Newquay crackdown on pub crawls could bring new law
A crackdown on organised pub crawls in Newquay has helped stem the town's problems - and the approach could be copied in other problem locations.
Among the measures adopted by the Newquay Safe Partnership this summer has been a bar crawl code of conduct.
Pubs and bars in the seaside resort have adopted the code whereby only crawl organisers that have signed up are allowed on their premises.
It is understood to have had a major impact on the levels of drunkenness.
Guy Thomas, Newquay town centre manager, said the government was looking specifically at the possibility of bringing in legislation for bar crawls that could then be used around the country.
"A lot of coastal resorts have been enquiring about it and the government are using our findings as it's a national problem," he said.
Adam Luck, estate director at St Austell Brewery - that operates the Central pub in Newquay, said: "We are not seeing the scenes that were seen last year with people on the floor from drink. Newquay is still a party town but this sort of thing is much less prevalent.
"It has worked very well. The spotlight was placed on bar crawl companies to be better behaved and better policed and now they can't encourage excessive drinking in a short space of time," explains Luck.
James Brokenshire, the government's crime prevention minister, visited Newquay last month. He said he was "encouraged" the Newquay Safe Partnership was "leading the way and working with the community to address the issues that really matter to local people".
But a Home Office spokeswoman said it would not comment on any specific measures being discussed, beyond what has already been anounced around licensing.
Joint Newquay Safe Partnership project manager, Rob Andrew said it had been rewarding to see the hard work and project planning over the last 12 months "come to fruition".
He added: "The partnership has been criticised by a small minority for being more talk than action - however we have delivered real results on the ground which I hope everybody in Newquay is now feeling the benefits of".
Pubs and bars have also adopted a policy of only accepting passports and driving licences as proof-of-age, which further helped to reduce underage drinking, which was previously a major problem as lots of fake IDs were being used by young people.
