4:51pm Thursday 29th July 2010
By Michael Pickard
Binge drinkers will be banned from central Watford if they arrive for a night out already drunk, as part of a police operation to help create a “family friendly” town centre .
Officers have been instructed to send people home if they are found to have “pre-loaded” with alcohol before visiting bars and pubs in The Parade by giving them a temporary eight hour banning order.
The police operation began earlier this month as officers passed out safety messages to anyone considered to have started drinking earlier in the day, either at home or on the journey to Watford.
Sergeant Dan Stoddart, from the Watford Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “For the first couple of weeks we turned away one or two but we were giving out the safety message.
“People will now be getting orders to leave town for a period of time, under Section 27 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006. If they return they're liable for arrest.”
More than 15,000 people flood into Watford town centre every weekend.
And behind the crack-down against pre-loading is a “visible increase” is the number of people who turn up in Watford drunk, which police said makes them more likely to become victims of crime, or offenders themselves.
Officers will now be targeting drinkers as soon as they arrive in town, either getting out of taxis, walking from Watford Junction or Watford High Street stations, or by other means.
And they will specifically be looking for people carrying containers of alcohol.
Under the banner of 'All Together Watford', the police will work with Watford Borough Council, Pubwatch, door supervisors, Street Angels, taxi drivers and CCTV operators to ensure visitors are kept safe on the town's streets.
Knife arches and drug testing machines will also be used alongside number plate recognition technology on the ring road.
Sgt Stoddart said: “It's part of a wider focus on Watford's night-time economy. The idea is to remind people Watford is a safe, vibrant place to go out.
“The message we're trying to get out is come to Watford and enjoy yourself, have a good time and go home safe.
“What we're noticing is an increase of people turning up drunk by the time they hit the town centre, which lays them wide open to being victims of crime and a small minority then commit crime themselves.
“It's a culture change for everybody. Pre-loading is the first target.
“We hope the end result will be a town centre with different uses in different parts of the town, with things for families and still have this Ibiza to attract young people.”
Watford was recently described as a “binge drinking hotspot” in a national television news report, with shots of young women staggering along The Parade used to compare the town to a “far flung holiday resort”.
Liam Fitzgerald, the anti-social behaviour co-ordinator for Watford, said this painted a false picture of the town without mentioning the work done behind the scenes, which has helped to reduce anti-social behaviour by 19 per cent year on year.
“This operation is to address the perception that it's not a safe place when it is,” he said. “It's a place where thousands of people have fun every week. We don't want people getting so drunk at home they're not in a fit state so they're going to be turned away.
“You're absolutely welcome to Watford but have a safe night out. If you're coming here with an attitude that you're going to be trouble, you're night's going to end so quickly it's going to be a waste of money.”
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