Training is the first line of defence
The increasing use by the police of ‘expedited reviews’ in respect of premises that may have just one incident of serious crime, or serious disorder, in order to close them immediately; the growth of cumulative impact policies, which prevent the development of the trade and freeze an existing set of problems that could be solved by allowing the development of different types of premises in the area; a mass media intent on presenting a distorted picture of the trade in terms of binge-drinking and public disorder; and local licensing authorities using ‘reducing the strength’ initiatives and local minimum pricing conditions on licences - all of this has put us on the back foot!
Licensed premises have always been subject to regulation, and everyone in the trade understands the fact that alcohol is a product that has a potential for abuse. At the same time, people come to licensed premises to relax and unwind and commonsense judgements have to be made about when to turn the tap off!
Given the increase in enforcement activities by an increasingly thin blue line of police officers, who one suspects would like to reduce the size of the night-time economy, the importance that training has in raising the awareness of all pub and bar staff about controlling their premises better, cannot be over-emphasised.
We can no longer afford the mentality that says “my responsibility stops at the front door.” How you control what happens inside your premises impacts on what happens outside.
Training can help you control your premises better so that customers’ problems are less likely to spill out into the street – and less likely to lead to premises licence reviews or expedited reviews.
Paul Chase, director and head of UK compliance, CPL Training
