July 26, 2017

Night of pub violence in Bridport

FOLLOWING a number of incidents of violence and disorder, Bridport police are urging members of the public to drink responsibly and reminding them of the Pubwatch scheme.

The organisation covers independent pubs, restaurants and brewery owned premises in Bridport, Beaminster, West Bay, Burton Bradstock and Chideock and works closely with Dorset Police to reduce crime and disorder.

Earlier this month, fights broke out in licensed premises in Bridport, sparking the warning from PC Scott McGregor.
On Sunday, July 16th, a fight was reported to have broken out in the Greyhound pub at around 1.45am. It involved a number of people who were throwing glasses and bottles and causing a disturbance.

Later that night a fight broke out at The Galley on South Street at around 2.45am when a male was head-butted by another male. The victim of the attack was then led out to the street by door staff but the fight continued outside and the victim was assaulted by four males. He sustained cuts and bruises to his body.

PC McGregor said: “As the summer season events are taking place, member premises within the scheme will report behaviour of anyone who engages in acts of violence, threatens or puts another in fear of violence or is suspected of the misuse of drugs or other anti-social acts.

“At regular meetings the behaviour is discussed and they are subject to a vote by all members and, if appropriate, can be warned or banned from all Pubwatch premises to protect staff and public.

“A ban by a Pubwatch is not a punishment for the offences committed or suspected by that person, but is imposed by licensees to protect their staff and customers.”

He added: “At present there are 45 people currently banned with a mixture of short and long term bans and because of the close cooperation with Dorset Police, court orders have been obtained by me to support member licensees in their bid to reduce alcohol related crime.

“These orders imposed by a court, if breached the individual is subject to arrest and prosecution, often being held in custody until the next available court hearing.

“With a number of cases impending in court over the summer, my advice is don’t become the next high profile court case because of your irresponsible actions within licensed premises.

“Speaking on behalf of all who work and support the licensing trade to reduce crime, my advice is to drink responsibly.”

There is an appeal for information on the two incidents and people are encouraged to contact Dorset Police on 101, quoting crime number 55170108445 for the first incident and 551701 08414 for the second, if they have any information.
Photograph and story courtesy of View News www.viewnews.co.uk

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3/8/17
PUB owners in Chippenham say they have been left in the dark over the current status of the town’s Pub Watch scheme, despite the BID confirming it is still running.

The scheme, which is run by licensees and the Chippenham BID, helps pubs tackle alcohol-related crime head on.
However, for the past few months, many licensees, including Tina Elliott-Clarke of the Bear Hotel, say they have received no communication regarding the scheme.

“I didn’t know the meetings were still going on” she said. “We used to get emails months ago but the meetings were being held at 3pm and I had to go pick my son up from school so we weren’t able to go.

“If I knew where these meetings were now I’d go, but there doesn’t seem to be any communication. Pub Watch is useful as we don’t always know what happens on the other side of town.”

The concerns about the scheme were raised after police confirmed that a woman involved with a violent attack in St Mary’s Street last Saturday, in which a 50-year-old man was knocked unconscious, was on the Pub Watch list.

The landlords of the Black Horse, who chucked the woman out of their pub for being abusive, towards the victim, told the Gazette last week they would not have let her in had they known.

Kathryn Crossweller, BID’s interim manager, said: “On a monthly basis our welcoming, safe and clean committee has sought to re-enthuse the local license holders to re-engage with Pub Watch.

“We continue to approach local licensees to help them revive Pub Watch as attendance dwindled once new licenses started being issued without the stipulation that attendance was compulsory.

“Chippenham BID is able to provide administrative support for Pub Watch, and at the last meeting there were six people in attendance, two of whom were Chippenham BID’s representatives.”

Story courtesy of The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald www.gazetteandherald.co.uk

NPW Editors comment: We would urge licensees to fully engage with their local Pubwatch. It will only be effective and thrive if they take a full part in running the scheme and setting the agenda so it reflects their needs. A NPW regional representative is meeting members of another Wiltshire Pubwatch tomorrow to help them discuss how they can revitalise their scheme.

The post Pub owners confused about future of Chippenham Pubwatch appeared first on National Pubwatch.

4/8/17

Need a new tool to market your Pubwatch and inform people about the importance of your scheme?
National Pubwatch has produced a suite of four new radio commercials which they are making available to all UK Pubwatch schemes.

The 30 second commercials can be listened to on the organisations YouTube page. If a Pubwatch scheme wishes to commission their own local radio campaign they can obtain free copies of the audio recordings by contacting National Pubwatch direct.

The recordings were produced for NPW by mini mammoth films on 30th July 2017 and go live today.

