probably just move the hassle onto another pub mind you although the city centre in Glasgow is not too bad to be fair. Certain huge pubs like this though with 5 bouncers on the door and none inside kind of defeats the purpose. Let them in, let then down cheap shots all night and the place is too mobbed to get anywhere near the trouble if it kicks off.
Hit the owners in the pocket is what I say! they'll soon learn!
Brawl pub is closed on the spot
One of Glasgow’s busiest bars has been forced to close in the city’s first example of the instant sanctions now available to authorities from Scotland’s new alcohol laws.
The Sports Cafe in Sauchiehall Street has had to shut for a fortnight following a major incident where two men were left seriously injured after a fight involving pool cues and glasses.
Licensing officials have also insisted the pub, which bills itself as “the west of Scotland’s premier live sporting venue” imposes a raft of conditions including the banning of glassware.
The bar’s two week “sin bin” gives it the dubious honour of being the first Glasgow licensed premises subjected to a “premises review”, a change in the law that allows police and licensing boards to intervene early where they have concerns over the running of pubs, clubs and off-sales.
Under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, police no longer have to wait until a licence is up for renewal – which could have been up to three years in the future – or build a sufficiently grim picture to lodge
objections against a particular venue. Licensing boards also have a broader range of time-limited sanctions they can impose.
The new act means venues cannot lodge instant appeals, a process that could take several years and allow the premises to remain open throughout.
The Sports Cafe’s sanctions from the Glasgow Licensing Board were issued on Monday and took effect at 11am yesterday.
One source said: “It’s an appropriate sanction which will hit the owners financially and, one would expect, focus their attention on improving things. It’s one of those places which raises its head from time to time but never sufficiently for there to have been a major suspension or loss of licence. This is a shot across the bows for them and others as to what’s available under the new Act to the authorities.”
The incident that sparked the suspension occurred late last October when a major fight broke out at the venue’s pool table involving around a dozen men, which left two seriously injured.
Stewards required to monitor the pool table area were not there when the row happened, which was the police’s main concern when it called for the review on Monday.
The board has imposed a “terminal hour of midnight for playing pool”, is demanding “all areas of the premises should be adequately stewarded at all times”, that the policy of using toughened glass or plastic be extended from just post-midnight to “throughout the licensed hours”, and that “no alcohol to be consumed at the pool tables”.
Stephen Dornan, chairman of the licensing board, said: “It is the intention of the board to maintain our city’s reputation as a fun and safe place for patrons of licensed premises and the board will use any powers it has at its disposal to do so.
“The conditions attached reflect the unanimous concerns of board members in relation to a police report regarding the premises’s response to a serious assault that occurred at the Sports Cafe. We are determined to stamp out anti-social behaviour of this kind.”
Chief inspector Stuart Neil, Strathclyde Police’s head of licensing, said: “This sends a clear message that the police will seek a review of a licence as a means of early intervention in an effort to reduce alcohol related crime and disorder.”
A Sports Cafe spokesman said: “We were very shocked and surprised to have had our licence revoked for two weeks following a review … particularly as we work closely with the police and licensing authorities on a weekly basis to provide a safe environment for our customers.
We are going to use the two weeks to review all our policies and procedures while also refurbishing the venue and will be back open on February.”
However, a sign on the main entrance read: “We are currently closed for an exciting new refurbishment. Come and join us on Monday 5 February for the Big relaunch!”
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/h...-spot-1.999997
Hit the owners in the pocket is what I say! they'll soon learn!
Brawl pub is closed on the spot
One of Glasgow’s busiest bars has been forced to close in the city’s first example of the instant sanctions now available to authorities from Scotland’s new alcohol laws.
The Sports Cafe in Sauchiehall Street has had to shut for a fortnight following a major incident where two men were left seriously injured after a fight involving pool cues and glasses.
Licensing officials have also insisted the pub, which bills itself as “the west of Scotland’s premier live sporting venue” imposes a raft of conditions including the banning of glassware.
The bar’s two week “sin bin” gives it the dubious honour of being the first Glasgow licensed premises subjected to a “premises review”, a change in the law that allows police and licensing boards to intervene early where they have concerns over the running of pubs, clubs and off-sales.
Under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, police no longer have to wait until a licence is up for renewal – which could have been up to three years in the future – or build a sufficiently grim picture to lodge
objections against a particular venue. Licensing boards also have a broader range of time-limited sanctions they can impose.
The new act means venues cannot lodge instant appeals, a process that could take several years and allow the premises to remain open throughout.
The Sports Cafe’s sanctions from the Glasgow Licensing Board were issued on Monday and took effect at 11am yesterday.
One source said: “It’s an appropriate sanction which will hit the owners financially and, one would expect, focus their attention on improving things. It’s one of those places which raises its head from time to time but never sufficiently for there to have been a major suspension or loss of licence. This is a shot across the bows for them and others as to what’s available under the new Act to the authorities.”
The incident that sparked the suspension occurred late last October when a major fight broke out at the venue’s pool table involving around a dozen men, which left two seriously injured.
Stewards required to monitor the pool table area were not there when the row happened, which was the police’s main concern when it called for the review on Monday.
The board has imposed a “terminal hour of midnight for playing pool”, is demanding “all areas of the premises should be adequately stewarded at all times”, that the policy of using toughened glass or plastic be extended from just post-midnight to “throughout the licensed hours”, and that “no alcohol to be consumed at the pool tables”.
Stephen Dornan, chairman of the licensing board, said: “It is the intention of the board to maintain our city’s reputation as a fun and safe place for patrons of licensed premises and the board will use any powers it has at its disposal to do so.
“The conditions attached reflect the unanimous concerns of board members in relation to a police report regarding the premises’s response to a serious assault that occurred at the Sports Cafe. We are determined to stamp out anti-social behaviour of this kind.”
Chief inspector Stuart Neil, Strathclyde Police’s head of licensing, said: “This sends a clear message that the police will seek a review of a licence as a means of early intervention in an effort to reduce alcohol related crime and disorder.”
A Sports Cafe spokesman said: “We were very shocked and surprised to have had our licence revoked for two weeks following a review … particularly as we work closely with the police and licensing authorities on a weekly basis to provide a safe environment for our customers.
We are going to use the two weeks to review all our policies and procedures while also refurbishing the venue and will be back open on February.”
However, a sign on the main entrance read: “We are currently closed for an exciting new refurbishment. Come and join us on Monday 5 February for the Big relaunch!”
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/h...-spot-1.999997
