DEATH DISCO
Police vow to crack down after raid on Checkmate
An illegal nightclub rife with drug dealing has been branded a death trap after a police raid.
Officers assisted by fire safety experts swooped on Checkmate following a Sunday Mai l investigation into a network of unlicensed venues.
Investigators from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service found potentially lethal safety breaches at the building in Tradeston, Glasgow.
It was declared unsafe, condemned and sealed in a joint operation also involving the city council and Scottish Gas.
Now Police Scotland has set up a specialist unit to clamp down on bosses of unregulated clubs and smash the rogue industry.
Chief Inspector Shaheen Baber said fire experts put a prohibition order on the Checkmate building “because it was a fire risk and dangerous”.
He added: “They told us it was one of the worst they had encountered. They’re now using photographs of it for training.
“Our focus has been on this and other unlicensed party venues since the Sunday Mail article.”
He also revealed that building operators had tampered with the electricity meter to dodge paying their bill.
We revealed that dealers had targeted Checkmate and openly sold drugs to customers, who paid a £10 entry fee. Stewards employed to keep clubbers safe also took illegal substances.
Chief Inspector Baber said: “There are no trained people, no first aiders, no fire exits at these events.”
Af ter our invest igation, Police Scotland set up a “trigger plan” in which illegal venues wi l l be given more priority. Specialist teams will target buildings where they believe unlicensed events are taking place.
Chief Inspector Baber said police had made “follow-up inquiries” after the Checkmate raid “which may lead to criminal charges”. He added: “We didn’t find evidence of drug taking, however drugs is still part of our inquiry.”
Businessman Sirajul Haq, who leased the venue to the party organisers, claimed that off icers had visited his property “about 20 times”.
Earlier this month, police closed down another illegal venue on the top floor of a building near Checkmate. Officers spotted it while visiting suspect venues and told the 30 people they found there to leave.
Chief Inspector Baber said: “Crime can happen anywhere. It’s likely it’ll be happening in these venues.
“If it’s uncontrolled, you don’t know who is involved. There’s potential here for people to be trapped in these venues if they’re not properly run.”
He insisted police were now committed to putting the rogue operators out of business. He said: “We’ve briefed our control rooms about the issue, and local officers.
“We’ve also created a 24-hour post for an inspector who can allocate resources.
“These venues don’t have normal safety measures you would associate with clubs.
“Someone, somewhere is making money.”
There are no trained people, first aiders or fire exits