Steve Baker Chairman of NPW says “We hope this new initiative will provide local Pubwatch schemes with a new opportunity to promote what they do and why they do it. We are currently discussing the recordings with a number of Pubwatch schemes who have expressed an interested in piloting them in their areas”.

The recordings consist of four separate storylines which all highlight the Pubwatch schemes Common Law power to exclude (ban) problem customers from licensed premises.

Left to right Marcus Richards (mini mammoth films) and voice actors Claire Corbett and Dean Kilbey

The post New radio commercials from National Pubwatch appeared first on National Pubwatch.

23/8/17
Licensees came together in the North Lincolnshire town of Brigg. The meeting was arranged by the Police Licensing Officer Gary Parker who spoke about the importance of Pubwatch in reducing crime in the night time economy.

Our own Regional Representative Michael Kheng was on hand to explain how Pubwatch works and what support is available to them from National Pubwatch.

Following the meeting Michael tweeted photographs on our twitter account and almost immediately received a request from someone in Essex who wanted help in starting another scheme.

So the point of this article?

Well nothing other than the fact that we are here to help you. NPW Regional Representatives like Michael are attending similar meetings across the UK on a regular basis. We do this voluntarily because we believe in Pubwatch and how it can make a real difference to then safety of staff and customers. If you need help – just give us a call.

And a date for your diary. We are really pleased to announce that our 15th annual conference will be taking place on the 27th February 2018 at the Crown Plaza, Nottingham. The conference will be run in partnership with the Security Industry Authority (SIA). Details will follow in due course

The post Brigg licensees join together to form a new Pubwatch scheme appeared first on National Pubwatch.

A pilot training scheme for taxi drivers, hoteliers, pub, club and bar employees aiming to further raise awareness of the signs of child sexual exploitation (CSE) has launched in East Herts.

The scheme, called Say Something If You See Something, is a short training video specifically aimed at taxi drivers, hotel workers, the security industry and the licenced trade, as those working in these environments are likely to come across evidence of potential CSE in their jobs.

The 20-minute video, produced by Hertfordshire Constabulary in collaboration with East Herts Council, explains the definition of CSE, the signs to watch out for and how best to report any concerns the person may have.

Following the launch at Ware Priory on July 20, which was attended by approximately 45 managers from all three industries, the attendees were then asked to conduct training sessions for their employees so they know the signs to look out for. These will now be rolled out across East Herts in the coming months.

PS Clare Ramirez-Scott, from the East Herts and Broxbourne Community Safety Unit, led the launch and said: “This new training video is an effective way of informing those who work in the night time economy about CSE. I believe it is going to help bridge the gap between the police and those working in the night time economy, in turn helping to achieve our aim of protecting more vulnerable children.”

Vulnerable Children Detective Inspector Jo Briggs, from the Safeguarding Unit, said: “Those who work in the night time economy are absolutely vital in tackling child sexual exploitation. “They are essential in helping us combat CSE and those who commit it. Taxi drivers, hoteliers, pub, club and bar employees are our eyes and ears.

East Herts executive member for Environment and the Public Space Graham McAndrew, who is also a county councillor, said: “Any victim of CSE is one too many, so I hope the information in this film encourages people to report their suspicions, as this information could be the missing part of the jigsaw for the police.”

The production of the video and the launch package was funded through Councillor McAndrew’s Hertfordshire County Council’s Locality Budget Scheme, which is money allocated to pay for projects in the local community.

Commenting on the launch, Hertfordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner David Lloyd said: “This is a hard-hitting video with a very important message. It is important that we educate and protect the young and most vulnerable in our society from this dreadful crime.

“I commend the combined work that Hertfordshire Constabulary and East Herts Council have done on this video as a preventative measure and hope that it is viewed by as many key agencies as possible to ensure there is enough awareness in the public about CSE.”

National Pubwatch Regional Representative Steve Evans said “I was pleased to be involved with and attend the launch of this informative initiative. I will be encouraging all of my local PW schemes to show the video at meetings and for members to communicate this to their staff”

Gabriella Jandu Manager at The Stonehouse, Hertford Said “I think it’s great that the police are making hospitality more aware of the situation and giving advice and information on things to look out for so we can prevent it from happening. I am a huge supporter of this campaign and have already done training with my staff and door teams to make sure we are all aware and can do anything we can to help.

The video can be viewed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0VAT1tBJgo&feature=youtu.be

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13/9/17: Steve Evans our East of England Regional Representative was asked to attend the quarterly meeting of the Essex Joint Licensing Officers Forum at the Council Chambers in Rayleigh Essex to give a presentation about National Pubwatch.

The Essex Joint Licensing Officer’s Forum is made up of Police and Council Licensing Officers and other stakeholders, such as, Trading Standards, Fire and Rescue Service, Gaming Commission and The SIA. Over 35 members attended the event.

