West Mids police issue yellow cards' to pubs

Licensees in the West Midlands will be hit with football-styleyellow and red cards if they step out of line over the Christmas and New Year period

by Ewan Turney

Licensees in the West Midlands will be hit with football-style yellow and red cards if they step out of line over the Christmas and New Year period.

Acocks Green Inspector Harvey Carroll has come up with the idea to "nip antisocial behaviour in the bud" before it becomes a problem in the area. The campaign has the full support of the town's licensees who have each received a visit from police to discuss the campaign.

"It is very much a partnership approach," said Insp Carroll. "We want to let licensees know we are here to help. We are not trying to catch people out but help them when there are problems and advise them of ways to make things better as well as making them aware of any new policies such as having registered door staff."

Police will visit pubs armed with camcorders to increase their visibility and spot any troublemakers. If there are any major disturbances in an area that can be attributed to a pub, officers will ask the licensee to come in to discuss the issue effectively issuing a yellow card.

"We will sit down and discuss the matter in an adult fashion," said Carroll. "We will give them a written warning about their conduct but also advise them of what they could have done and ask them to contact us in future before a situation escalates."

The red card will only be issued where blatant transgressions of licensing laws take place, such as serving under-age drinkers and intoxicated revellers, and crucially, where there is supporting evidence.

Carroll added: "I don't expect there to be any red cards but if there are blatant breaches then we will report them to the licensing authorities and the premises may well have difficulties in applying for a new licence in February."

Sue Mills, assistant manager of the Red Lion in Warwick Road, said: "I think it is a very good thing for police to make their presence felt and discourage any troublemakers."

Early in the New Year, police will get together with licensees to evaluate the success of the campaign.