Growing incidents of crime last year prompted police to meet with nightclub owners, Police Commissioner Derek Byrne revealed at the annual RCIPS Crime and Traffic Statistics Report press conference on Wednesday, 30 March.
Deputy Commissioner Kurt Walton, who has been tasked with overseeing the meetings and implementing the subsequent strategies, said the discussions resulted in improved lighting and CCTV at the Strand complex, and the return of officers being deployed on static duty.
No further details of the meetings were available, including who exactly took part or how many times they met.
In 2021, the RCIPS recorded 55 serious violent crimes, which ended in two murders and six cases of attempted murder.
Of those, 25% are said to have occurred on liquor licensed premises.
There are particular concerns around the Strand shopping complex, home to multiple nightclubs and bars.
Byrne said the Strand had been the scene of numerous stabbings and shootings in recent times.
“We’ve got officers now posted outside of the Strand on the weekends, and that’s going to continue for the foreseeable future,” said Walton.
He said the programme was implemented last summer but paused when a midnight closing time was temporarily imposed as COVID-19 escalated on island.
But officers are back in that post now, in an effort to keep a lid on nighttime violence.
Police also started three business watch catch groups.
“All police related matters, they are able to put it in the catch group, and any matter for concern, we then deal with it and provide some reassurance to the public,” said Inspector Leslie Laing-Hall, the new head of community policing.
In addition to the complex enhancements, Walton said officers have been conducting detailed checks at multiple bars and clubs to ensure compliance with the ban on music and dancing on Sundays.
“The most recent inspection process, which was a week ago, there were four that were clearly in breach of the Music and Dancing Law, and we will be looking to prosecute them,” said Walton.
He added that a detailed report of the findings was presented to the Liquor Licensing Board.
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