Steve gave a talk on the history and foundations of NPW, our successes and the support we offer to Local Schemes throughout the UK, along with our Awards and Annual Conference.

Several issues were identified where local support is needed and this was an ideal opportunity to gain contact details of the schemes that we are not aware of so that we can include them on our mapping tool.

Steve has offered to provide future meeting with any up-dates and materials from NPW.

Present was Jenny McCallum – Police Licensing Officer at Harlow who has previously received one of our Star Awards for her support for a local Pubwatch scheme.

Following the meeting we received contact from the Gambling Commission seeking advice relating to the gambling industry’s own Betwatch scheme which operates in a similar manner to Pubwatch.

The post NPW presentation to Essex Joint Licensing Officers Forum appeared first on National Pubwatch.

NPW are pleased to announce that the three finalists for the Diageo NPW award are Romford Town, Windsor and Plymouth.

Members of these schemes will be attending a prestigious awards dinner in the House of Commons on Thursday 2 November 2017. The standard of applicants was strong and we have contacted unsuccessful schemes to give them feed-back and encourage them to try again next year. Details of the successful finalists will be released following the awards ceremony.

Do you think your scheme deserves recognition for your local initiatives and partnership working and the impact on crime and anti-social behaviour? Then start planning now!

We hope to announce details of the 2018 award early next year. Details about the type of information and evidence our judges will be looking for can be found in the ‘Pubwatch awards’ section of our  website.

The post Diageo & NPW Pubwatch Award – Finalists Announced appeared first on National Pubwatch.

We are pleased to announce that the next NPW conference will take place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Nottingham on Tuesday 27 February 2018. Full details of the conference and booking instructions will given on this website in due course – but please put a date in your diary.

The conference is being run in partnership with the Security Industry Authority and will be in support of the excellent partnership work being carried out by Nottinghamshire Pubwatch schemes.

The post National Pubwatch Conference 2018 – Save the Date appeared first on National Pubwatch.

11/10/17

NPW attended the launch of the Bank of England’s new Banknote Checking Scheme on 10 October. The Scheme is aimed at cash-handling businesses and promotes banknote checking at point of sale through targeted training. Its aim is to reduce the number of counterfeit notes being accepted and to reduce losses to businesses.

Any retailer or business can sign up as a supporter of the Banknote Checking Scheme by pledging support to a set of six guiding principles on an annual basis, to encourage increased banknote checking in a way that suits their business model. Supporters will have access to advice and a range of education and training materials to help shape banknote checking within their business. This includes leaflets, posters, online computer-based training, targeted advice and regular webinars, as well as updates on relevant banknote topics such as the issue of new-style banknotes and withdrawal of old-style banknotes.

The Scheme is a collaboration between the Bank of England and the Scheme’s seven strategic partners. These are the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), British Retail Consortium (BRC), Crimestoppers, National Crime Agency (NCA), National Pubwatch, Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) and Retailers Against Crime.

Victoria Cleland, Chief Cashier at the Bank of England, said: “Retailers and other businesses are the front line of defence against counterfeiting. Counterfeit banknotes are only produced because criminals believe they will find somewhere to spend them and can do so without consequence. We are introducing the Banknote Checking Scheme to make this even more difficult. Don’t let counterfeit banknotes be a cost to your business, your customers or your reputation.”

The Bank of England works hard to make its banknotes more resilient against counterfeiting. One example of this is the move to printing the £5 and £10 notes on polymer. Although relatively rare, any counterfeit banknote is worthless. Businesses that do not carry out simple checks run the risk of being targeted by counterfeiters and suffering financial losses. In addition, passing on counterfeit banknotes to the public or other businesses carries the risk of reputational damage.
For more information, or if you are interested in registering your support for the Scheme please visit their website: www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotecheckingscheme Tel: 020 3461 7730 Email: banknotecheckingscheme@bankofengland.co.uk

The six guiding principles of the Scheme are:
Your staff:
1. Are trained and check banknotes at point of sale;
2. Know what to do with a counterfeit banknote;
Your business:
3. Shares information with the Bank of England;
4. Promotes the Scheme;
5. Supports law enforcement activities; and
6. Appoints a single point of contact for the Scheme.

The post The Bank of England launches new Banknote Checking Scheme appeared first on National Pubwatch.

Donna Fisher (KoKo), Chris Graham (Yates), Mark Foxley (Rochdale Town Centre Management), Mellisa Welsh (Yates), Councillor Janet Emsley (Rochdale Borough Council’s cabinet member for neighbourhoods, community and culture), Angela Anderton (Greater Manchester Police), Sajjad Miah (Rochdale Borough Council), Rick Eckersley (Rochdale Borough Council)

Head door staff from the award winning Rochdale Town Centre Pubwatch scheme have been kitted out with the body cameras following a small number of public order incidents during weekends.

