New night time safety guidelines for Shrewsbury town centre venues
A new set of guidelines has been produced to help improve safety at late night venues in Shrewsbury town centre.
Team Shrewsbury - a partnership of various organisations, including PubWatch, Shrewsbury BID and West Mercia Police - has drawn up the new guidance to give pubs and clubs a consistent security policy for the first time.
James Hitchin, owner of The Alb and chairman of Shrewsbury PubWatch, said the aim of the policy was to give licensees clarity over their security operations.
“The night-time economy in Shrewsbury is doing really well and the town centre is becoming increasingly busy in the evening and into the small hours,” he said.
“Whilst that’s great news for businesses, it’s important that we work together to ensure people can continue to enjoy their night as safely as possible.
Ensure
“Most other town centres have a consistent policy for late night venues regarding when and how to search people when they enter their premises, so it’s great that Shrewsbury now has this in place.
“Shrewsbury continues to be a very safe place to enjoy a night out, and this policy is designed to make it easier for licensees to ensure it stays that way.”
Sergeant Simon Morris, of the Safer Neighbourhood Team in Shrewsbury, added: “It can be difficult for door staff to make the right judgement over when to search someone and whether to allow them entry to the premises.
“This policy will give them very clear guidance on how to carry out searches, what to look for, and what steps to take if they find any offending items.
“Shrewsbury is a low-crime area, and having a consistent policy will just help licensees ensure their venues can continue to be enjoyed safely by everyone.”
