Happy hours to be banned in alcohol ‘problem areas’

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Title – Happy hours to be banned in alcohol ‘problem areas’
Source – The Independent
Date – 10th November 2008

The headlines are much easier to write than the problem is to resolve. ‘Ban Happy-Hours’ the latest holy-grail to resolve the generations of an un-balanced relationship between alcohol and consumers in the UK; it is not a new problem.

The increasing murmurs coming out of government suggest a change of approach is afoot. However if the arguments in this article are going to be the reason for change, then the solution will be as ineffective as so many before and realistically the problems will remain. The only obvious change that will occur through the suggested solutions will be that responsible drinkers will pay yet more and therefore be pushed into drinking away from the on-trade as it gets more expensive.

So if the key battle ground in this argument is going to be; a child under 10 is admitted to hospital every 3 days with an alcohol related problem; 12,500 16 -17 year olds are admitted to hospital every year with alcohol related problems; the question we have to ask is, are they really ending up in hospital as a result of drinking in happy-hour? What exactly is banning the happy-hour going to achieve?

I have to agree that there are some promotions (Happy-Hours and other s) that are clearly irresponsible, but local licensing authorities already have the law on their side under the

Licensing Act 2003 to deal with these irresponsible alcohol retailers; in many cases, they just do not have the resources or man power. A blanket ban on happy-hours is hardly the ‘creative’ approach the ‘source’ is suggesting. It is crude, difficult to enforce, damaging to an industry that is vital to the economy and will be ineffective.

The ‘loss-leading’ sale of alcohol many will agree needs to be addressed; for that there is no plausible justification beyond the business argument.

‘Creative’ approaches should be ones not considered before; how do other countries get away without the night-time problems of drunks? Take France; public drunkenness is not something people celebrate, but rather it is frowned upon and considered highly socially unacceptable.

What is the punishment for public disorder as a result of excess alcohol consumption in the UK, sometimes a night in a cell (this is usually used as a way of sobering up drunks rather than a punishment), more generally a fixed penalty fine (often less than the cost of a night out), both of which are sadly often considered badges of honour for perpetrators to brag about… So let’s try the French approach and let’s try and approach that can be supported by the authorities, the community and the Licensed Retail Sector. Why not instead of a fixed penalty fine issue community service orders. Let’s take the’ trouble-makers and make them spend 3 or 4 (or as many as it takes) nights cleaning up the streets, cleaning up after other drunks dressed in fluorescent ‘unflattering’ outfits in the very centre of the town where they caused the disruption in the first place… it’s just an idea, it shows at least a little ‘creativity’. The point is the solution has to be supported by all except those causing the problems.
Beyond the Blue run courses and a Consultancy Service providing solutions for the Licensed Retail Sector, the Security Industry and who have to deal with Workplace Violence. Our courses include; The National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH), the Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR), the National Certificate for Door Supervisors (NCDS) and Conflict Management and Resolution Courses (CMR).

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk or join us on Facebook. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

UK top of European cocaine league

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Title – UK top of European cocaine leagueSource – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 7th November 2008

Where we sit in the European ‘league table’ in regard to drug use is less important to us then the figures for the UK itself and they do make quite disturbing reading, especially when you consider the negative effects drugs have on health and society in general.

These figures are important for people working in all sorts of sectors and anyone working with the general public. It is important that they are realistic about the level of the drug problems in the UK, so they can account for it within their workplace and businesses.

With close to 1 in 10 people in the UK having taken cocaine and some 800,000 having taken it in the last year, few workplaces will be free of cocaine users; certainly anyone dealing with the public will come across a cocaine user on a regular basis.

Illegal drugs cause all sorts of problems in our society, apart from public health issues, it adds to crimes levels and exasperates the problems associated with Workplace Violence.

Beyond The Blue run a number of courses where we examine illegal drugs, drug use and the enforcement of zero tolerance policies. For the Licensed Retail Sector we run the National Certificate for Licensees – Drug Awareness (NCLDA), for those people facing workplace violence we run Conflict Management and Resolution courses (CMR) and Physical Intervention (PI) courses and those people working in the Security Industry we run the National Certificate for Door Supervisors (NCDS) and In-House Security Induction (IHSI) courses. We also run bespoke Drugs Awareness courses (DA) which are suitable for both employees dealing with the effects of drug user or for groups (such as youth groups, schools etc.) looking for a course to make people aware of the effects of drug use; please Contact Us for more details of these Drug Awareness courses.

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Security licence body chief quits

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Title – Security licence body chief quitsSource – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 6th November 2008

I don’t imagine this comes as any great surprise to anyone who is familiar with the mess that has embroiled the SIA almost since it’s inception. You certainly don’t meet many people who come away from an experience involving the SIA with positive stories to tell.

When the documentation required by those applying to the SIA is so stringent and the expense considerable, so it comes as a bit of a kick in the teeth when the SIA themselves seem to bypass their own procedures and employ staff in highly sensitive positions without giving them the appropriate clearance.

It is hardly surprising that many of the Door Supervisors (and we should all be writing to the BBC and other media agencies, to ask them if they can stop using the outdated and derogatory term ‘bouncer’) feel that their licence and renewal fees are simply a tax which has and continues to push many people out of the industry. What exactly is the SIA doing for them?

The SIA or should I say the licensing of Door Supervisors has undoubtedly made the security industry more accountable and more professional, but the sheer costs involved in the licensing process has also had the opposite effect. With an SIA Door Supervisors Licence costing £245 on its own and then the costs of training on top of that, most people considering obtaining their licence are more interested in finding the cheapest training provider and are not too bothered about the standard of training.