The cameras will be used to record moving footage and audio evidence of public order incidents which can be used to secure arrests, charges and convictions.

It is hoped the cameras will also act as a deterrent to anyone likely to become involved in disorder.
Footage from the cameras will be securely uploaded to a storage system which can then be accessed by authorised persons such as the central CCTV room and the police.

The cameras are the latest in series of initiatives being run in the town centre to create a safer night time drinking environment for residents and visitors.

As well as the body cameras, staff and volunteers are fully-trained to ensure they know how to respond appropriately and safely to incidents of antisocial behaviour, alcohol, drugs and domestic violence on the streets.

Mark Foxley from Rochdale Town Centre Management, said: “The pub watch venues do a great job working in partnership with the council, police and street pastors to ensure a good and safe environment for town centre revellers to enjoy but we’ll always welcome initiatives that can build on that success.

“These body cameras will really help to keep staff and customers safe because any potential trouble can be caught and stopped early, before it escalates.”

Councillor Janet Emsley, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, community and culture at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “I am really pleased that our town centre has been given this extra level of security because our residents and visitors have the right to enjoy a good night out in a safe environment.

“I hope that this technology will help prevent any issues arising as well as serving as a warning to any potential wrongdoers.”
Rochdale Town Centre Management and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) bid for a £5,000 grant from the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Greater Manchester to fund the initiative.
The cameras have been supplied by local company Wireless CCTV.

The post Rochdale town centre door staff wear body cams appeared first on National Pubwatch.

Three people involved in the running of Pubwatch schemes across the county have received awards for their roles.

National Pubwatch provides advice and guidance to schemes across the country and as part of its 20th anniversary, has introduced Star Awards to recognise the contribution people make.

At a ceremony this month led by Mark Worthington from National Pubwatch, Community Safety Officer for Corby Council Karen Pentin, Northamptonshire Police Licensing Officer PC Dave Bryan and secretary of Northampton Pubwatch secretary Kate Purves were presented awards by Superintendent Chris Hillery.

Mark Worthington said: “It was a pleasure to have these Star Awards presented to Karen, Dave and Kate.
“These people have demonstrated the ethos of what Pubwatch is about – partnership working to make our town centres safer places for people to socialise and work.

“They have all gone over and above what would be expected of them in their role, to give vital and essential support to the Pubwatch schemes across the county.”

Karen has provided support for Corby Pubwatch since 2011.

She has assisted in schemes to improve the safety of people in the Corby night-time economy such as the ‘safe night out’ campaign and introduction of Polycarbonate glasses.

Mick Willey chair of Corby Pubwatch said: “Karen’s assistance in the running of Corby Pubwatch and support for many initiatives is invaluable.

“She has been our major supporter in not only securing funding for numerous initiatives, but actively goes out ‘on the ground’ at weekends promoting the Pubwatch aims.

“Without the support from Karen I honestly believe that Corby Pubwatch would not be as successful as it is.”
PC Bryan recognised at an early stage the benefits of Pubwatch and how, if the police can work closely with Pubwatch, it can assist in reducing crime and disorder associated with licensed premises and the night-time economy.

He has ensured there is the right balance between support and control – recognising Pubwatch is a scheme run by licensees for licensees.

Kate was heavily involved in setting up Northampton Pubwatch in 2001.

She worked with colleagues to prepare and develop policies and procedures and a document folder for members which has gone onto become a staple for Pubwatches across the country.

Former chair of Northampton Pubwatch, Neil Bartholomey, said: “Kate is probably the longest serving member of Northampton Pubwatch.

“She was there at its conception and is still going strong today. Kate was the glue that kept the watch together and ensured the things that needed to be done were done before we had even thought of them”
Supt Chris Hillery said: “Northamptonshire Pub watch scheme is a key partner in preventing people from harm in the night time economy and more broadly across licenced premises.

“Its members are a credit to the scheme and to the trade across the county.

“The three recipients are worthy winners and I was honoured to present them with their certificates.”

The post Trio receive NPW Star Awards for Pubwatch work across Northamptonshire appeared first on National Pubwatch.

Winners Romford

The Romford Town  Pubwatch scheme, has been awarded the prestigious Diageo National Pubwatch Award for its significant role in working in partnership with other organisations to halve the number of crimes in licensed premises, tackling anti-social behaviour.

At a packed ceremony in the House of Commons last night, attended by MPs, Lords and notable names from the pub industry, Romford Town Pubwatch was crowned winner of the Diageo National Pubwatch Awards for 2017.

