Police hope relaunched Pubwatch scheme will reduce crime in a Northamptonshire town centre

The newly relaunched Pubwatch, which was confirmed at the organisation’s annual general meeting last week, now includes Caseys, Chasers, The Square, The Dun Cow, Fridays, Wetherspoons, The Pike & Eel, The Peppermill, Middlemoor Farm and Daventry Football Club.

Currently five local men and one local woman are barred from these ten establishments.

Pubwatch is made up of local pubs and clubs and is open to the operators of licensed premises. Members meet regularly to discuss incidents of concern and vote on sanctioning those who commit crime or cause nuisance in or around licensed premises. These sanctions include a group ban from all member premises.

Members are entitled to use the town centre CCTV radios, access Pubwatch Online and receive reports from the police to help staff identify anyone who is banned. Pubs will also publish a list of people who are banned in a visible place near the entrance.

Scott Garbett, manager of The Square Nightclub and chair of Pubwatch said: “The Daventry Pubwatch Scheme in the past has not performed as effectively as it should and was not always taken seriously. We looked and explored many different methods of reforming, taking advice from the police and other well established ‘watches’.

“We are confident that the new scheme will now be able to make a difference within the town, reducing crime and disorder therefore making Daventry a safer and more enjoyable place. It is our duty as licensees to work closely with Northamptonshire Police and other relevant public bodies.

“We are able to pass and receive intelligence connected to alcohol-related crime to make sure that, as a collective, Daventry’s night-time economy is being run as safely as possible.

“I look forward to welcoming other licensed premises to the scheme shortly and we have already agreed to expand the scheme to neighbouring villages within the area, so we strengthen Daventry not only as a town but also as a district.”

Sergeant Sam Dobbs, from the town’s safer community team, said: “We welcome and support any initiative to keep the town safe from violent, drunken or anti-social behaviour.

“The majority of people who use our pubs and clubs behave themselves and drink responsibly. Their enjoyment can often be ruined by a very small number of people who can’t take their drink.

“Seeing local licensees as part of the solution to such problems, rather than the cause of them, is a great starting point and I welcome the reinvigoration of this scheme, as it sees the licensing community managing itself.

“We will support this group as much as we can, and hope that noticeable absentees from this group can return to the scheme.”