IN THE NEWS 1978.
Pubs Draw Up List To Bar Thugs…
Scots pub managers are compiling their own dossier on drinkers who start bar brawls.
They are gathering the information so that they can join their counter parts south of the border in a “Ban the Thugs” campaign.
A mass lobby of Parliament is scheduled for February 21 when pub and hotel managers will put their complaints to MPs. It is estimated that around 1000 attacks take place in Britain’s 60,000 pubs every week at a cost of £20m. a year.
But according to Eric Ridehaigh secretary of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, regulars north of the Border are less rowdy than those in England.
“I don’t think we have as big a problem as they have in England, but in the absence of detailed information we have decided to go ahead in compiling our dossier of assaults,” he said.
Each of Scotland’s 7000 pub and hotel managers has been sent four forms to be filled in and returned to the SLTA headquarters in Edinburgh.
The forms ask “names and addresses of offenders,” “description of assault,” “injuries sustained,” and “names and addresses of those assaulted, whether staff or customers.”
One of the forms must be returned to the association immediately an incident has taken place. Another is kept and filled in after court proceedings are carried out.
“The majority of pub incidents are caused by people flying off the handle at the last minute,” added Mr Ridehaigh.
“We have no idea at all the extent of the problem, and the National Union of Licensed Victuallers, our counterparts in England, are constantly asking us for information. “There is no point protesting to the Government about a problem if you do have the information to back it up.
“There are pockets of difficulty in industrial areas of Scotland but it has never been a real problem.”
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