Charles Ireland, General Manager Diageo Great Britain, Ireland and France, commented:

“Partnership organisations like Pubwatch make a real difference to local communities and it is brilliant to see so many schemes getting involved and making an impact through this year’s Awards programme. I was hugely impressed by the work undertaken by Romford Town that has had such a positive impact in reducing crime in their members premises. I also want to congratulate Plymouth and Windsor for their outstanding work”.

At Diageo, the on-trade is a crucial part of our business and we recognise its vital contribution to the night time economy as well as to the role it plays within the community and society more widely to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all. That is why we are proud supporters of this year’s Award and commend all the good work it has done so far.”

Now in its sixth year, the Diageo National Pubwatch Awards, champion the work of local Pubwatch schemes throughout the UK and their efforts to provide safe drinking environments for customers and staff in all licensed premises. Entrants are judged by a panel of National Pubwatch Committee members and industry experts who identify the scheme which made the greatest contribution to its community.

Each local Pubwatch works in partnership with local police to reduce alcohol-related crime, while providing local pubs with information and guidance on how to ensure a safe drinking environment in their community.

Romford Town Pubwatch’s submission received praise across the board by the judges for reducing the number of crimes committed at Pubwatch member venues by over half (56%) in the last year. The judges sought to highlight the scheme’s holistic approach.

This included initiatives such as the use of ID scanning machines and online messaging for members to better communicate and administer its banning scheme, while also working closely with local police, medics and funding local street pastors. Romford Town Pubwatch is a relatively new scheme, established to empower local licensees within the busy night time economy to have a unified and independent voice.

Also recognised through receiving ‘highly commended’ honours at the awards were the Plymouth Pubwatch, which was lauded for its collaborative approach to tackling alcohol-related crime across member venues, and Windsor Pubwatch, which the judges congratulated for the training it has provided to its member venues.

Left to right: Richard Smith Chair Plymouth Pubwatch, Graham Tuach Romford Pubwatch and James Gilbert Chair Windsor Pubwatch

Graham Tuach Chairman of Romford Pubwatch said “I am really proud to receive this award which recognises the achievements of Romford Town Pubwatch. We have a fantastic professional partnership with the Police and Council and our members have worked hard to develop a safer night time environment for all to enjoy. We are very grateful to have the opportunity to showcase our work at such a great event’.

Speaking at the awards Steve Baker, Chairman of National Pubwatch, said:

“Our finalists have yet again demonstrated that local Pubwatch schemes are working extremely hard to make licensed premises a safe and secure environment to work and socialise. It is wonderful to see the Diageo National Pubwatch Awards go from strength-to-strength, and I want to congratulate Romford Town Pubwatch on their thoroughly deserved award. I am very grateful to Diageo for supporting our efforts to promote good practice and the benefits of partnership working, and I hope we can work closely together to achieve our ambitions of promoting responsible drinking for years to come.”

The post Romford wins Diageo National Pubwatch Award for contribution to community safety appeared first on National Pubwatch.

Left to right: Gavin Shuker MP, Charles Ireland Diageo GB, David Lidington MP & Steve Baker Chair NPW

2/11/17: Secretary of State for Justice, David Lidington welcomed finalists and guests to the 2017 Diageo National Pubwatch Awards. The awards dinner was again held in the prestigious surroundings of the House of Commons member’s dining room.

Mr Lidington recounted his experience of the work of his own local pubwatch scheme in Aylesbury The award winning scheme was set up following a serious incident in 1994 when several people where seriously injured in a town centre pub. He spoke about the impact the incident had on the reputation of the town centre and how the efforts of the Pubwatch members and local police had led to significant improvements in the reduction of crime and anti-social behaviour.

He praised the work of the 2017 award finalists and thanked them for the innovative work that they were undertaking to make the night time economy safer for all.

The post Secretary of State for Justice praise’s work of local pubwatch schemes appeared first on National Pubwatch.

Representatives of the local pubs in and around Dalkeith involved in pubwatch, with Midlothian Provost and Chairman of the Licensing Board Councillor Adam Montgomery and Dalkeith Community Police Sergeant Aitchison.

Licensed premises in and around Dalkeith have come together to kick-start the local Pubwatch scheme to ensure safer local watering holes.

Following a consultation with all the premises initiated by local community police officer PC Robertson, 19 pubs in Dalkeith, Danderhall and Pathhead have united to reduce violence and disorder in their premises.

The pubwatch members came together for their first meeting in early September and agreed a constitution.
PC Robertson said: “I was approached to re-engage with the local pubs and agreed to support them. The list of barred persons had grown outdated and with some 130 names, was unmanageable.

