Wind Street bars could be stripped of licences if disorder continues
BARS and clubs on Swansea's party street could be stripped of their licences if disorder continues, it has been warned.
The spotlight has fallen on Wind Street since it was branded the second worst street in England and Wales for crime.
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The spotlight has fallen on Wind Street since it was branded the second worst street in England and Wales for crime.
A new online mapping service showed 148 incidents on the street in December, and Swansea's most senior police officer, Mark Mathias, admitted the area was a "significant problem" for his officers.
Now a warning has gone out from councillor Nick Tregoning, who is the chairman of a new group called Health Challenge Swansea, which brings together the local authority, health services and police.
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The group will combine a twin-track health and policing approach to the problems — with the ultimate sanction of taking licences off individuals or premises being available to them.
Mr Tregoning said: "We intend to bear down on substance misuse — not just drugs like cocaine, but also alcohol.
"We are going to identify problem premises and begin by offering advice and help — but be in no doubt that we have the power to take licenses away from individuals and from premises, closing them permanently."
As part of its work, the group will be collecting a range of data connected to bars and clubs in the city centre — from customers' trips and falls through to incidents of criminality, violence, and adherence to licence conditions.
The research will be used to identify problem premises — and to provide detailed information to licensing authorities.
The crime mapping website — www.police.uk — has been criticised for the limited data is shows and for the effects it might have on house prices in crime "hotspots".
The Post has seen a detailed breakdown of the figures behind the headline numbers for Wind Street during December, and it shows there were 91 recorded crimes in the 31 days.
The other 57 reported incidents were of antisocial behaviour, some of which may have also resulted in crimes being recorded, and so were effectively double counted. Such recorded incidents can range from a group of revellers being refused entry to a club to a full-scale brawl.
Assaults
Of the 91 crimes, five were for serious assaults, 11 were for assaults occasioning actual bodily harm, 17 for public order offences — such as swearing — and three for possessing cocaine. There were also 45 reports of theft, and many of these are thought to relate to a two-day spree when mobile phones and cameras were taken from revellers in bars and clubs. During December police made some 48 arrests as a result of incidents in Wind Street.
The immediate area of Wind Street boasts 20 bars and pubs — with a capacity of more than 16,500 people — as well as restaurants, fast-food outlets, two hotels, and other facilities, and attracts people from across South West Wales.
Yesterday's story on the figures prompted dozens of comments from readers on the Post's website, some saying the police were not doing enough to tackle the disorder, with others saying the police were doing all they could, and that the loutishness was a wider social problem.
Some readers bemoaned the fact Wind Street had not lived up to the "café quarter" future that was hoped for when many of the banks and other businesses left the street, while one person — styling himself "Spidey Jones" — called on fellow readers to give youngsters a break.
jason.evans@swwmedia.co.uk
Comments
by Scott, Swansea
Friday, February 04 2011, 11:20AM
“Like closing somewhere down will make a difference. If you have that many bars, that many offers, and that many people in what is essentially a "party road", there's always going to be problems. The only thing that would stop it is spreading the pubs and bars out. That costs more money than putting together a "think tank" though, so it's very unlikely to happen.
Considering it's one of the only roads in Swansea with any half decent architecture left, it's a real shame. I, along with many people I know, simply don't go anywhere near the place any more. Every time I do you get abuse of someone random... and that's not my bag.”
by Huw, ammanford
Friday, February 04 2011, 7:51AM
“Wind Street needs to be known as a Street of no tolerance instead of a street of shame. If you are going to ''police'' the street then do so and don't just talk about it. A couple of hundred arrests followed by large fines and word will soon get out. That's if the police have got the ''bottle''. Pun intended.”
by Alice, Swansea
Thursday, February 03 2011, 10:31PM
“RE to John; actually, the staff who work on Wind St are frequently trained on how to not serve customers who are too drunk; it is also common sense! And as far as asking for identification, the last 12 months on Wind St have been stricter than ever asking for ID. A few bars have been fined for serving underage customers, so they are not risking it!
How exactly are the managers not complying with the law?
It is not the fault of the bar staff or managers for the state of Wind St on a weekend night, but the drinkers themselves, who cannot just enjoy a drink or two, but feel the need to re-enact their holidays to Magaluf and Malia every weekend.”
by john, swansea
Thursday, February 03 2011, 8:34PM
“I agree with Rob Police should go into Pubs,But there is probably a Law to stop them these days.
The Staff in many of these pubs are part-timers earning a bit of extra,but not trained up to say NO to some-one who appears under age or drunk.
Put the Bar owners/managers to the cosh for not complying with the Law,then many of these problem places would go away.”
by Swanseajock, Swansea
Thursday, February 03 2011, 8:17PM
“May be they should bring mounted police in and kettle the yobs! This was used against students on a peace full proses!
Sorry that is a poor argument
That will be the same peaceful students, one of whom threw a fire extinguisher indiscriminately off a roof into he street near to the crowds below? Or who smashed shop windows, forced their way into an office block and damaged vehicles etc?
As Paul Gibson says, the police do a fine job with limited numbers, and if they were not arresting criminals and recording crimes this would be the quietest violent street in the country. With up to 15,000 drunks in a short street, how many of the thin blue line do you think would be needed to stop all crime and violence? 1000? 2000? The officers who work down there every weekend deserve as much praise as we citizens can pour on them, no criticism for doing a difficult job under VERY difficult circumstances.”
by paul gibson, UK
Thursday, February 03 2011, 4:51PM
“Wind Street is up near the top because the police dont shy away from doing their job and arrest people for "performing"..we could be rated the least troublesome street in the country if they left everyone to it and didnt arrest anyone.and the crimes werent recorded..so lets give them credit where its due..the licensing officers are around all the time i know that for a fact.its torture trying to control underage drinking.im a licensee i know,!.it may be a bit easier if the lambrini squad didnt find it so cheap to buy and get tanked up before they came to town.in the 1730,s no one went to work because drink was so cheap thats why the "Gin Tax" was introduced to bring a bit of order back to society.im not saying it will get that way again but its just so cheap to buy thats why things get out of hand..we all like a drink but everyones got a sensibility limit..and thats why pubs have to have licencees to help stem it getting out of control..so why not say,,nice one wind street..keep up the high figures and give a bit of peace for those who want to have a tidy night out...”
by rob, swansea
Thursday, February 03 2011, 4:43PM
“the police should be entering the pubs and show a bit of authority. like they used to and throw out under aged drinkers and trouble makers”
by meirion, swansea
Thursday, February 03 2011, 3:58PM
“May be they should bring mounted police in and kettle the yobs! This was used against students on a peace full proses! So why not use it against yobs.
The sight of horses and dogs should reduce the trouble. And it could be paid for by the licensed premises.”
by Paul, Wind Street
Thursday, February 03 2011, 3:16PM
“The trouble with taking away licences is - what do you replace these drinking dens with?
Empty buildings are no good, and I can't see restaurants or bistros moving in. Swansea is not really that sort of place. The Council have ruined the street with irresponsible planning / licence decisions.”
by Madcow, Swansea
Thursday, February 03 2011, 2:34PM
“Ok so Wind St has been highlighted as number 2, but could this be because the Police actually come out and do their job. I have been in other towns where the police seem to put up with a lot before acting plus not many places has such a high density of pubs over just one street. I¿m sure if they put the trouble on Mill Lane and St Mary's St together in Cardiff it would be higher then that of Wind Street. So what we should do is spread out the pubs and put up with trouble with less arrests and we wouldn¿t make the top 10 instead of keeping it isolated and managed in one small area.”