Consolidate Police Power… For The Children!!!

The row started when the hotel applied to Rochford Council for an extension of Zero 6 for two hours, ending the night at 5am rather than the usual 3am.

During that hearing police raised a number of concerns about the venue, claiming the hotel hadn’t answered a number of questions about safety.

The police’s licensing officer told the council committee: “Police are not satisfied that sufficient management measures were in place to safeguard people on site during the event.”

Excessive caution leading to the prevention or closure of a legitimate business is, of course, a hallmark of modern policing.

I'm not suggesting that this is a factor of the police getting more and more lazy and choosy about what crimes they action, but it should be noticed that this is Essex...

And a new excuse for such caution has been found!

He added: “This kind of event could impact on children potentially staying at the hotel by way of noise. There could also be a risk to children if people in attendance were under the influence of recreational drugs.”

Has this ever been a factor before?

Mr Stavrinides told the committee that the club had risk assessments in place and that safe events regularly ran there.

However, based on the police advice, Rochford Council refused the extension time and police have now applied for the licence review.

Mind boggling!

Speaking yesterday, Mr Stavrinides said: “Any children staying in the hotel would be with their parents or guardians in any event.

“Access from the hotel to the Zero 6 is limited and only allowed to staff and authorised people under the supervision of doormen.

“Even if there were children in the hotel, no questions were raised about their protection up to 3am. All of a sudden the police were concerned about their protection. This took us by way of shock.”

I'm as baffled as you...