“This has now been reduced to only seven of the most high tariff offenders. We have also introduced other measures to deal with those that cause issues in the pubs without necessarily placing them on the barred list.

”The scheme gives members the option of issuing a range of measures from a verbal warning, written warning, acceptable behaviour agreement and barring. The members will also have the names of those barred from all the pubs on public display.
And the pubwatch members have created a What’s App group to instantly share information and photographs of anyone or any group who are poorly behaving, or causing disorder.

Pubwatch chairman Wallace Stewart said: “We desperately needed to get pubwatch going again and we are all grateful from the support of Police Scotland to achieve this. In particular PC Robertson has worked tremendously hard to get this off the ground.
“We hope that by sticking together we send out a strong message that we will not tolerate nonsense and violence in our pubs and that the good folk in our town as well as visitors can enjoy a great night out in Dalkeith.

”The pubs in the scheme are the Black Bull, Blacksmiths Forge, Bonfire & Barn, The Buccleuch, Coach & Horses, Corner Pocket, Dalkeith Miners Club, Danderhall & Newton Social Club, Edmonstone Inn, The Foresters, Harrow Hotel, Horseshoe Bar, Justinlees Inn, Maysons, Old Colliery, The Park, Royal British Legion, The Ship Inn and the Stair Arms Hotel.

Story and photograph courtesy of Johnston Press (Midlothian Advertiser 6/11/17)

The post Pubwatch Scheme returns to help make local pubs safer appeared first on National Pubwatch.

Left to right: Julian Lalor-Smith (Director of Administration and Legislation at the Department of Home Affairs), Chief Constable Gary Roberts, Harry Creevy, Joe Murray NPW, Darren Bradford and Ken Kneale)

24/11/17: At a ceremony at Isle of Man Police Headquarters Chief Constable, Chief Constable Gary Roberts presented licensee Harry Creevy with a NPW Star Award.

Harry has been in the licensing trade for many years and landlord at the Albert Hotel, Douglas since 2001.
He has been a committee member and driving force of the Douglas and Onchan Pubwatch Scheme since its inception in 2002. In 2009 the 5 Pubwatch schemes around the Island came together to ensure consistency across all schemes and to identify and promote best practice. His role in Pubwatch has developed and Harry became integral to both the Douglas and the All Island Schemes. He was one of the original committee members of Pubwatch and has been a stalwart of the organisation ever since. His attendance at and contribution to meetings remains exemplary.

He is also a longstanding member of the Isle of Man Licensing Forum and has assisted in training given to Police Officers as well being a member of interview panels to select staff for the Police Central Alcohol Unit.
Harry is well known within the Licensing Trade as ‘the’ person to go to for experienced and sensible advice. He can be relied on for his opinion and guidance and always trusted to give a considered trade opinion on matters before it progresses to a wider audience. In short his hard work, approachability and willingness to get involved has played an immeasurable part in the continued success of Pubwatch on the Isle of Man.

In presenting the award Chief Constable Gary Roberts said: “I was delighted to be able to present this prestigious and hugely deserved award to Harry Creevy. It is easy to overlook the critically important role that licensees and their staff have in creating safe places that are often at the heart of local communities. Harry’s work over the best part of twenty years has been exemplary and it is terrific that his efforts have been recognised by as good an organisation as National Pubwatch”.

National Pubwatch representative Joe Murray said ‘National Pubwatch have made several Star Awards in recent months, however, it was indeed a privilege for me to be involved with a person of Harry’s standing and his involvement in Pubwatch and Licensing matters that make him an excellent ambassador for the Isle of Man”.

The post National Pubwatch Star Award for Isle of Man licensee appeared first on National Pubwatch.

23/11/17. A Campaign offering immediate help to victims of sexual violence in pubs and clubs is set to be rolled out within two weeks.

The ‘Ask for Angela’ initiative allows people who feel vulnerable or at risk to discreetly seek help from staff. Bar staff at participating venues across Wolverhampton are trained so that when a customer asks to speak to Angela, they know that person is in need of assistance.

They can they arrange to speak with them in private and ensure that they are able to leave the venue safely.
If agreed by Wolverhampton council’s leadership next week, the scheme could be rolled out by December 7 at a cost of £5,000.

The ‘Ask Angela’ campaign was first developed by Lincolnshire County Council.

The London Borough of Merton also piloted the initiative with the London Metropolitan Police, which is believed to have led to a decrease in sexual violence.

Wolverhampton council documents state that if it was to adopt the initiative, as is recommended by council officers, it would work closely with members of the Pub Watch initiative and West Midlands Police to implement it.

Participating venues would receive written guidance and a 30-minute briefing on the scheme, which would be conducted by council officers and partners.

