Lancashire Police prepare for New Year's Eve in July with pubs set to reopen

There will be a New Year’s Eve level of policing in Lancashire this weekend as many of the county’s pubs and restaurants reopen for the first time since lockdown more than three months ago.
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Lancashire Constabulary is gearing up for what has been dubbed “Super Saturday” – but one of the force’s senior leaders admits that there is no way of knowing whether the available officers will actually be needed.

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“This is not us saying that it is going to be like New Year’s Eve, because we can’t be sure,” explained Chief Superintendent Sam MacKenzie.

Lancashire Constabulary has got officers ready to deal with any fallout the reopening of pubsLancashire Constabulary has got officers ready to deal with any fallout the reopening of pubs
Lancashire Constabulary has got officers ready to deal with any fallout the reopening of pubs
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“The number of premises that will be open is going to be lower and their capacity is likely to be down – but it’s best to be prepared.”

Since the government announced ten days ago that venues could reopen from 4th July, landlords have been distilling how dozens of pages of government guidance might apply to them. It includes social distancing advice and the kind of further mitigation measures which could be deployed if the ideal two-metre separation standard proves impractical.

Hundreds of recommendations have been laid out – from the positioning of hand-washing facilities to use of disposable condiments and efforts to ensure people do not have to raise their voices.

However, Ch Supt MacKenzie says that local authority licensing teams – not officers – will be overseeing the implementation of what, in many cases, are guidelines, rather than laws. He says the role of the police will be to protect public safety – and urges people ready to release months of pent-up revelry to manage their expectations.

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“Our biggest concern is that we will get large numbers of people expecting licensed premises to operate like they did before – and that’s not realistic.

“There will be different rules, [so] we just want people to try and understand that and be tolerant of those changes… and of each other as we work through this unusual situation.

“The most important thing to remember is that we are still in a pandemic. The more we adhere to the guidance, the less likely we are to get a significant increase in transmission rates in Lancashire and the less likely we are to face a localised lockdown.

“That would set back businesses and people’s enjoyment of their normal lives far more than anything a single Saturday [could do],” Ch Supt MacKenzie warned.

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He added that officers would always first try to engage with people about their behaviour, but would be prepared for “any unexpected turn of events”.

“The responsibility for running a licensed premises predominately sits with the licensee and if they call upon us to assist in the management of their premises, that’s something we’d take into account. That’s no different to what we do every normal Friday and Saturday night throughout the year.”

One of the ongoing coronavirus restrictions which is enforceable under the law is that people must not gather in groups of more than 30 in any setting, except in a limited number of specified circumstances. It is understood that individual groups within pubs and restaurants will be treated as separate and not one large gathering.

Meanwhile, Blackpool Council is amongst the local authorities in Lancashire warning businesses reopening this weekend that they must have the relevant precautions in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

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Various teams from within the authority’s public protection division will be out and about in the town to ensure that businesses are fulfilling their obligations.

Acting executive leader Lynn Williams said: “Blackpool Council is doing everything in its power to support all businesses to open safely. However, the responsibility lies with business owners and licensees to ensure that they are taking all necessary steps to protect people.

“Our enforcement and licensing teams will be on hand to assist and, where necessary, to ensure the rules are adhered to. Any actions that breach these rules will not be taken lightly.”