Mid Devon

Mike Sais, co-ordinator of Mid Devon Pubwatch, is proud, and rightly so, of the way alcohol-infuseddisorder has been reduced in the streets of Tiverton, Crediton and Cullompton.

What started as an initiative in Tiverton, soon spread to the other two towns and now covers an area of 350 square miles.

Mike and watch chairman Trevor Hulston of the Prince Regent in Tiverton, attribute the scheme'ssuccess to a number of moves.

Besides getting the co-operation of 117 pubs, clubs, off-licences and hotels in the region, the watch has secured the support of taxi firms.

Getting these firms on board was a cornerstone of the watch's success, as Mike explains: "Taxis won't take anyone barred out of the area for a drink.

That's a big deterrent.

Also, if a taxi driver reports anyone [for anti-social behaviour], they are banned by all Pubwatch members.

We will allsupport each other."

Another major move was the involvement of licensees in Devon & Cornwall Constabulary's Operation Krake, which is aimed at reducing drink and drugs-related crime and disorder, and the fear of crime.

From last April to the end of November, more than 2,000visits were made by police officers in high-visibility vests to licensed premises.

Mike says licensees and their customers soon reacted favourably to the visits as it showed that positive steps were being taken to crack the problems.

He says the reaction was the same with the PAD (Pubs against drugs) initiative that has also been running in Mid Devon.

Amnesty boxes are placed outside late-night licensed premises so that no drugs are taken into the clubs.

"If anyone refuses to be searched, they don't get in.

And if a search reveals anyone has over the permitted amount [of drugs], then they are held by the door staff and the police are informed."

Trevor says the same uncompromising approach is taken topeople causing trouble.

"If the case goes to court, we will always request an exclusion order."

Currently, magistrates have imposed exclusion orders on three people of the 42 barred by the watch.

The exclusion order means that it is a criminal offence for an offender to enter a pub, rather than a plain banning order made by the watch.

The hard, but fair, approach taken by the watch has been mirrored by a 27% drop in alcohol-related crime over the past year.

Another indication of the far-sighted approach of the watch is that all pubs are given posters on Outreach ­ the project to help women affected by domestic violence.

The only minor regret voiced by Mike is that he would like access to further funding so that the watch can implement more measures to make the streets of Mid Devon even safer and more inviting to everyone.