Court Not Caution campaign seeks justice for staff working in licensed premises

National Pubwatch's ‘Court Not Caution’ campaign is a response to what it sees as a continuing trend for assaults on staff working in pubs, bars, shops and other licensed premises to be dealt with by way of Police Caution or Fixed Penalty Ticket.  The campaign press release says:

"We do not know if this trend is driven by local practices or centrally sanctioned; whether it is a result of a performance culture or a need to reduce the burden on the court system. What is clear, however, is that people working in the licensing trade feel that the criminal justice system is not supporting them in their efforts to run their businesses in a socially responsible fashion.

"Quite rightly the Police, Licensing Authorities and the community expect that a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) and their staff should be held responsible for not only the sale of alcohol but also other legislation or regulations relating to the running of their premises. In fact much Police and Trading Standards enforcement activity has taken place over the last few years to hammer home this point. Failure to meet acceptable standards can have a significant impact on a business and the ultimate sanction is that people could lose their livelihood.

"We feel that it is a matter of balance therefore that individuals who, challenge a DPS or their staff’s efforts to run their business responsibly, by acting in violent or intimidating manner should also face significant consequences for their actions."

National Pubwatch are therefore calling for the following: ‘Any assault on a Designated Premises Supervisor or their staff which occurs in the course of exercising their responsibilities over the sale of alcohol or in relation to their responsibilities in relation to other legislation or regulation related to the licensed premises should be treated as an aggravating factor and that it should be in the public interest to prosecute the offender’.

The Court Not Caution has received parliamentary support, with Tory MP and National Pubwatch president Nigel Evans tabling an Early Day Motion — a petition for MPs — calling on the Government 'to ensure that the perpetrators of assaults on licensees are rightly pursued in the courts'.

National Pubwatch has created an E-petition on the Number10 website which runs until 15th January 2010, and there is a Facebook group set up by the Morning Advertiser's news editor John Harrington.