14 troublemakers now BANNED from 100 Plymouth pubs and bars
It is thought only Blackpool’s Pubwatch scheme, in a town dominated by the hospitality industry, is bigger.
The expansion means aggressive pests face being banned from even more pubs.
Currently there are 14 people with five-year bans and another three with temporary prohibitions.
Their details are shared on a closed Facebook page, only accessible by key bar staff.
Richard Smith, Plymouth Pubwatch chairman, said Pubwatch, which covered the central part of the city and Mutley Plain, has now expanded to take in 47 waterfront businesses, and another 12 just outside the BID area too.
“We can now ban someone from 100 pubs,” he said. “The police have been encouraging us to expand Pubwatch. We are now one of the biggest in the country.
“We have 14 people banned from Pubwatch. The majority is for violence, attacking staff and premises. In every case the group has voted for a five-year ban.
“But there are options to ban for six months, one year or five years.”
He said there are also temporary bans, where troublemakers are on the list until the Pubwatch meeting when a ballot decides if the ban becomes permanent.
If banned, the individual receives a letter explaining the expulsion.
Mr Smith explained his organisation is now partnering with Plymouth Against Retail Crime (Parc) and Best Bar None Plymouth (BBN) to make the evening-and-night-time-economy (ENTE) even safer.
That will also enable Pubwatch members to access an app being developed by Parc for shops, which will then include details of people banned from pubs too.
“About 25 sites have that as a trial, with the aim being to roll that out to 250 units in the next 12 months,” Mr Smith said.
Pubwatch is already working closely with the Waterfront and City Centre Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), and the police.
Mr Smith stressed that Plymouth’s south sector has seen a 28 per cent decline in violent crime causing injury in the past year.
“That’s all violent crime but includes in pubs,” he said.
“We are a group of licensees that act together to make a safer environment for our staff and guests.”
Plymouth Pubwatch was born from a 15-pub scheme covering Mutley Plain and North Hill.
It grew to cover the city centre before its latest expansion. Stoke, Devonport, Tamerton Foliot and Plympton have their own schemes.
“But we share information with those other groups,” said Mr Smith. “So if we decide to ban someone we can share that information and they can decide whether to act on it.”
Mr Smith, landlord of the Roundabout at Drake Circus, is also the South West representative on the National Pubwatch organisation.
He said Plymouth Pubwatch is now offering advice and help to other similar schemes throughout the South West.
Photographs and story courtesy of The Herald 27/2/17 wwwplymouthherald.co.uk
