Best Bar None (BBN) was developed in Manchester as a response to violence and disorder associated with the night time economy. It brings together the late night operators and other key agencies on a common platform promoting good practice, rather than a concentration on enforcement. Since Manchester's success in reducing alcohol-related violence, the Home Office has pushed for the development of BBNs within the areas covered by its Tackling Violent Crime Programme. An evaluation of Croydon's scheme is sceptical about the effectiveness of BBN in reducing violence and disorder.
Best Bar None Croydon Review reports the following key findings:
- There is a lack of credible evidence to suggest that the implementation of the BBN scheme in Croydon has specifically had an impact on the reduction of crime and disorder in the town centre on its own.
- BBN is a scheme which clearly has benefits for those who choose to implement it, but these benefits are not easily measurable and largely amount to perception rather than evidenced reality. One of the main benefits appears to be a better dialogue between Police and Licensees.
- It is critical there should be an opportunity to identify and design ‘indicators’ to show that BBN is having a positive effect, this is currently lacking.
- If BBN is to continue both within London and nationally, there is a real need to agree a suitable ‘measuring tool’, which will assess the impact of it and provide credible evidence for those considering introducing it.
- If it is considered appropriate to continue with BBN then any allocation of funds would probably be best linked to a business case involving the contribution of BBN to the reduction of crime and disorder. All the evidence suggests BBN works best when it sits within a comprehensive holistic crime reduction strategy. It should not be considered a single component solution.
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