The lights stay dimmed on the Diamond Strip
THREE Newcastle nightclubs at the centre of the Diamond Strip drug dealing probe have had their licences suspended for a month.
House of Smith, Madame Koo and Florita’s were handed closure notices on December 18 after an undercover police operation, opening their doors again earlier this month.
The Collingwood Street venues reopened after the closure order, issued at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, expired on January 4.
But yesterday Newcastle City Council’s licensing sub-committee reviewed the licence covering the three bars and ruled it should be suspended for a month - although they currently remain open.
It follows a meeting at which the Empress bar, on the nearby Side, was also ordered to stay shut for a month.
The Apartment Group has said it is “very disappointed” with the decision and will be “robustly appealing” the suspension.
Northumbria Police’s Operation Doncaster was launched in July in response to increasing evidence linking drug use and violence within the city centre.
A report from undercover officers submitted ahead of the licensing meeting described how drug dealers were “afforded an almost ‘celebrity status’” as they “moved freely” through the bars.
One account said: “Dealers were given special attention, welcomed into the venue, avoiding the queueing public on the street [and] were never subject to searches and payment for entry into the venue was never requested.”
Hayley Hebb, representing Northumbria Police at the licensing meeting, told councillors there were six alleged drug deals on the premises during Operation Doncaster.
She said: “This is not low-level stuff; this is serious criminal activity.”
Ms Hebb also referred to a police report recounting a “drug dealer” being “comfortable dealing on the premises” after claiming the door staff were “in his pocket”.
Charles Holland, representing the Apartment Group, said the first his client was aware of a problem was when the police closure notice was issued.
He said: “After this, there was an immediate review of the door team and the street sales team was dismissed in its entirety.”
The meeting heard the Apartment Group employed licensing consultant and former police officer Darrell Butterworth to review the police report. Mr Butterworth’s report to councillors said the police allegations are “serious”, that “drug dealers should not have been able to freely enter the venues and external promotional staff should not have given out telephone numbers for drug dealers” to undercover officers, as described in police statements.
He recommended 15 conditions be attached to the licence for the premises, including drugs training, a more stringent searchon-entry policy, ID scanners and body mounted CCTV cameras for door staff.
Mr Holland mentioned the subcommittee’s decision on Monday to order the Empress to stay closed for another month.
He said: “I submit that in relation to this application, imposing the conditions would be the appropriate step. It would not be appropriate to impose a further period of suspension. My clients have seized the opportunity to look at the issues raised by the police and have implemented real change.”
But the committee decided the premises licence covering the three venues should be suspended for a month.
Coun George Pattison said: “The supply of drugs on or near, or associated with, the personnel working at the premises is a breach of the licensing objectives and merits a serious sanction.”
Coun Pattison said the committee accepts the 15 recommendations for when the bars reopen, with some minor changes.
Donna Cope, head of operations at the Apartment Group, said: “We are very disappointed with the council’s decision, especially as we have worked closely with the police, who are fully satisfied with the actions we have taken and have no issue with us continuing to trade. We will be robustly appealing the decision.
“The three members of our street sales team involved in the investigation were immediately dismissed and all of our policies and procedures have been enhanced to ensure that issues of this nature do not occur again. We look forward to continuing to run our venues to the high standards for which we are renowned.”