Police accuse Staffordshire pubs over cocaine use
The county’s police force told the Publican’s Morning Advertiser (PMA) that an “alarmingly high” number of pubs had tested positive for recent use of the drug following swabs on pub surfaces.
The figures were confirmed after an investigation by the PMA following statements made by Sue Arnold, deputy police and crime commissioner for Staffordshire, last week. She told a group of trade representatives that every premises in the area tested for cocaine was positive.
Speaking at the British Beer & Pub Association’s (BBPA) Autumn Key Issues Forum in Stafford, she said: “There is little doubt it plays a part in violence and disorder when mixed with alcohol. So just remember that. Every swab we did in Staffordshire tested positive — every one,” she said.
Arnold also issued a warning to pubs. “The trade needs to raise the drugs issue with staff and train them to identify and deal with it as soon as possible.”
Underage sales
She also revealed almost half of licensed premises tested in Staffordshire — 35 out of 78 — have failed underage sales tests, carried out in the past three months. Arnold said the reason for the figures was “lack of training” among staff and, although many pub employees wore a Challenge 21 badge, she was “surprised and disappointed” to discover that they “did not know what it meant”.
“Training of doorstaff and barstaff, and effective control management, is absolutely critical,” Arnold added.
'Battleground'
She said the late-night economy is a battleground where the trade and the frontline of policing “need to stand shoulder to shoulder”, but licensed premises are still placing a “big demand” on police and other services at the weekend, particularly in terms of alcohol-related disorder.
However, she admitted crime in Staffordshire has dropped, even though the fear of crime has increased.
Arnold said one drunk person can take up the time of 17 police officers and added she recently spent 90 minutes while on patrol with two officers ensuring one drunk man got home safely.
“We all get drunk, we all understand it. But he probably had one or two drinks too many. And I think ‘who was the responsible person behind the bar that served him those last two drinks, that he was so inebriated he fell off the back of a wall’,” she said.
Outrage
The police statements, caused uproar among BBPA members. Bruce Benyon, operations manager at Hook Norton Brewery in Oxfordshire, said: “I think there are about 50 people here thinking ‘how do you know
this person didn’t have one drink in a pub and three-quarters of a bottle of wine before he came out’. Don’t pin it on the trade.”
Paul Chase, director and head of UK compliance at CPL Training, added: “This all gets blamed on the on-trade. It doesn’t get blamed on pocket-money booze in supermarkets, or pre-loading.
“With the greatest of respect, standing there and wagging your finger at the trade isn’t going to promote co-operation.”
The BBPA has a guidance booklet titled Drugs and Pubs: A Guide for Licensees available on its website, outlining the tell-tale signs of possible drugs misuse on premises and advice on how to keep pubs drug-free.
