The Local Alcohol Partnership Group (LAPG) hosted its first major Scottish Conference, ‘The Partnership Effect – Supporting Safer Communities Through Collaboration and Local Action’, on Tuesday 6 October 2026 at West Brewery in Glasgow.
Experienced publican John Ogilvie, Chair of BBN Scotland and a Pubwatch member, spoke about his involvement in a joint local BBN and Pubwatch initiative.
He said, “Safer licensed venues aren’t created by one organisation or venue, it’s created when the high street competitors are communicating through Pubwatch, working side by side in the name of community safety. It’s created when a Best Bar None accredited venue hosts a Safe Night Out forum, providing a range of training courses and workshops for staff…”
Speaking about Best Bar None he said “I tend to think of Best Bar None as starting within the four walls of our individual premises. Before we can discuss partnership, we need to ensure our own house is in order. And that’s about looking at everything from staff training, responsible alcohol retailing to safeguarding, drug awareness and how we manage incidents”.
“We give operators the opportunity to look at their own venues critically and ask, – yes we’re compliant, but are we doing everything we reasonably can to make this venue safe?”.
He then went on to speak about Pubwatch, saying “But there’s also an obvious limitation to this in the wider partnership context. Our responsibility doesn’t end at the front door. I can operate the best-run venue in Scotland, but I can’t control what happens 50 yards down the road. And that’s where a proper pubwatch partnership becomes important”.
“Businesses working together, sharing information, identifying emerging issues and building supportive relationships with local partners and police. When we do this, we become proactive, not reactive”.
“That’s what a good Pubwatch can provide. Engagement, communication and local businesses who genuinely feel they have some ownership of their local areas”.
“That’s were I feel Best Bar None and National Pubwatch work so well together. I suppose you call it the three steps to a Safer night-time economy.
- Best Bar None asks ‘what are we doing inside our own venues’
- Pubwatch asks ‘what are we doing together as a community’
And the wider partnership asks ‘what are we doing together as a community’.
Because no single organisation sees the entire night-time economy. An operator sees one part of it, police and licensing see another. We all see different parts of the same picture, and we all bring different, valuable and important perspectives to the discussion”.
National Pubwatch has previously highlighted the benefits of BBN and NPW working together, both locally and nationally – ‘NPW + BBN = Safer Night-time Economy’
We’d like to thank the Institute of Licensing and the Scottish Alcohol Industry Partnership (SAIP) for aiding LAPG with this event.