Unfortunately this has led to many training providers cutting corners and becoming what I refer to as ‘certificate delivery companies’. These are companies less interested in the effectiveness of the training and how well it will prepare candidates for their role working in the Security Industry and more interested in simply preparing people to pass their exams...

I am not saying all training providers are this way inclined, there are many excellent trainers out there doing excellent work, but I feel sorry for them. Their margins are being squeezed to the point where they have to choose to join those who cut corners or compromise their standards. Ask any trainer worth thier salt if you can really run an effective interactive course with 25 candidates and they will tell you it is impossible. Can you run a lecture style course with 25 people and the answer is yes. But the Door Supervisor course is not designed as a lecture and to present it as such is simply not as effective. So who is making sure that training standards are maintained? Not the SIA!

At Beyond The Blue we don’t compromise our training standards; we are not a ‘Certificate Delivery Company’, but rather a proactive training company. For this reason we have currently suspended our open National Certificate for Door Supervisors (NCDS) courses and are only running NCDS courses for organised groups and our corporate clients. Our clients understand our approach to training and want the training for their staff to be about more than simply the certificate at the end of it; They demand the effective product we provide and the professionalism of their employees as a result. If you have a minimum of 12 candidates for the NCDS call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us for your training requirements.

Please visit our website at

www.btbl.co.uk

Pub trade ‘faces 4000 closures’

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Title – Pub trade ‘faces 4000 closures’
Source – www.ft.com
Date – 2nd November 2008

With Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) the well respected auditors latest report we can see yet more evidence of the real crisis which the ‘pub sector’ faces.

We know there is a serious economic downturn or ‘Credit Crunch’ for those that like tabloid headlines, it is affecting everyone and few can hide from it. With all the other burdens that the pub sector has had to deal with, this latest report is hardly news; but that such a high profile company is now predicting 4000 pub closures this year, we must really be aware of the grave difficulties faced by the Licensed Retail Sector and call on the government to provide help, where it is reasonable to do so.

It is natural that in any downturn there will be an increase in businesses folding and poorly run businesses are usually the first to go. But there are so many factors affecting the pub sector that it is not simply poor businesses going under, but good ones as well.

We have covered this story closely over the last 2 years and commented on it repeatedly. Our message is still the same, the time has come to stop sanctioning all those involved in the Licensed Retail Sector with additional cost and legislation. With 4000 closures this year there will be many more unemployed and also less revenue for a government to meet the costs of the unemployed. By rewarding Responsible Alcohol Retailers and not punishing the sector as a whole for the fault of the few, we can regain the vibrancy of the pub sector in this country without focussing on the excesses of the binge drinking minority.

Those retailers that will ride out the storm the country currently faces, are those who provide excellent service, quality product and good value. Good value does not mean ‘£5 all you can drink’ promotions, it means a reasonable price for an excellent product.

Training is one of the cornerstones of excellent service and through our portfolio of training courses and our Consultancy Service we can help you to survive and thrive. At Beyond The Blue we run the portfolio of BIIAB courses as well as bespoke courses for our corporate clients. These include; The National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH); the Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR); the National Certificate for Designated Premises Supervisors (NCDPS); the Professional Barpersons Qualification (PBQ); the National Certificate for Licensees – Drug Awareness (NCLDA); the National Certificate for Door Supervisors (NCDS); and Conflict Management and Resolution Courses (CMR). Our Consultancy Service can help to revive your business, provide you with the information and systems you need to rejuvenate it and give you the solutions that are easily missed when you are too involved from inside your business to see the wood for the trees, an all too common problem that often only very proactive employers are aware of.

Please visit our website at www.btbl.co.uk

Binge Drinkers ‘risking dementia’

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Title – Binge Drinkers ‘risking dementia’Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 1st November 2008

It is important to clarify that ultimately responsibility for alcohol consumption lies with the consumer themselves, but both government and the drinks industry have to play their part in educating people and promoting Responsible Alcohol Retailing.

The first step in this process is to make all staff working in the Licensed Retail Sector aware of the effects of chronic drinking or alcoholism and what is now universally referred to as ‘binge drinking’. It is important that not only do they realise the concept of these different types of excessive alcohol consumption, but the effects that they can have on the consumer.

The licensed retail sector alone however can only have a limited effect on resolving the health difficulties associated with the countries drinking patterns, it has to be a co-operative approach. It is for this reason that I am always very sceptical about a legislative approach. Further legislation only increases the costs to the industry, squeezing margins further leading to greater competition which has generally made alcohol cheaper over the last 10 years rather than more expensive, as more people fight for fewer consumers. Besides does anyone really believe that banning happy hours will stop alcoholics…? Is binge drinking going to disappear over-night or are people going to be even more inclined to ‘pre-load’ at home in an uncontrolled environment…?

Has any consideration been given to who is going to enforce this new legislation? Licensing officers are already so stretched and underfunded they are often unable to act proactively under current legislation, adding further regulation is hardly going to make that situation any better.

There has to be a co-operative approach and each group involved has to act swiftly.

As an industry we need more training, we have to make sure that everyone involved in the sale of alcohol understands the effects of alcohol in the short term and the long term. By understanding these effects, alcohol retailers are much more likely to act in a more responsible manner. At Beyond The Blue, many of our courses include sessions on the effect of alcohol consumption on short and long term health. Courses such as the National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) and the Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR) as well as the Certificate in Alcohol Awareness (CAA) and the Professional Barpersons Qualification (PBQ), all have sessions dedicated to the effects of alcohol on the body.

Please visit our website at

www.btbl.co.uk