The campaign was the idea of Hayley Child who works as the sexual violence and abuse strategy co-ordinator for Lincolnshire.

Story courtesy of Express and Star www.expressstar.com

NPW Editor comment: We continue to receive interest in the Ask for Angela initiative and since making a generic copy of the poster available on our website it has been downloaded on nearly fifteen hundred occasions.

If you are interested in promoting the initiative see our YouTube video

The post Ask for Angela set for Wolverhampton roll-out with aid of Pubwatch appeared first on National Pubwatch.

28 November 2017
Police warning about abuse of alcohol during the festive season

Police Scotland are asking people to be sensible around alcohol if they are out socialising in Stranraer over the Christmas and New Year period, as officers plan more patrols to support the ‘Pubwatch’ scheme run by the license holders in the town.

Constable Ronnie Boyce said: “As the local Community Police Officer with responsibility for Stranraer Town Centre, I thought I would take this opportunity, with the festive period approaching, it’s worth noting that there tends to be an increase in the amount of people out socialising in licensed premises and enjoying their Christmas nights out.

“Alcohol affects other aspects of our community safety as well. Far too often the Christmas period also sees people drinking to excess, and leaving themselves vulnerable to criminals in terms of their personal safety and their property, such as mobile phones, purses wallets and handbags. Throughout the festive period you will also see an increase in our officers checking in on licensed premises, to reassure people, deter crime and promote responsible behaviour. In terms of the people we see ending up in custody, on many occasions the problems that they encounter can be the result of drinking too much alcohol at home, before heading out on the town.
“Where alcohol is involved, tempers can be lost very easily and people end up getting involved in things, and doing things they would never do when they were sober.

“Many an enjoyable evening has led to someone having had far too much to drink, letting themselves down, and ending up in an uncomfortable police cell and with a court appearance. Where people do commit assaults at licensed premises they can expect to be referred to the local Pubwatch Scheme where local licensees will decide whether they should be banned from all licensed premises, to ensure that those who want to enjoy their local pubs can do so safely. Reducing violence in the vicinity of licensed premises is a priority area for the police, so please enjoy yourselves but do so in moderation.

“On that subject, as one of my roles is providing police support to the Stranraer Pubwatch Online Scheme, and I thought it might be helpful to talk a bit in more detail about what it is;

“Stranraer Pubwatch scheme currently has 29 members from licensed premises in Stranraer and the Rhins. The aim of the scheme is to promote a safe and secure environment in all licensed premises. To do this scheme members work together to reduce anti-social behaviour, and prevent violence at licensed premises, ensuring a better safer social environment for their patrons and the wider public. That can include voting to exclude or ban individuals whose behaviour has meant their presence in Licensed Premises is no longer welcome.
“To do that the scheme works closely with the police and local statutory agencies and organisations to enable them to manage anti-social/offending behaviour more effectively, through sharing information and taking decisions as a group.

“Stranraer Pubwatch is run by local licensed premises, not the police. I assist and support the group, but any decisions are made by the members, not by the police. You may have seen the scheme logo below, displayed within licensed premises.

“People often ask members or police about the scheme, or people who have been excluded asking who made the decisions, or when they can get back in etc. As a group, Stranraer Pubwatch Scheme members have included some questions and answers below on how the scheme works in practice, to clarify some misconceptions below.”

Q. How can a person be banned on Pubwatch if they haven’t been convicted of a criminal offence?A. An exclusion order (ban), is a civil action brought by Pubwatch members, the aim of the scheme is early intervention. A person does not need to be involved in criminality or be convicted of an offence to be referred to Pubwatch members.
Q. How can I be banned if the incident did not occur within a licensed premises?
A. Stranraer Pubwatch works closely with partners including Police. If a person has exited a licensed premises and become involved in criminality, then the Police will make the scheme members aware of the incident.
Q. Who makes the decisions about a person referred to Pubwatch?
A. All eligible scheme members have the opportunity to vote on the outcome, the Police do not have a vote.
Q. What would happen if I breached my ban?
A. Any ban breaches will be discussed when your ban is coming to an end, any recorded ban breaches may significantly increase your initial ban.
Q. Can I appeal a ban?
A. Yes, a ban can be appealed, it will be referred back to the scheme members for a vote.

Constable Boyce continued: “As well as people who commit offences, unfortunately poor decisions and a lack of awareness caused by excess alcohol can also increase the chances of becoming a victim of crime. We would urge people to stay with their friends, look after each other, and keep each other safe. Always plan how you intend to get home safely, and avoid confrontational situations. Keep your wits about you, drink in moderation and be sensible! Our officers will be out in numbers monitoring licensed premises and the night time economy, and will be robust in their approach to those who break the law, trying to ensure that people can enjoy themselves safely.

