| Walsall BBN Awards |
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| Tuesday, 21 April 2009 00:00 |
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Walsall police and partners are celebrating the success of the Best Bar None scheme following an awards evening last week. Bars and clubs working to make Walsall a safer place have been honoured at the borough’s first ever Best Bar None Awards. Licensees were recognised for their work in helping to reduce alcohol-related crime and for their willingness to work with police and other authorities. The scheme has been hailed a great success and there are now hopes it will become an annual event. The aim of the awards was to bring the police, fire service, Walsall Council and pubs and clubs together to raise standards in the licensing trade. The scheme was supported by Walsall Police Community Safety Team, Safer Walsall Partnership, West Midlands Fire Service, Walsall Town Centre Management Partnership and other agencies. All licensed premises in the borough were invited to enter and they were visited by a team of trained assessors and scored on a range of safety issues including staff training, emergency planning and providing information on taxis and safe travel home. All premises meeting a minimum standard were granted Best Bar None approval and are allowed to display signs inside and outside the venue. The top entries were then put forward to be judged for the awards, where judges decided on an overall winner and a winner and runner-up for each category. All accredited venues received their awards at a ceremony at The Village Hotel, Walsall, where a total of 19 venues received their Best Bar None accreditation. Winners were:
Other accredited venues were: The Bell Inn; Colliseum; Cuckoo and Bell; The Elms; The Fountain Inn; Imperial; The Irish Harp; The Old Horns; The Queslett; R1 Bar; Smithy’s Forge; Wharf Bar; The Whitehouse; Yates’ Walsall. Superintendent Dave Sturman, from Walsall police station, said: “This is a great example of police, partners and the night time economy working together to successfully reduce crime and disorder in Walsall town centre. I am delighted that the scheme has been so well supported and I look forward to it developing further this coming year to make Walsall even safer.” The whole aim of the scheme - which runs in more than 80 towns and cities across the country – is to reduce alcohol-related crime and disorder in town centres and build positive relationships between the licensed trade, local authorities and emergency services. It can also reduce the effects of binge drinking and award-winning landlords are invited to pass on the tips of the trade and share expertise with others so everyone can benefit from a trouble-free town centre. The scheme is supported by the Home Office and is now being copied in parts of Europe, America, New Zealand and Australia. For further information please contact Sergeant Chris Thomas on 0845 113 5000 or Communications and Reassurance Officer Nicole Wilkins on 0845 113 5000 ext 7881-6601.
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