Plaskitt: I’d make irresponsible bar owners pay for boozy disturbances

This is the view of Labour’s candidate to be Warwickshire’s police and crime commissioner James Plaskitt, who says he will use legal powers to clamp down on premises that contribute to problems.

Mr Plaskitt says he will ask councils to impose restrictions on premises which do not act responsibly, and introduce ‘late night levies’ on top of their business rates using measures introduced in the 2003 Licencing Act, and soon to be bolstered with further powers.

Mr Plaskitt says that with police already stretched, he would not hesitate to recommend using these measures if licensees do not maintain order.

Mr Plaskitt said: “I want to have a zero-tolerance approach towards anti-social behaviour in general. One major cause in our towns is drunk and disorderly behaviour close to night clubs. The pubs and clubs have a responsibility to ensure their customers have a good time, but also to ensure they are not anti-social when they leave. If they won’t take responsibility, I would not hesitate to apply these measures.”