Calling time on the pushers

On A chilly February afternoon, 60 publicans are gathered in the back room of a south London pub while PC Colin Weaving tells them how to avoid being stabbed by a drug addict in a pub lavatory.

"Don't go in there alone," he says. "Always leave yourself an escape route - don't get yourself jammed up against a door. Make sure you have a solid object to ward off the needle. And in the worst case, remember you probably won't get AIDS but you might contract hepatitis."

These are strong words, to which the publicans, all members of Brixton's Pub Watch scheme, listen with quiet respect. Although probably only a handful of those gathered in the room will encounter serious, drug-related problems on their premises, they all know it could happen. And the consequences, as described by PC Weaving, are never pretty.

As one licensee present states: "It's easy to attract bad characters in our business". And every licensee has heard, or experienced, the horror stories of drug dealers becoming entrenched in a pub or bar, and the nasty consequences that can arise when the licensee attempts to shift them.

But an even nastier twist has emerged in recent years, with the popularity of the drug Ecstasy and the fatalities that have resulted from it. The victims are usually bright, capable youngsters rather than down-and-outs or those living on the criminal fringes of society. It is almost impossible to spot Ecstasy - usually a small pill the size of an aspirin - change hands. Police believe it is often taken or bought in the pub before the user goes on to a nightclub, where it is intended to "kick in" on the dance floor.

Statistically, it causes fewer deaths than other drugs - even alcohol. But when fatalities occur on a licensee's premises, it is the licensee that bears the brunt of media hysteria, the slur to hard-won reputations and consequent loss of business. Licenses can be lost, as was the case with Aberdeen nightclub, Hanger 13, which suffered three Ecstasy-related deaths in only four months last year.

Brewery Scottish & Newcastle knows the cost in man-hours and effort required to recover from such an incident. Its Aberdeen nightclub, the Palace, was the site of an Ecstasy-related death last July. It was during a private party, but the Palace had taken all reasonable precautions to make the evening safe and comfortable for customers. Eight security personnel were posted at the door. All guests were searched, and the place was air-conditioned, with liberal amounts of ice and water available because of the hot weather (one of the primary causes of Ecstasy-related deaths is dehydration). Yet 20-year-old student Julia Young, having taken what is believed to have been her first Ecstasy pill, collapsed on the premises and died three days later from liver failure.

Scottish & Newcastle press office had to work around the clock to deal with enquiries, while the management had to endure being linked with the Young family's pain. The nightclub management was not held to blame by the police or any other authority. But simply being associated with a drugs-related tragedy is likely to cause substantial loss of business.

City venues are not the only ones at risk. The Blue Bell hotel in Lockerbie, a respectable small-town hotel, was holding the equivalent of the village hop recently. Acting on a tip-off, the local police raided the premises and yielded a haul of 200 Ecstasy tablets.

Both of these premises have now taken advice on security improvements from Glasgow-based consultancy Covert Drug Initiative (CDI), run by two former CID officers, Bert Riddoch and Terry Higgins. Higgins is realistic about what security measures can achieve. "We cannot guarantee to stop drug abuse, but we can give advice that will reduce the risk of such abuses occurring on our clients' premises," he says.

"In Glasgow, anyone who has an entertainment licence is given guidelines on how to search people, employ stewards and so on. But that is only half the story. A pub or hotel might install a closed-circuit TV system to monitor the bar and dance floor. But I've been in so many premises where the cameras might be pointing at the ceiling, or have the wrong lenses for the light levels. At about £20,000, it's not a small investment. The least we can do is advise on the proper equipment and installation."

Stewards or bouncers are a main source of contention. "They are often the main route of supply," says Higgins. It is easy to see how a bouncer, earning £5 an hour for three nights a week, might be tempted to supplement his income by either allowing known drug dealers through the door, or even supplying drugs himself. The fact that there is little professional organisation of door stewards, often employed on the strength of their muscular build and aggressive presence (criminal backgrounds are frequent), only exacerbates the problem.

Nightclubs should be particularly clued up to this problem. At the Ministry of Sound in south London, the management takes the precaution of bringing in bouncers by coach from Birmingham every night.

Managing director Mark Rodol says: "We chose a large, professional security firm called Leisure Security, which is used to dealing with large-scale events. They use people from Birmingham rather than local staff so that there can be no pressure from local drug suppliers."

Door staff are key to the Ministry of Sound's security. "We pay these guys £15 an hour. They are the best. They are polite and are trained in first aid. These days, you cannot stop people from taking drugs or being on drugs at a nightclub. But what clubs can do is eradicate organised drug-dealing. We believe that, through these measures, we have done so."

The problem is worse in the North, says Rodol. And the main reason is lack of good door security. There are, however, an increasing number of registration schemes being set up through local authorities. In Rotherham, South Yorkshire, for example, the local police have initiated a doorman's registration scheme, logged through the council, whereby registered doormen are offered training. If any of them are found to have criminal links, they are struck off the register.

The problems in pubs and bars around Rotherham are more to do with violence and aggression than drugs, but the methods employed to tackle them could be just as useful in combating drugs. As part of a Pub Watch scheme, all licensees are given radio pagers, so that at the first hint of any trouble, they can input a message about the troublemakers, which is relayed to all other licensees and the police.

Pub Watch schemes have now been set up all over the UK. Any interested licensee should contact their local police station for details. Some are more active than others. The Brixton Pub Watch scheme, for example, holds two annual meetings at which members are instructed on drugs awareness, self-defence and other issues. Crime prevention officers are also on call to answer queries. The scheme started two years ago and has been a success.

Some breweries, such as Scottish & Newcastle, run their own drugs awareness schemes, training managers in prevention methods and identifying warning signs.

PC Weaving's advice to licensees is to be vigilant. The licensee should look out for patterns of behaviour, in the dealers and the users. If a licensee suspects anyone, they should ask them to leave. If trouble arises, call the police.

By following the guidelines suggested in the panels, it is easy to convey the message that a premises wishes to be drug-free. Even in taking on a premises where drug dealers have long been regulars, the licensee can succeed if he or she is determined. The dealer will go elsewhere.

All those involved in anti-drug measures are unanimous that, through awareness and good security, the problem can be contained. The biggest problem facing the licensed trade is ignorance.