Dogs take lead in pubs’ drugs fight
JON MACPHERSON
DRUG dogs are being used to search for illegal substances in pubs and bars as part of a tradebacked initiative.
Fifteen drinking establishments have signed up to a new Community Alcohol Partnership (CAP) called InnSight to tackle anti-social behaviour and drugs in Oswaldtwistle.
Sam McConnell, from Lancashire Trading Standards, told a recent public meeting that banning letters are now being issued to troublemakers and police dogs are making regular visits to licensed premises to catch drug dealers.
Posters have been placed at pubs around the town with a picture of dog Charlie and a warning that any customer found in possession of drugs will be ‘barred for life’.
Bosses hope the scheme will help make Oswaldtwistle a ‘more attractive place for people to come’ and allow other local businesses to ‘thrive’
Speaking at the latest Big Positive meeting at the Civic Arts Centre, Sam said: “I was originally approached by the onlicence trade, the landlords from some of the pubs in the town, who were getting a little bit miffed by some of the problems and needed some support.
“It’s a really strong group now called InnSight. They have got banning letters for people who are misbehaving themselves in pubs to make Oswaldtwistle, especially the town centre, a safer place for people to go and enjoy themselves.
“Oswaldtwistle is not a bad place. However, what they realise is that it’s a quid pro quo. If they make Oswaldtwistle a more attractive place for people to come, businesses thrive on that and when businesses thrive communities thrive.
“We have had the drugs dog out and it went round about half a dozen pubs and will be coming out again. When you want to go in there for a quiet drink or a meal it’s the last thing you want to see.
“What we are doing is future-proofing. There are going to be idiots and it’s about having the mechanisms in place to make sure those people have clear messages about how to behave.”
Questionnaires have been issued to residents, licensed premises and year 10 pupils at Rhyddings school as part of the CAP and a new youth panel will be set up to try and tackle underage drinking.
Sam said the success of the measures will be assessed by examining the amount of anti-social behaviour in the area and the number of under 18s admitted to hospital with alcohol issues.
He said: “We have got to work on parent awareness around alcohol, we have got to work on the offlicence trades who aren’t adopting the proper systems to actually protect them as well.
“Some of them won’t be diverted away but we have to build up to possibly some enforcement action.
“We want to put some sustainability to it. We can prosecute people until the cows come home but it will not change behaviour.”
The InnSight group includes representatives from The Bay Horse, The Black Dog, The Hare & Hounds, The Heys Inn, The Lord Longworth, Oswaldtwistle Social Club, The Plough, The Rhoden Inn, The Stanhill, The Stop & Rest, Tap Select, The Tinker & Budget, Tiger Lounge, The Vault and The White Bull.