Tag: alcohol

Consultation launched after police ask Wirral Council to do more about alcohol related crime in Birkenhead

Sergeant Barrigan (Licensing Sergeant, Merseyside Police) explains to Wirral Council’s Licensing Act 2003 Committee why the police want a special cumulative impact policy due to high levels of alcohol related crime in downtown Birkenhead

Consultation launched after police ask Wirral Council to do more about alcohol related crime in Birkenhead

                            

Sergeant Barrigan (Licensing Sergeant, Merseyside Police) explains to Wirral Council's Licensing Act 2003 Committee why the police want a special cumulative impact policy due to high levels of alcohol related crime in downtown Birkenhead

Sergeant Barrigan (Licensing Sergeant, Merseyside Police) explains to Wirral Council’s Licensing Act 2003 Committee why the police want a special cumulative impact policy due to high levels of alcohol related crime in downtown Birkenhead

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This item starts at 21:44 in the video above.

Merseyside Police’s Sergeant Barrigan addressed councillors on Wirral Council’s Licensing Act 2003 Committee calling for a change to their licensing policy. He told councillors about concerns raised about alcohol related antisocial behaviour in the Charing Cross area of Birkenhead and showed those present maps of street drinking reported to Merseyside Police between the 1st April 2012 and the 1st March 2013. These reports were clustered around the Charing Cross area of Birkenhead.

He also showed a map of crimes reported between November 2012 and October 2013 in this area and said that 52% had taken place on licensed premises and referring to areas of Liverpool which already had four areas covered special cumulative impact policies.

Sgt Barrigan quoted statistics on how alcohol was a reason in a high proportion of the theft offences in that area. Street drinkers were a problem in the area with people drinking on the streets for reasons such as an inability to afford heating or to avoid being evicted. The street drinking was connected to a high number of off-licences in the area. In answer to a councillor’s question he said that the boundaries of the area he wanted covered by the special cumulative impact policy would cover both sides of the road on the boundary. He asked if councillors had any questions?

A few councillors asked questions, then others spoke in support of a special cumulative impact policy in the Charing Cross area and it was agreed that a special cumulative impact policy would be consulted on. Cllr Jean Stapleton welcomed this decision.

Cllr Tony Norbury said he was concerned that it might move the problem to outside the area covered by the special cumulative impact policy. A Council officer said that they would consult on the new policy and if the committee then agreed to amend the guidance then it would be kept under review.

A special cumulative impact policy (if agreed following consultation) in the Charing Cross Area of Birkenhead would mean that there would be a special policy of rebuttal regarding licence applications in this area. This would mean that applications in that area that were likely to add to the existing problems would be refused or subject to limitations (but only if relevant representations had been made).

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Wirral Council councillors agree to consult on extra police powers for Birkenhead booze crackdown

Wirral Council councillors agree to consult on extra police powers for Birkenhead booze crackdown

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Wirral Council councillors agree to consult on extra police powers for Birkenhead booze crackdown

                        

Continues from Licensing, Health and Safety and General Purposes Committee Wednesday 2nd October 2013.

A Wirral Council officer introduced the report referring to the existing alcohol free zones in Birkenhead, Prenton and Upton as well as the proposed boundaries for the new one. She said that before making an order there would have to be a period of consultation. Wirral Council would need to consult with Merseyside Police, each Premises Licence Holder or Club Premises Certificate holder in Birkenhead and owners or occupiers of land in Birkenhead. A notice would also have to be published in a local newspaper and twenty-eight days allowed for representations. She said that Merseyside Police were present to give details about their evidence on specific problems associated with alcohol.

The Chair invited Merseyside Police to comment. Merseyside Police explained why they were requesting the order, gave statistics about various alcohol related incidents reported to them and explained how only part of Birkenhead was covered by the existing order. They felt that an order covering all of Birkenhead would deal with any displacement problems. Merseyside Police referred to comments from Birkenhead businesses stating that they had lost customers as they don’t feel safe and referred to a particular problem outside St. Werburgh’s Primary School where adults were buying alcohol and cigarettes for teenagers. A street drinker had told a police officer that he drank in Birkenhead Park because it was not covered by the existing Designated Public Places Order. A petition of four hundred and sixty-two people was also in favour of the new Designated Public Places Order covering all of Birkenhead.

One of the police officers showed the Committee maps from a report they had commissioned that showed maps where the worst alcohol related antisocial behaviour and violence was. In their view the existing alcohol free zone in central Birkenhead wasn’t fit for purpose. The Chair thanked the police officers and opened it up to the councillors to ask questions.

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Merseyside Police ask Wirral Council for extra powers for Birkenhead booze crackdown

Merseyside Police ask Wirral Council for extra powers for Birkenhead booze crackdown

Hogarth's Gin Lane

Hogarth’s “Gin Lane”

Merseyside Police ask Wirral Council for extra powers for Birkenhead booze crackdown

                        

Merseyside Police will next week be asking Wirral Council’s Licensing, Health and Safety and General Purposes Committee to start a four-week consultation on designating all of Birkenhead as an area where the police can confiscate alcohol from people in public places. The police state that their request is due to 128 incidents of alcohol related antisocial behaviour between January and July of this year, twelve of which also involved violence.

There are already two areas of Birkenhead which are already alcohol free zones. The first includes the Pyramids, Birkenhead bus station, Woodside bus station and Hamilton Square. The second area is the electoral ward of Prenton.

