Earl Napier, the Policing Pact team leader for the

North Devon area, sums up the teams’ successes since its formation in

April this year. An impressive set of operations has seen under-age

drinking being tackled, with more accountability for reform placed on

the offending licensed premises.

Set up in April 09, the team is headed by Sgt Earl

Napier and includes PCs Andy Peel, Chris Carter, Sacha Lewis, Chris

Mannell and Simeon Bayliss. Their main objective is to assist various

policing departments and partner agencies in addressing key issues

identified by the Pact (partnership and communities together) process.

These are issues identified by the public as being major priorities for

the area.

The team has worked extensively with licensing

officers from Devon County Council, Trading Standards, Torridge

District Council and North Devon District Councils to tackle the

problem of under-age drinking and anti-social behaviour resulting from

drink. The most impressive work has been the operations linked with the

late night economy.

The summer months involved almost 40 licensed

premises in Barnstaple and Ilfracombe being inspected. The operation

was designed to enter licensed premises and deal with offences of

underage drinking and drunkenness. Full licensing spot-checks were

carried out and inspections made to ensure that premises were being run

diligently and lawfully. Several warnings were issued. Follow up checks

are planned.

An operation involving test purchasing was carried

out with the local authority which involved a 15year old visiting a

number of off-licensed premises to test-purchase alcohol without being

challenged. 11 premises were visited with 3 failures, whereby local

stores sold to the under 18 without any challenge. A similar operation

involving 20 premises saw excellent results with no sales in

Torrington, Braunton and Barnstaple. However, 10 premises were visited

in Brideford, with 2 failures. All received a £80 fine.

On-license operations were carried out in Braunton.

5 visits were made, with 3 sales agreed. An unexpected disappointment

with a lot of intervention from the Licensing Dept and Local Authority.

Future operations are planned.

The team make a conscious effort to make early

arrests; to negate more serious issues emerging later on in the evening

through alcohol related disorder. Section 27 dispersal powers have been

used extensively in the last 6 months. 19 dispersal notices have been

issued and 3 breaches of the order, all of whom were arrested and

removed from the street.

All PACT team members are trained in a number of

areas; to undertake forced entries on drug warrants; enhanced licensing

legislation, ultra light speed guns, Socap Recovery (to deal with road

safety) and events planning to ensure a common minimum standard of

operational orders for pre planned events.

The PACT team address issues such as dealing with

antisocial behaviour, public disorder and alcohol misuse associated

with the night-time economy. They also provide additional support to

other policing teams at planned events and operations. They provide a

proactive policing presence, instilling public reassurance and

increasing public confidence and satisfaction in the policing services

of the area.