Pub Watch Set To Be Launched In Ledbury

On Friday 2 December, a Pub Watch scheme is set to launch in the Herefordshire town of Ledbury for the first time.

Pub Watch is a civil scheme run entirely by the licensing trade, with support from both West Mercia Police in Herefordshire and the Herefordshire Licensing Authority.

Within Herefordshire, there are currently 5 schemes running - commonly known as HAND (Herefordshire Against Night Time Disorder) - and the intention of each scheme is to make town and city centres safer places to be by reducing disorder and nuisance in or near licensed premises. 

This includes dealing with customers who have come to the attention of the premises and have not been reported to the police. 

Speaking about the launch of Pub Watch in Ledbury, PC Lyn Dunlop, who is Local Police Officer for the town, said:

"The current schemes we have in Herefordshire run very well and have succeeded in reducing the number of incidents that have occurred in the areas they operate in. That is why we've been very keen to introduce a similar scheme in Ledbury.

"The aim of such schemes is to encourage ownership by the local licensing trade by empowering them to deal with issues that, on occasions, are not reported to the police but do need some sort of action taken against the perceived trouble maker. 

"The obvious benefits include making the area a safer place to be in, which will hopefully encourage returning and new customers to locations where previously they had stopped attending or perhaps not even visited previously.

"Ledbury is generally a very safe place to live, work and visit, however, a minority of people do misbehave when in drink and their behaviour can impact on the safety and comfort of others who have come out to socialise in the town. 

"The licensed trade - which also includes shops with drinks licences - have been actively encouraged to set-up this scheme and we hope that all the businesses will join together and take part. 

"The police will assist by providing information to members through a data sharing protocol and we are also committed to providing updates on legislation and new, identified trends to help members to manage their premises more effectively.   

"Ledbury is covered by Herefordshire Council CCTV and members of the Pub Watch scheme will be encouraged to obtain a CCTV/Pub Watch radio which will link them to CCTV and give them the ability to communicate with other premises to provide early information of known or potential issues in the town. 

"Evidence we have suggests that schemes like this work well in small market towns and I'm hopeful that, if fully supported, the Ledbury Pub Watch scheme will be a huge success.

"By encouraging local licensees to take ownership of this issue and take a partnership approach to reducing crime, disorder and nuisance connected to licensed premises, I really do believe that Ledbury will become an even safer place to enjoy a night out." 

Issued: Monday 28 November 2011