Results tagged “pubs” from Chester Chronicle - And Finally

CRIMINALS fear being banned from the pub more than facing the courts, a North Wales police inspector has said.

Holyhead's Inspector Andy Williams told the North Wales Daily Post that persistent crooks on Anglesey were more concerned with being placed on the town's Pubwatch banning list than any penalty imposed by the criminal justice system.

He said: "When they are arrested and we tell them they are off to court they shrug their shoulders, but tell them they are banned from the pubs and they start to plead with you.

"I am proud the scheme is having such an effect but it is also a sad state of affairs that they are not concerned about court."

Inspector Williams decided to speak out after becoming frustrated by the criminal justice system.

He said: "I've lost count of the number of times police have arrested particular persons officially known as 'persistent offenders', have then put them before the court to be later told they have yet again been bailed with the same conditions they had before.

"They are called 'persistent' for a reason, we have their bail history and we have the conditions that they have breached again, and again; the very conditions that were designed to protect the community from their offending.

"When speaking to one or two of the individuals concerned, they honestly find it amusing. I hasten to add that I do not blame our local courts for this.

"They are bogged down in the politics of the government of today, which I feel has some extremely pressing issues in terms of both prison populations and the balance between punishment and rehabilitation."

CHANCELLOR Alistair Darling has been banned from the Calveley Arms in Handley, Chester, following his "anti-pub" budget.

Licensee Harry Miller has written to Darling informing him that he is no longer welcome and has put up a poster, which states "We hereby give notice that Alistair Darling, Chancellor of the Exchequer, is barred from this pub until further notice".

The Calveley Arms is one of hundreds of pubs taking direct action against Darling as part of a national campaign supported by pub industry bible the Morning Advertiser.

Harry MillerŠ said: "By adding 4p to a pint of beer and promising to raise duty 2% above inflation for the next four years, Darling will be solely responsible for the closure of a record number of pubs,

"The budget will drive people away from the supervised environment of the pub and into the arms of the deep discounting supermarkets.

"The supermarkets can afford to take the increases on board, so their rock bottom prices will continue as will binge drinking and youths downing alcohol on street corners and in parks.

"The earliest predictions from Goldman Sachs point to a 10% drop in trade at the average pub since the smoking ban came into effect on 1 July last year.

"We are also suffering from rising utility costs, wholesale beer price increases and the cheap and irresponsible deals being offered on alcohol in the supermarkets.

"The trade is on its knees and asked the Chancellor for help but instead he has hammered the final nail in the coffin of the British pub.

"As the poet Hilaire Belloc said: 'When you have lost your inns, drown your empty selves, for you will have lost the last of England."