It said that this will not be a reduction in officers, but they will be used to police other areas of the town, for example where burglaries are taking place because of all the officers in the centre of town.
A Lincolnshire police spokesman told the PMA that the pilot project aims to put the emphasis on licensees not to serve drunk customers.
The move has caused uproar among those in the industry. “The cynic in me thinks there is ulterior motives to things,” said licensed trade consultant Michael Kheng. “There are lots of little things happening with Lincolnshire police and they are all fitting into the jigsaw.
“Certainly, in Grantham, to take officers off the streets when pubs and clubs at closing time is absolutely ridiculous.
There is only going to be one result and that is crime and disorder. They are just trying to find a way to justify bringing in a late-night levy or EMRO.”
A Lincolnshire police spokesman said: “We’re looking at the best ways of using the police officers. They (police officers) will be tackling other crimes such as burglaries that take place whilst all the officers are in the town centre (dealing with drunken behaviour).
“The idea is to put the emphasis on licensees to not serve drunk customers. We’re taking tougher action in the hope that in the long term it is known that if you’re drunk, you won’t get a drink.
“It’s an attempt to remind licensees that they have a real obligation here. We won’t solve problems the way we are working now, continuing to pile officers into the town centre. The way to address this is the point of sale.
“Nothing is set in stone and we want feedback from licensees and the public. We will then design something around that.
“We want to work with licensees not against them. Quite a lot do a good job and their door staff do well to co-operate with the police.”
He added that this is a police-led scheme and he is unaware of any plans to introduce a late-night levy in the area.