Scotland faces paid-for-policing

Scottish pub and club licensees have joined with trade groups to condemn a plan by Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill to impose a controversial 'polluter pays' levy on late-opening venues.

MacAskill's surprise move, which aims to fund the cost of policing late-night disorder, mirrors the launch of alcohol disorder zones in England and Wales and has prompted four trade groups to meet this week to discuss possible responses.

The Scottish Executive says the idea has already been broached as part of this month's consultation on new licensing fees.

A spokeswoman said the focus of the initiative is on problem areas rather than individual premises, but police want badly-run premises to be singled out to pay a special anti-disorder levy.

MacAskill told a meeting of senior policemen he wants to impose a special extra charge on clubs and bars to help fund the cost of controlling late night revellers.

He compared the scheme to environmental legislation where polluters have to pay a surcharge.

He added there will have to be a debate about which trade venues have to pay.

Janet Hood, head of BII Scotland, said the plan was an unwelcome addition to the consultation on fees, which closes on September 17.

She said: "The minister's comments are frankly alarming, coming as they do while this consultation is in progress. It is worrying that he appears to be speaking with such apparent determination on this issue at such a time."

Scottish Beer & Pub Association chief executive Patrick Browne said taxes paid by the trade were "more than adequate" to meet policing costs, and said a disorder levy would be indiscriminate.

He added the focus should be on stopping trouble before it starts, and said the licensing laws were sufficient to deal with problem venues.

Unfair and unworkable​

Scottish Licensed Trade Association chief executive Paul Waterson is also concerned about the move.

"It is absurd to target pubs and clubs exclusively when most drink sold is from the off-trade, which is again being ignored.

"Why should the on-trade pay for people who are drunk because of cheap drink bought from supermarkets?" he asks.

He added the smoking ban has caused extra problems on busy circuits by driving smokers on to the streets, where "there's inevitably

friction between them and people who have been refused admission to a pub or club".

The wrong message​

Pub operators are none too happy either.

JD Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said: "Historically we have preferred to see costs factored into business rates, rather than having specific levies for particular issues, but we are willing to discuss any new initiative - there will clearly be a debate about this."

One clubs boss told The Publican the scheme would "sabotage" industry initiatives like Best Bar None which encourage and reward high standards.

MacAskill's comparison of a trade disorder levy with environmental penalty charges for polluters has also enraged some licensees.

In his speech he flagged up Edinburgh's Lothian Road and Glasgow's Sauchiehall Street as examples of areas where levies could be charged.

Both are high-density late-night leisure haunts at weekends. Lothian Road includes lap dancing venues popular with stag parties.

Edinburgh licensing board convenor Councillor Marjorie Thomas said any bid to cut anti-social behaviour should be welcomed, and that the disorder levy plan should be discussed.

But nightclubs owner Donald MacLeod of Glasgow-based CPL Leisure told The Publican: "What sort of message does this send out to visitors?

"We have absolutely no trouble at our venue Stavka, which is exactly the sort of sophisticated attraction that tourists seek out.

"We cannot be fined for every drunk who walks down the road without ever coming near our premises, where we scrupulously enforce the licensing laws.

"The casual assumption that all Sauchiehall Street operators are somehow to blame for bad behaviour is completely outrageous."

He added: "If MacAskill is only flying a kite, then I've seen so-called kites before - and one was the smoking ban. We're going to make it clear this just isn't acceptable."

A senior Glasgow clubs operator who asked not to be named said: "Nightclubs are very heavily regulated and are working on all sorts of initiatives to ensure best practice."

Lothian Road bar manager David McMillan of Orchid Group's bar, the Shakespeare, said: "It's yet another penalty for the trade on top of everything else - not least wages - and can't be justified, particularly for properly-run bars like ours which see no trouble."

Licensees have also attacked press claims the move will only affect nightclubs.

Under the new licensing system any bar could be allowed to operate late hours, while in Edinburgh pubs can already open until 3am during the lucrative annual five-week festival season.

The Bar Entertainment & Dance Association's Scottish chief executive, Eddie Tobin, said the scheme would punish responsible licensees as well as irresponsible venues.

Scottish Tourism Forum chairman Peter Taylor added: "It's difficult to know who the 'polluter' is in a city centre - we need to work to change the public's behaviour, rather than simply pass the problem to the trade."

Police support

However, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) backs the radical initiative. Police around the country regularly complain resources are stretched by late-night disorder.

In Glasgow around 70,000 revellers pack the city centre and West End at weekends.

In Edinburgh, there have been renewed calls for a licence freeze on New Town drinking strip George Street, where superpubs and hybrid venues attract large weekend crowds.

In the Scottish capital's Old Town, where a freeze already operates, various local groups want the sometimes rowdy Grassmarket to be remodelled as a 'family-friendly' attraction.

In Inverness, where police say levels of public drunkenness are unacceptable, hospital staff claim that the number of girls as young as 14 being found drunk and incapable is on the rise.

Assistant Chief Constable Ian Dickinson, who heads ACPOS' licensing wing, said MacAskill's message had been clear, and that police chiefs "strongly agreed" on the need to work hard to beat the effects of alcohol abuse.

He said badly-managed problem premises directly affect their communities, customers and staff, and should "contribute to the consequences of their actions".

The Executive's spokeswoman said Mr MacAskill aimed to meet trade groups on a wide range of licensing issues in the near future.

ADZs on the way​

In England and Wales, the first alcohol disorder zones (ADZs) are now likely to come into effect early in 2008.

Under ADZs, pubs and other licensed premises in a designated trouble area will be made to pay an extra tax towards policing.

Scotland has no direct equivalent of ADZs, but has been developing safer city initiatives based on ideas originally developed in Manchester.

These include beefed-up stewarding, using taxi marshals, and providing portaloos.