Hertfordshire Police investigate Hitchin's pubs and clubs
14 venues were found to have traces of cocaine in the toilets
Last month, the Hertfordshire Special Constabulary joined forces with the Security Industry Authority (SIA) to carry out a licensing operation in Hitchin, a town in Hertfordshire, which aimed to check if all licensing conditions were being adhered to, including CCTV conditions, and that fire safety procedures were being followed. The operation also focused on identifying premises that support the Ask For Angela campaign and issuing posters about drink spiking.
Kuljit Sangha, the constabulary’s Senior Licensing Officer for North Herts, and a team of eight Specials, who are volunteer police officers, visited a total of 38 premises within Hitchin town center and its outskirts on the evening of Friday, March 24.
The operation resulted in eight premises found to have minor breaches of their license, including not displaying their premises license summary, no refusals/incident book, and CCTV footage retaining period less than what is stipulated on their license condition. Eight premises were identified as having fire safety issues, including blocked fire exits, fire exit doors open, and no smoke detectors, and the Fire Authority was contacted.
The operation also detected drugs in 14 premises, where the team had used Cocaine wipes and wiped flat surfaces such as toilet lids, cisterns, and sanitary bins. The premises were given advice on how to prevent and tackle drug-taking on their premises. Ten premises were given drink spiking posters.
In addition, a number of premises were given more information about supporting the Ask For Angela campaign, with many already signed up, while some were not interested in joining. The team carried out 24 checks on SIA accredited doorstaff, and one venue had a security guard with an expired license, which was seized and he was sent home. Further inquiries are being carried out by the SIA.
Kuljit Sangha, North Herts Senior Licensing Officer, expressed his satisfaction with the results of the operation, stating that the minor breaches that were identified should not take too long to resolve, and hoped that the operation was reassuring to those who enjoy Hitchin’s nightlife. He also thanked all the venues for taking the time out of their schedules to comply with their visits.
Operations like this are crucial, as they ensure that licensed premises adhere to the stipulated conditions, and not only do they highlight any issues that need sorting, but they also give the team a chance to share advice, such as around preventing drug use.