were issued as a result of sting operations. Of these, 593 were for selling to minors, 17 were for serving drunks, and 39 were for other offences

Source: the Home Office

BBN is the key to dealing with drunks and thefts

Manchester sergeant Jan Brown says the actions of the trade to get its own house in order, via the pioneering pub and club accreditation scheme Best Bar None (BBN), is paying dividends.

To gain BBN accreditation, venues must adopt high standards in door and drug policy, crime prevention schemes, and emergency procedures.

The initiative is being rolled out nationwide.

Brown, from the BBN scheme in Manchester, says it is too early to determine the impact of the new laws