Home Office, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and BII (the professional body for the licensed retail sector) agree on a joint approach for the continuing development of the Best Bar None initiative.

08-Jun-2007

 

Home Office, GMP and BII have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enable the highly successful Best Bar None initiative, first started in Manchester, to be placed, on a national basis, under the auspices of a new national steering committee drawn from across the licensed retail industry, the police and local authorities.

A separate steering committee comprising representatives from the three signatories of the Memorandum is currently working on a detailed project plan for the transition to the new structure.  It is envisaged that a national figure will be invited to become the Honorary Chair of the new group and the transition phase will last for approximately six months.  In the meantime, steps are being taken to ensure that any area who wishes to adopt the BBN standard is able to access guidance and information delivered via the Home Office Crime & Disorder website.  This material is in the course of being transferred to www.crimereduction.gov.uk and will be available in the near future.

John McNamara, Chief Executive, BII said, “We are delighted to be associated with the Best Bar None initiative which is a major success story in areas adopting this as part of wider strategies to raise standards.  Many of our members have been closely involved with a number of schemes across the country and they are a shining example of good partnership between the industry, police and local authorities in improving our night-time economy.  I look forward to working with our partners in taking the scheme to its next phase of development and to helping create a national steering group under the Chairmanship of a national figure.”

Paul Evans, Police and Crime Standards Directorate, Home Office, said, “I am delighted that the Home Office is continuing to support this successful initiative. By further extending and promoting the scheme, in partnership with the licensed retail trade at a national level,  Best Bar None will be instrumental in helping to improve the night time economy in the UK. It already has a good track record in the local areas that have adopted it as part of their night time economy improvement strategies and I look forward to seeing it having an even greater impact in the future.”

Michael Todd, Chief Constable, Greater Manchester Police said, “The Best Bar None scheme, which was developed by Greater Manchester Police, has been a driving force in improving the night time experience and cutting down on disorder in many town centres. It is right and timely that the initiative should move to a national level so that wider communities can benefit from it and we are delighted to continue to be part of this whilst maximising opportunities and experience that BII and a new joint national steering group will bring.”

DAC (Deputy Assistant Commissioner) Chris Allison, ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) lead on licensing said, “Greater Manchester Police created an excellent initiative with Best Bar None which has delivered real results.  This new partnership gives us the opportunity to develop the scheme even further at a national level, while ensuring that the underlying principles remain a part of it and ACPO will be fully engaged in the work.  Anything that helps to reduce crime and disorder and improve standards is a worthwhile investment.”

Notes to Editors:

BII is the professional body for the licensed retail sector and has over 17,000 members, and 51 patron and corporate members. Over 1 million BIIAB qualifications have been taken so far. BII's mission is to promote high standards of professionalism throughout the licensed retail sector; to encourage new entrants into the industry, and to help them develop their long-term careers. We provide all our members with the information, skills and qualifications to help them succeed in their business activities.

Greater Manchester Police is the largest police force in England outside of London, providing policing services across 10 city and borough council areas.  The cities and towns which are part of Greater Manchester have vibrant nighttime economies, with the principal centres attracting tens of thousands of people every weekend.

Best Bar None was conceived in 2001, as part of multiple-stranded strategy developed and implemented in partnership between Greater Manchester Police, Manchester City Council and the licensed trade in Manchester, to address crime and disorder associated with the night time economy.  Inspector Steve Greenacre QPM and Sergeant Jan Brown OBE, together with other members of GMP’s North Manchester Division City Safe Team, have championed the development of Best Bar None.  The considerable contribution they have made to this in Manchester, to disseminating Best Bar None as a model of best practice across the country with Home Office support, and to supporting other national developments including the government’s Alcohol Strategy, has been widely recognised and led to the award of Queen’s Police Medal and OBE, to Steve and Jan respectively.

Best Bar None is an important complement to other activities, particularly enforcement measures, to control problems associated with night time economies.  In particular, Best Bar None encourages and rewards operators who manage licensed premises sensibly and to high standards, which is in their interest and in the interest of the public.




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