Licensees have been urged not to sign up for new schemes aimed at forcing them to pay for extra police officers.
Following the launch of funding initiatives in Manchester and Colchester, Essex, licensees in other areas are being approached by police and local authorities to help pay for extra beat officers to patrol problem areas at night.
The latest authority to launch such an initiative is Westminster City Council which has signed up three outlets in the Covent Garden area of London.
But trade leaders claim the schemes are the first step to the privatisation of the police and could lead to a situation where all pubs and bars are forced to pay for their local police.
Mark Hastings, spokesman for the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), said that in some cases licensees had received what appeared to be an official contract from the police asking them to sign up for the scheme.
He said: "This sends out all the wrong messages. At this stage they are not under any obligation to subscribe to these schemes and we would be concerned that some may sign up without realising this."
Mr Hastings added that the BBPA had met with the Home Office to discuss its opposition to the proposals and would continue to campaign against them.
He said: "We are taking a very strong line on this and are opposed to it as a matter of principle."
Mr Hastings said each pub on the scheme could end up paying as much as £15,000 a year for extra policing and added that he did not believe the police were happy with the idea of certain sectors paying for officers either.
Related stories:
Fears over plans to force licensees to pay for police flare up (11 February 2002)
BBPA attacks police pay plan (24 January 2002)
Police reform is 'scandalous' (6 December 2001)