Police calls for reduced nightclub opening hours in Stoke-on-Trent city centre

“Shame on the sentinel for such a disgracefully sensationalist and inaccurate piece of journalism.”

“Pound a pint?? Where?”

“But still making the general well behaved customers - who are just out for a good time - to pay more is not right. Why should they, some can't really afford to pay stupid prices for a drink.

The idiots who are just out for a fight simply need to be bared from Hanley. And the problem that needs looking into is making a system to keep log of these people, even if that has to be a some new identification card with a photo, it will solve the issue.

All fights will never be stopped, you just have to deal with it.

Some officers should also show a bit more respect, I had finished work afew weeks ago and went for a drink, after exiting the club an officer asked me if I had been arrested before as he recognized me. I simply said no and told him that I work up there often and asked why I look familiar, he then went on to say: "you have the face you'd want to slap". That is not on at all.”

“Mixing drinks + drugs doesnt help.”

“Surely making the bars and pubs pay the cost will have an adverse effect? The problem isn't the venues, it's the punters. Making venues pay for costs isn't tackling the actual issue head on, but will have the same effect as shorter hours - people will lose incomes from working less hours, yet the same people will be out causing trouble.

And sadly, as much as I'd like to blame it all down to chav culture, it's not just the chav's who are to blame for so many of the incidents.

I've seen grown working class men, women and people from all walks of life involved in violence in town. A major factor is always drugs, followed by fights over women, and matcho over inflated ego's”

“I think the biggest problem is not the opening hours, but the fact that a large majority of individuals get "tanked up" on cheap booze prior to hitting the town centre. The fact of the matter is regardless of whether you change the opening hours or not, you can't change the public who frequent these venues, nor can you change their attitudes or behaviour!

Furthermore, the police chief is complaining about strains on his forces resources? Explain the logic in what to me appears to be a lack of a major police presence at a weekend when Hanley's centre is at its peak, yet the number of officers visible on a Monday where trade is almost dire is almost double that of a weekend? Surely the answer to reduce such crime would be to have the larger presence as a deterrent at the weekend when the majority of these supposed incidents occur.

Finally, why are clubs being targeted for incidents that have been reported by the police? I can't remember the last time police ran into our venue to detain anyone. It's normally our team of door staff who eject the trouble makers, taking a proactive approach and trying to "nip it in the bud" by rejecting known trouble makers, diffusing any hostile situations and ejecting any potential trouble before it happens. Unfortunately, being largely outnumbered by approx 1 to every 60 members of public means that incidents are unlikely to be stopped before it kicks off each time, but the fact that the individuals are being ejected means that the problem is being faced head on. If some idiots decides he or she is going to fight someone, they are going to do it. Sadly we don't live in a "Minority Report" world where there a pre-cog's who can pick out the problem before it occurs!”

“@camband - I'm sorry but that doesn't have anything to do with the subject at hand, times may have been different when you was 18 - 25, that doesn't mean it should go back to that.

Anyway, back on topic - The article shows no common sense. What difference would it make, if a club was open for an hour less... Lets take a look at the statistics, Chicago is open until around 1:30ish the last time I checked, and that has 32 incidents yet Pink is open until at least 3 but it still has 29 incidents.

So I fail to see where closing clubs EARLIER will lower the amount of fights. I have worked up Hanley in nightclubs for at least 2+ years now - for picture pal (nightclub photographer) - and I see drunk people in clubs at 12 if not earlier. Manhattan and other clubs have more fights, due to the popularity of the club, and the PEOPLE who go there, the issue here is the PEOPLE not the TIME.

I now work security and I have worked on afew doors, so with the combined knowledge or working as a photographer in clubs, and working on doors I can assure you that there are different crowds and atmospheres in different clubs.

The issue that needs fixing is getting rid of the trouble makers, so baring them, but of course then you have a new issue of remembering all of the bared people. There is only a small majority of people which cause the fights, they are the people that should be limited/stopped from going night clubs.

- I also noted that Manhattans figures have been removed from the list, so is Lithium1's comment true? The paper can't change the printed article but it can change this one.”

“@ trepit

Cafe culture won't make an impact on the tools that can't handle their alcohol. Just because you create a cafe culture doesn't mean the idiots are going to suddenly change their ways and behave themselves -unquote.

Another crazy idea from the dynamic duo -Blair and Brown. A pair of nutters. Social Engineers who don't even know who they are themselves.”

“Cafe culture won't make an impact on the tools that can't handle their alcohol. Just because you create a cafe culture doesn't mean the idiots are going to suddenly change their ways and behave themselves and neither does reducing the opening hours of clubs. Whoever comes up with these solutions is lacking common sense.

Maybe increasing the price of alcohol and venue licences in these venues to cover the costs of calling police out, the cost on the NHS for treating alcohol poisoning and injuries from drunken brawls and damage to property would stop these people from drinking so much.
If they don't drink as much, they won't get in such a state, so that might reduce the problems they cause.”

“Shouldn't that be the Sentral Bucinecc Dictrict?”