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Licensees get help to tackle cocaine misuse in licensed premises
Home > News and Events > News - release archive > 2008 > August
Licensees across Renfrewshire are joining in a new scheme to help prevent misuse of drugs, particularly cocaine, in pubs and clubs.
Police and council representatives visited Gabriels in Paisley to demonstrate the assistance available to landlords to prevent misuse of drugs on their premises.
Police and council representatives visited Gabriels in Paisley to demonstrate the assistance available to landlords to prevent misuse of drugs on their premises.
Over 140 pubs, clubs and hotels in Renfrewshire have been given an information pack on tackling drugs by Renfrewshire Community Safety Partnership. The pack contains a booklet entitled 'Drugs and Pubs' produced by the British Beer and Pub Association.
Police visited the premises and worked with licence-holders to carry out swab tests to check for the presence of cocaine in toilets. The tests showed that 43% of premises tested positive for possible traces of cocaine, with 57% of the premises showing no traces of cocaine.
"There's no reason to suppose that Renfrewshire is any different to other areas in terms of drug misuse on licensed premise," said Councillor Cathy McEwan, convener of Renfrewshire's licensing board.
"We've been very encouraged by the willingness of licensees to come forward and get practical advice on how to stop misuse of cocaine on licensed premises."
"Things like good supervision and regular toilet checks can make a big difference in reducing the potential for people to indulge in drug misuse. That misuse damages health and promotes crime."
"Our message is that there's lot of assistance available to the managers of pubs and clubs to prevent problems emerging."
"On the broader issue of tackling health problems associated with drug misuse, it's also worth noting that public agencies in Renfrewshire have in recent months teamed up to adopt comprehensive drugs and alcohol strategies which cover prevention, treatment and help in changing behaviour."
Superintendent Val McIntyre, Depute Divisional Commander of Strathclyde Police 'K' Division, said: "It's the aim of the Renfrewshire Community Safety Partnership to educate and assist licensees and their staff to try to combat this very difficult but prevalent problem."
"Giving licensees the practical help on what to look out for and, crucially, the benefits that a vigilant approach can make in terms of preventing drug misuse has been very much welcomed by the licensed trade."
Jayne McCall, manager of Gabriel’s bar/diner in Paisley, said: “All licensees want to provide a safe and welcoming environment for our customers. By knowing what to look out for in patterns of behaviour or the materials associated with drug misuse, the operators of licensed premises can find out where there may be problems and how to prevent them."
Press release: Thursday 7 August 2008
