A new pay-for-policing scheme to help fund community police officers has raised fears of more costs being forced on to the pub trade.
Home secretary David Blunkett wants local communities to band together to pay £10,000 a year towards the cost of the new category of officers. The Home Office has said that community policing would be over and above normal policing levels and would have the power to grant on-the-spot fines for drunkenness.
Earlier this month Prime Minister Tony Blair confirmed that there were no plans to force licensees to pay for the costs of policing. But the fear of many trade leaders and licensees is that the proposed scheme could mean a pay-for policy through the back door.
It is feared that pubs could find themselves "encouraged" to contribute to the schemes by residents' groups in return for co-operation when it comes to licence renewals and extension applications.
Danny Fox, licensee of Rick's bar in Greenwich, London, said: "I think it is disgusting. We pay our business rates and because we live at the premises we pay our council tax as well, which should cover policing.
"I think that there is a possibility that with the new licensing laws residents and councils could coerce licensees into contributing."
Philip Thorley, operations director of Kent-based pub company Thorley Taverns, said: "There is a danger. Our approach, which is already working, is that there has to be full co-operation between police, residents, local authorities and pub operators, but we're completely opposed to any suggestion of paying again for services we already fund through taxes."
A number of UK local authorities have proposed schemes which would require pubs and other businesses to make a contribution to policing and other costs associated with the so-called "late-night economy".
While a number of operators have supported the voluntary schemes, the trade has raised concerns about any element of coercion.
Mark Hastings, spokesman for the British Beer & Pub Association, said: "Both the Prime Minister and Department for Culture, Media and Sport have made it clear that there is no suggestion of pubs being asked to pay policing costs."
He added that Mr Blunkett's latest proposal has been met with opposition from other ministers as well as the Police Federation. "This again raises all the issues of paid-for policing, and hopefully the proposal won't go any further," he said.
Anti-Social Behaviour Bill
At the beginning of 2003 the Home Office was considering forcing the trade to pay for policing through the Anti-Social Behaviour Bill. Prime Minister Tony Blair was outraged at the proposed levy and it was dropped. He was rumoured to be reluctant to add further burdens on the industry which is worth billions to the UK Treasury.