Breathalyser scheme for Mansfield nightclubs

Late night venues in Mansfield will be able to breath test revellers before allowing them entry as part of a new project to help keep the town safe.

The Are You Trollied? Scheme, funded by Mansfield Partnership Against Crime (MPAC), aims to prevent people drinking excessively at home, known as preloading, before heading into clubs and pubs.

Acting Chief Inspector Neil Williams said: “This project provides late night businesses with the tools to take responsibility for tackling customers who have the potential to cause them problems.

“We will not tolerate drunkenness in Mansfield’s night time economy and with the breathalyser machines and additional police officers paid for by MPAC we have the appropriate tools to identify and deal with this.”

It has the full backing of Mansfield Association of Licensed Venues which is supporting the campaign by designing and printing posters and flyers to display in the premises involved, highlighting their zero tolerance to drunkenness.

Door supervisors are asking those they think are intoxicated to take the tests and additional officers from Nottinghamshire Police will issue those who are disorderly, after being refused entry, with directions to leave the area.

The premises taking part are After Dark, andwhynot, Bowl in Hand, Cheeky Monkeys, Illusions, Industria, Late Lounge, Rewind, Rush, Stag and Pheasant, Widow Frost and Yates’.

Reducing pre-loading means that people drink in licensed premises where the operators have a duty to monitor and regulate an individual’s alcohol consumption.

An MPAC spokesman said the knock-on effect is a potential reduction in low level disorder and antisocial behaviour as well as in criminal damage and offenders urinating in the street.

The scheme follows in the footsteps of a similar project in Norwich last year, which saw a 21 per cent reduction in pre-loading and even greater cuts in disorder.

Door supervisors in Mansfield are being actively encouraged to take a positive stance against the use of drugs and searches are being encouraged as a condition of entry to licensed premises.