Falkirk licensing: Staff selling alcohol need to be CCTV trained to give police images

Falkirk Council’s licensing board agreed the move as part of a revision of its licensing policy making “practical and sensible” additions.

The new policy makes it clear “key members of staff will be trained in the use of CCTV, including how to navigate the system and retrieve images”.

It is already necessary for all premises to have CCTV to be given a licence but the change makes clear that premises licence holders must ensure that images from the CCTV system are made available to the council’s licensing standards officers or to Police Scotland if requested.

The board considered making it a condition that all members of staff should be trained in using CCTV systems but accepted that “it may not be practical” and is now asking “key members” to be fully trained.

It was added that the board “may take a dim view of any unnecessary delay in providing CCTV footage once it has been requested”.

The updated policy also firms up other areas, including emphasising that children and young people should not be in a licensed on-sales premise after 10 pm and licensees will have to “make a full and proper case” to the board if they want to depart from the policy.

The board is also “taking a firm position” on extended hours where it involves football supporters’ buses leaving the area before opening hours. The update states that the “board is of the view that supporters’ buses leaving licensed premises, or from an area in and around licensed premises, would not constitute a viable reason to support granting extra hours”.

However, the board will consider every application on a case-by-case basis.

The revisions agreed at the meeting were put together by a sub-group of members in consultation with members of the local Licensing Forum among others.

The policy also updates the board’s position on outdoor drinking areas and alcohol delivery, both of which became much more common following the pandemic.

When the changes come into force in November, anyone seeking a licence for an outdoor drinking area will need to provide plastic glasses. This will not affect any licences already granted.