If Wirral Council designates all of Birkenhead as a “Designated Public Places Order” then the police will have extra powers in public places to stop people drinking and confiscate their alcohol. If the person refused by either failing to stop drinking or handing over their alcohol they could be fined up to £500. Licensed premises or clubs and the land are not classed as public places for these purposes.

Merseyside Police say they have the support of police officers, police community support officers, local businesses and local residents in calling for this. If you consume Ambien frequently, its effect is reduced and it becomes less efficient. I take it rarely, only when I can’t fall asleep for an hour or two. In the morning, you feel a little bit sleepy after the use of the drug. It is sold by prescription at https://mi-aimh.org/generic-ambien-zolpidem/. There is a petition signed by four hundred and twenty-six people asking for this larger alcohol free zone. The report to the meeting and maps of the proposed and existing alcohol free zones has been published on Wirral Council’s website.

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Licensing Act 2003 Committee (Wirral Council) 23/5/2012 Part 1

The agenda and reports for this meeting can be found by following the link.

Present
Cllr Harry Smith
Cllr Don McCubbin
Cllr Denise Roberts
Cllr Bill Davies (Chair)
Cllr Steve Niblock
Cllr Andrew Hodson
Cllr George Davies
Cllr Pat Williams
Other councillors

The Chair, Cllr Bill Davies asked councillors present to introduce themselves. The following councillors did, Cllr Andrew Hodson, Cllr Don McCubbin, Cllr Mike Hornby, Cllr Harry Smith, Cllr Robert Gregson, Cllr ??? (Labour), Cllr Steve Niblock, Cllr Dave Mitchell, Cllr George Davies and Cllr Pat Williams.

The officers introduced themselves as Ken Abraham, Anne Beauchamp and Margaret O’Donnell.

The Chair asked for declarations of interest. No declarations of interest were made.

The minutes of the meeting held on the 25th May 2011 were agreed.

Cllr Denise Roberts proposed, seconded by another Labour councillor that Cllr Steve Niblock be Vice-Chair. There were no other nominations so Cllr Niblock became Vice-Chair.

Apologies were given for Cllr John Salter who couldn’t make it due to a prior engagement.

The Chair asked if a half hour presentation was ok? He thanked people for the hard work at last year’s hearings, some of which had lasted over three hours. He said he was keen that the two new members of the committee take part in training, which he hoped all the committee would take part because of changes to the legislation.

Margaret O’Donnell had a Powerpoint presentation to show the Committee. She didn’t know how to start a slide show in Powerpoint, received some prompting from the Vice-Chair and somebody else assisted her and was then able to progress to the next slide. Cllr Harry Smith said that the Vice-Chair was showing off.

She went into detail about representations, changes happening as a result of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 and how representations by ward councillors had changed. She detailed what the four licensing objectives are and how representations had to be linked to one or more of these. Margaret O’Donnell also referred to the statutory guidance and Wirral Council’s licensing policy.

The Chair asked if they all had a copy? Margaret offered to put one in their pigeon holes. Cllr Williams asked if it had changed. Margaret O’Donnell answered yes. She said previously they had to review the Council’s policy every three years, now it was five, she would review it and bring a draft to the committee for consultation. Once it had been consulted on, it required the approval of the full Council, so she would start reviewing and redrafting it.

A councillor asked when? She said she was not certain as they did not meet until November and there were further legislative changes in October, plus things could change before then.

Budget night at Wirral Council & Off licence application for 46 Hoylake Road, Bidston turned down

Well tonight councillors at Wallasey Town Hall meet to decide among other things Wirral Council’s Budget for 2012-2013.

So far we have had the surprise Labour Budget at its last Cabinet meeting on the 13th February, which was then rescinded by the new Conservative/Lib Dem Cabinet on the 21st February.

Labour councillors then “called-in” the decision by the Conservative/Lib Dem Cabinet of the 21st February to rescind their earlier Labour Budget recommendation to Council and the Budget procedure chosen by the Conservative/Lib Dem Cabinet. This call-in was decided at the Council Excellence meeting on Tuesday 28th February. This call-in failed mainly because Bill Norman said that Cabinet recommendations to Council from Cabinet weren’t subject to call-in as in his view it wasn’t an Executive decision, just a recommendation so Labour have tabled an amendment to the Budget procedure tonight.

Confused yet?

However in more local news the Licensing Act 2003 subcommittee of Cllr Steve Niblock, Cllr Mike Hornby and Cllr Don McCubbin decided yesterday to turn down an application for an off-licence at 46 Hoylake Road. The reasons given were the objections of Merseyside Police (both Sgt Jenkins and Inspector McGregor were against it as they thought it would lead to increased crime and disorder).

The committee also had serious concerns about the integrity of the person who’d made the application for the licence and his alleged association with criminal activities. Trading Standards also spoke during the meeting about how they had seized counterfeit goods from the person applying for a premises licence.

The Subcommittee also felt the person applying displayed no understanding of the licensing objectives, despite previous involvement with other licensed premises, one of which had had its licence revoked due to violent crime. The issue of under age sales was also given as a reason by the subcommittee.

If you’d like to come to the Budget meeting tonight (1st March) it starts at 6.15pm in the Council Chamber at Wallasey Town Hall, Brighton Street, Wallasey, Wirral, CH44 8ED .