Best Pubwatchof the year

This award is sponsored by Laurel Pub Company and is aimed at recognising the group that has made the most effort in the past year to understand and support the Pubwatch scheme.

North:

Blackpool Licensees' Forum Lancs

An estimated 17 million tourists descend on Blackpool each year, a large proportion hell-bent on enjoying themselves in the fun capital of Britain. It means the seaside resort is no place for the faint-hearted, with upwards of 70,000 revellers hitting local pubs and clubs on a busy Friday or Saturday night.

Leisure is big business for the town and the sheer number of licensed premises inevitably throws up special problems. So it's a testament to all concerned with Blackpool's thriving leisure industry that drunken disorder rarely gets out of hand. And that is in no small measure down to the Blackpool Licensees' Forum, a body of 73 town-centre licensees and club operators who are working hard to make the UK's number one entertainment centre a safe haven for residents and visitors alike.

The Forum is not just concerned about forging strong working relationships with principal agencies such as the police, the local council and licensing magistrates. It has also established key contacts with a wide range of other bodies in its quest to establish Blackpool as a model of good practice. All the organisations are united in the fight against binge drinking, crime and disorder, and the myriad of other social problems associated with the pub and drinks industry.

"There's not much that happens in Blackpool that escapes our notice," says Forum chairman Joe Curran. "We like to think we now have the contacts and the knowledge to address any problem that materialises and, more importantly, nip the problem in the bud before it has time to escalate."

The Forum's work goes much further than merely controlling the town's busy drinking circuits. The association has moved its work into local schools and colleges to educate young people about the dangers of excess alcohol and drugs and has established key links with bodies such as the probation service and even the local Salvation Army.

The Forum also sits on Blackpool Nightsafe, another multi-agency body, developed by the police and local council, where strategic leisure industry decisions are made.

The Forum is delighted that it has been instrumental in establishing major initiatives such as taxi marshals and the launch of a special late night bus service on key routes out of the town centre.

It has also worked hard to help Nightsafe establish a code of practice on drinks promotions, which is designed to control the activities of the many stag and hen parties that are staged in the resort.

Central:

Bed:Safe Bedford

Bedford epitomises what has happened to many towns around the country. Over time, trading patterns changed and from being just a market town, Bedford had been transformed into an entertainment centre for the surrounding area.

More and more premises were granted licences and with them came the familiar pattern of night-time disturbances. In March 2003, Bed:Safe was set up to deal with the problem by drawing together all the statutory agencies as well as Bedford's licensees and local brewer Charles Wells.

Bed:Safe project manager Gill Anderson says the initiative was urgently required. "The town centre was like a war zone on some nights. Often, there would be mass fights in the middle of the road."

She says one of the keys to overcoming the problems was gaining the support of licensees and door supervisors, particularly those employed at the 14 outlets on the high street, which would attract upwards of 6,000 people at the weekends.

Gill adds: "It would be fair to say that there was quite a bit of scepticism at first, with many licensees saying: We've heard it all before'."

A licensees' forum was set up to get their buy in. Another step was offering free training to door supervisors at Bedford College via training provider Licenza. Door supervisors have their own forum, which meets monthly.

All of the premises supporting the Bed:Safe scheme were supplied with the Nite-Net radio system, which has direct links with the police, the town centre management's CCTV system and licensing compliance officers.

Bedford Borough Council also initiated joint inspection visits to licensed premises that involve representatives from the police, fire brigade, environmental health officers and, of course, Gill as Bed:Safe project manager. Of the inspections, Gill says: "They have really driven the standards up in the licensed premises. They help the licensees who are not cutting corners because they know we will take action against people who are not properly managing their outlets."

All inspections are done with people wearing high-visibility jackets emblazoned with "Bed:Safe". Door supervisors also wear the jackets, which reinforces the message that troublemakers will not be tolerated and that the police will be rapidly informed of any incidents.

The overall reduction in crime and disorder has had a knock-on effect with a relaxation of Public Entertainment Licences granted to pubs. The previous terminal hour of midnight has been shelved. Gill explains: "This was in recognition that community safety was related more to how a venue was managed than its terminal hour."

Home Counties:

Aylesbury Buckinghamshire

Aylesbury Pubwatch never seems to stop coming up with new ideas, despite the fact that it is already the model for many other watches. Over the past year, it has launched a number of initiatives that demonstrate its commitment to social responsibility extends beyond licensed premises.

In the summer, it set up a counselling programme to counter the threat of domestic violence that often occurs when one partner abuses the other after a drinking session. Inspector Steve Baker, police liaison officer to the watch, says the move stemmed from a BBC television programme that featured a man beating up his girlfriend in an Aylesbury street. The male had already been barred by Aylesbury Pubwatch and led to the watch discovering that a number of other barred males were also known for domestic violence.

As a result, the watch launched its version of the "Turning Point" domestic violence initiative that offers advice and support for both offenders and their victims.

Another series of initiatives centred on raising awareness of the watch and its objectives. The cornerstone is a new website (www.aylesburypubwatch.org), which carries news of the watch's social responsibility activities, as well as its charitable work such as providing two digital cameras to local ambulance crews so that they can relay images back to the hospital to assist in a patient's treatment. Another move is running a continuous videotape in Aylesbury Police Station warning people of the consequences of antisocial behaviour. "We have a captive audience there," quips Steve. At Christmas, the message was strengthened by a series of local radio adverts warning that "Barred from one pub means barred from all".

Public protection was the focus of another three-part campaign. Last May, 100 electronic panic alarms were purchased for bar staff who had to work late or who had to walk or rely on public transport to get home. This was followed by the distribution of 5,000 bottle covers to lessen the risk of drinks being spiked. The third phase involved discouraging customers from taking unlicensed mini-cabs.

In addition to these, the watch continued its tough policy on drugs. Teams of sniffer dogs were employed to detect drugs being smuggled into licensed premises by customers. The joint operation with the police ran over 16 nights during the year.

Pubwatch secretary Helen Wood, licensee of the Broad Leys, believes the watch's strength lies in teamwork. She remarks: "Even though we are always getting changes, everyone realises we are all in this together. I have a friend who is in a dysfunctional watch because of apathy. That won't happen here."

West