Hopefully by being sensible, we can all enjoy the festive period, and we can all enjoy the good atmosphere our local licensed premises can provide.”

Story courtesy of Galloway Gazette www.gallowaygazette.co.uk

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People whose internet date turns out to be a disaster and they wind up feeling under threat will be able to escape and get help by using a special safe-word – Angela.

The national “Ask for Angela” campaign will come to Plymouth’s pubs and clubs this Christmas with 135 bars in the city’s Pubwatch and Best Bar None schemes already being told they can go live with the project.

The national scheme was created as internet dating has increased the risk of vulnerable people hooking up with someone who may not be all they professed to be online.

The Ask for Angela campaign is designed to help vulnerable people on a night out. It encourages anyone in difficulty or under threat to approach bar staff and simply “ask for Angela”. Staff are trained to recognise the code-word and take action.

They will take the vulnerable person to a place of safety – possibly even a “safe room” – or arrange for them to be transported home.
The Ask for Angela scheme, which has a name coming from the term “guardian angel”, is being brought in following concerns women, particularly female students, can be put in a vulnerable position on a night out.

This has been heightened since the advent of internet dating, which has led to women sometimes ending up with a man whose intentions may not be honourable.

But the scheme also encompasses vulnerable men and members of the LGBT community.

Crime busters… Ian Warmington of Parc, Pubwatch chairman Richard Smith, Pete Chevin, Pubwatch vice chairman, and Plymouth’s nighttime economy manager Mick Connor

Richard Smith, chairman of Plymouth Pubwatch, said: “Ask for Angela will be going live from our venues from today.

“That’s Plymouth wide, 135 venues, including Torpoint”.

“We will have posters in toilets and train our staff.”

Mr Smith, also South West regional representative for National Pubwatch added: “It’s a national campaign to protect a person, male or female, if they need help to get away safely.

Story and photograph courtesy of Plymouth Herald www.plymouthherald.co.uk

NPW Editor: Plymouth Pubwatch were finalists in the 2017 Diageo National Pubwatch Awards

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Filming outside The Scotch Bar – Windsor

5/12/17: National Pubwatch is in the process of producing its latest film based on the British Beer & Pub Associations guide ‘Drugs in Pubs’. The film aims to provide guidance on the importance of developing a clear policy for dealing with the problem of drugs.

We are pleased that during the filming session we were able to assist the Proof of Age Standards Scheme in producing material for their own short promotional film.

Crew members set up a scene inside The Scotch Bar

We hope that the Drugs in Pubs film will be available on our YouTube link before the festive period. However anyone interested in accessing guidance on this issue can obtain advice on the BBPA website or the NPW websites ‘Good Practice Pub’

We are grateful to the management team at The Scotch bar for making their wonderful venue available to us for filming during the day and also providing the services of the their own professional door security staff. We would also like to thank Thames Valley Police neighbourhood officers for their participation in making this film, which we hope will become a useful reference tool for Pubwatch members.

Some of the cast and crew

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Members of the Wheatley Intake pubwatch group have raised a thousand pounds for the local cancer trust to help fund a much needed piece of CT scanning equipment.

The pubwatch group, which is made up of six members of the community from the pubs and club in the area, have over the past few months been holding fund raising events to collect donations for the local cancer trust.

The Doncaster Cancer Detection Trust is a local charity run entirely by volunteers who work to donate different pieces of cancer equipment to hospitals in Doncaster.

Since being founded over 30 years ago, the trust have been able to donate eighty pieces of equipment to hospitals in Doncaster in order to help them perform vital tests to detect and treat different types of cancer.

The selfless work of the trust is highly respected and recognised amongst the community and the pubwatch group wanted to help aid the work they do by raising donations. Through their fundraising events, the Wheatley Intake pubwatch group were able to raise a thousand pounds for the trust, which was presented to the charity at a presentation at Martin Public House in Wheatley yesterday morning (Wednesday 6 December).

At the presentation Chief Inspector Jayne Forrest who works with the local pubwatch group to improve safety within the night-time economy, was asked to present the cheque to the trust.

CI Jayne Forrest said: “This act of kindness and generosity really highlights the local community spirit within Doncaster and it is an absolute honour to be asked to attend and present the trust with the cheque.

“The work the trust does helps thousands of people and through their continued donations, they are enabling hospitals to detect and help treat members of the community fight this deadly disease. It has always been a pleasure to work with the pub watch group to tackle local issues and their donations highlight their true commitment to the community.

“It was an honour to be a part of this presentation and this really demonstrates true community spirit, especially at this time of year.”

Story and photograph courtesy of South Yorkshire Police

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