City scheme slashes crime in nightclubs

A revolutionary new safety scheme, set up in Edinburgh to improve communication between bars and nightclubs, has been hailed as a success by owners across the city as it approaches its first anniversary, with the decline in criminal incidents reaching as much as 70 per cent in some venues.

Established in October 2007, Unight promotes the sharing of CCTV images between members. Rules of the scheme state that troublemakers barred from one venue automatically receive a ban from all, stopping anti-social customers from moving to other city centre venues. Despite only being in place for 12 months, Unight members have handed out 140 bans – an average of almost three per week.

Lothian and Borders Police have confirmed that Cabaret Voltaire has seen a decline of 70 per cent in criminal activity, but said that overall crime at unight member venues has fallen by 21 per cent since the scheme was set up.

Speaking to The Journal, Sarah David, owner of Cabaret Voltaire and chairperson of Unight, said that she was delighted with the progress that has been made: “We have implemented several conditions and recommendations of conduct on our premises that have been agreed together at meetings in which every venue or bar has had representation," she said.

"Through this, and with the help of the police, we have set an industry standard as to how we would like to see Edinburgh venues operated.”

She added: “Not only have we created unity and a platform for entertainment venues to voice opinions in an open forum and gain direct answers from police and licensing, but we have also worked hard to further establish Edinburgh as a safe environment for our staff and patrons to enjoy.”

Mike Pickavance from Lothian and Borders Police echoed Ms David’s sentiments, saying: “Unight is a very successful partnership initiative placing the safety of patrons and staff first. There is a real willingness for members to recognise the impact their business has on the local community. Members take appropriate action to reduce crime for the benefit of both residents and members of the public who come into Edinburgh to enjoy its night time economy."

The scheme has received little media attention since its foundation twelve months ago, with only the high profile barring of Hibernian footballer Derek Riordan gaining any serious news coverage. Riordan was banned from all Unight premises in August after an incident at the city's Berlin nightclub on Queensferry Lane.

Riordan’s ban was extended after he refused to leave Espionage on Victoria Street, another member of the Unight scheme. The former Celtic striker also escaped a further ban this month after fellow Hibs team mates were caught trying to sneak him into Leith Walk's Mood nightclub.

However, Ms David said that there had been several success stories which have so far gone without notice: “There were certain individuals that simply moved from venue to venue committing the same crimes over and over again.”

“Through Unight we have managed to drive them out of the city centre and we are led to believe that they now have to cross the border to England for a night out.”

Those involved in the scheme have indicated to The Journal that there were some early problems with the quality of CCTV pictures circulated between various venues, but this has now been rectified. Ms David said that door staff have found the communication between venues a fluid process, and that bouncers are now provided with constantly updated handbooks which contain both photographic and CCTV images. Even facebook and bebo profile pictures had been used to identify known troublemakers in certain circumstances.

The extent to which the effects of the scheme have been noticed by the clubbing population, however, seems to be limited. Most city centre clubbers interviewed said they were unaware of the scheme, and had only noticed limited decline in anti-social behaviour.

Mike Rodger, who graduated this year from the University of Edinburgh, said that he already felt safe in town. He said: “Having only ever come across a few fights in the centre of town I can’t say that I’ve noticed any increase or reduction in incidents,” adding, “I suppose it depends on the places you go.”

Mr Rodgers' views were echoed by Chris Stoddart, who also enjoys occasional nights in the city centre. He said: “I wouldn’t say I ever felt particularly unsafe in the first place so I wouldn’t say that I feel any safer now. I think that if you stay out of people’s business and avoid confrontation you can keep away from trouble.”

Steven Sibbald who works at Calton Road’s Studio 24 indicated that the scheme had not eradicated staff concerns over abuse, saying that there were still cases of staff being abused by rowdy punters. Speaking of city-centre violence he said: “Door staff can be selective about who they look for, watching out for the type of people that would not have been allowed in too the club before Unight came into operation. Although it is an interesting initiative, more still needs to be done to make sure that members of staff feel safe at their work.”

Members of the scheme include many popular city centre regular student nights, such as The Liquid Room, WhyNot?, Shanghai and Lava&Ignite.