Agenda item

Neil Fraser from the licensing police team advised the Committee about the work that was carried out in the team.

The following points were raised during the discussion:-

·       Phone snatches were investigated; they were deemed as serious crime and would be pursued. There had been convictions.

·       The police team needed to have a safe night-time economy. The police would ask for conditions to be added to the licence to mitigate risk.

·       Over 690 applications for licences had been received this year. Over 1000 applications for temporary event notices had been received but only 9 objected to. The team would only object where there was a need.

·       Licensing panels were arranged at an early intervention stage. Licensees would be invited for an informal discussion when the team had any issues with premises. This intervention was extremely successful and most of the time negated the need for further enforcement. Sixteen of these panels had been held this year.  Where there were instances of serious crime a premises an application would be made for a summary review, but this happened only rarely.

·       The police and licensing teams worked on Friday and Saturday evenings visiting licensed premises. They would do spot checks regarding conditions, Ask Angela, drink spiking at venues and this also built a positive relationship with the venues and helped to solve potential problem areas.

·       The later hours that premises were open, the higher the risk and licensed premises could also be targeted by criminals.

·       The late-night levy allowed for a task force to target crime hotspots and also helped potential crime victims with crime prevention messaging eg drink spiking. This had been very successful.

·       76 venues had signed up to the Women’s Night Safety Charter.

·       The police and licensing team were considered to be proactive and worked well with venues to ensure they were safe.

·       It was helpful that the police approach was proportionate and made on evidence which allowed the right balance to be struck between businesses and concerns.

·       The late-night levy was essential for Operation Nightsafe who dealt with low level anti-social behaviour and giving practical advice. They were a visible presence around venues and helped people get home safely.

·       Further details around how the levy was used could be given at the next Licensing Committee.

·       There was a need to communicate to residents the positive stories about Islington’s nightlife and this was currently work in progress.  The Night Czar stated that she could help with supporting positive news stories.

·       The Met police had rolled out Operation Rana which encouraged victims to watch out for signs of drink spiking and to look after friends and personal belongings. Detection rates were low.

·       The number of patrols at licensed premises were doubled for key nights which was particularly important in the run up to Christmas.

·       It was agreed that the winter night strategy be shared with Councillor Ibrahim.

RESOLVED

a)    That the late-night levy and how it is used be an agenda item for the next Licensing Committee.

b)    That the winter night strategy be shared to Councillor Ibrahim.