A Weymouth bar has had its licence revoked following an application by Dorset Police.
The licence for Actors Bar & Club on Maiden Street was revoked following a decision made by Dorset Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee at a meeting on Wednesday 12 January 2022.
The premises’ licence had previously been suspended following an earlier hearing by the committee on Friday 17 December 2021.
The applicant has 21 days to appeal the decision.
Dorset Police launched an investigation into activities at the venue following allegations of criminality including the supply of drugs on the premises as well as excessive alcohol consumption and associated disorder.
Linked to this investigation, officers from the Neighbourhood Exploitation Team and CID executed a warrant under the Misuse of Drugs Act at a local address on Friday 17 December 2021. A 37-year-old man from Weymouth was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs – class A and a quantity of suspected cannabis was seized. He has been released under investigation as enquiries into the matter continue.
Superintendent Dean O’Connor, of the Dorset Local Policing Area, said: “An investigation was launched into Actors following concerns raised by members of the public. The investigation involved specialist support from the Drug and Alcohol Harm Reduction Team, working alongside the local neighbourhood policing team, response officers and detectives from CID, as well as partners from the local authority.
“We want everyone to enjoy a safe night out in our communities and will work with our partners at Dorset Council, as well as licensees, to ensure all venues operate within the law and in accordance with their licences.
“Where they are failing to do so, we will adopt a robust approach, be tough on alleged crime and take decisive action with our partners using powers available to us under the licensing framework.
“We will also carry out a detailed investigation into any alleged criminality and ensure we do all we can to identify offenders and bring them to justice.
“Reducing violence against women and girls and supporting the safety of women at night are key priorities for the local neighbourhood policing team in Weymouth as we seek to collaborate with our partners agencies, charities and business to develop initiatives such as the Safe Space, which address vulnerability within the night time economy.”
Police and Crime Commissioner David Sidwick added: “Fighting violent crime and high harm is a priority within my Police and Crime Plan and I know that the public expect Dorset Police to deal firmly with allegations of drug supply. Equally, I expect the Force to use every tool in their toolbox to address such issues.
“Being a licensee has responsibilities – if you fail in those then you can expect to lose your licence.
“I am pleased to see that robust action has been taken in this case.”
Cllr Les Fry, Member of the Licensing Sub-Committee at Dorset Council, said: “As members of the Licensing Sub Committee, we heard a lot of well presented evidence from the parties concerned in this licence review, it is important to us that we ensure the licensing objectives are adhered to in order to keep our communities safe. We took time and carefully considered the evidence and all the options available to us before reaching our decision.”
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