Late night restrictions planned across Scotland

ANGER is growing over plans to extend Glasgow's controversial late-night glass ban across much of Scotland.

Police have put forward proposals in Fife to prohibit the use of glass in late night venues, and a similar move in the Highlands could impose a ban in pubs after 9pm between Thursday and Sunday.

Ramsay McGhee, Highland manager for the Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA), believes such moves could damage the local economy. He said: "If you're a tourist going in for a glass of wine or a whisky at 10 o'clock and you're getting it in a plastic cup, what kind of message is that sending?

"If there is a problem in particular premises then deal with it, but don't hit everyone for six just because of a few incidents in certain places."

Scott Armstrong, VisitScotland's area director for the Highlands, agrees that the ban should be applied only to establishments where violence was likely to occur.

He said: "While we fully support efforts to promote a safe environment for visitors and residents, we are concerned that this policy could have a detrimental effect on the image of Inverness and the Highlands as a tourism destination, presenting an image that the area is unsafe."

Police officers in Inverness believe the city does have a problem with alcohol-related violence, noting a recent rise in glass attacks in the city centre. Chief inspector Donald Henderson said a 9pm switchover to plastic is "one of the options" the licensing board must look at in the next few months.

Fife is also suffering, with 51 glass and bottle assaults reported by premises in the past four years. Remo Maciocia, owner of several Fife nightspots, has been the driving force behind proposals to introduce a policy similar to Glasgow's after-midnight ban.

He said. "Inevitably there's going to be legislation covering the whole of Scotland, so the trade should be proactive about working with the authorities."

Plans to ban glass in all of Glasgow's pubs were abandoned by the licensing board in June last year after a legal challenge from the Scottish Beer And Pub Association, but a ban on premises with late licences has been enforced.

Alistair Reid, licensing sergeant for Strathclyde Police, said: "It has helped reduce not only the number of attacks, but also the severity of the injuries."

Rudy Crawford, surgeon at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, also believes the city's glass ban has been a positive move. "We don't have the data for categorical claims, but my impression is that there has been a significant reduction in these glass-related injuries," he said.

Chairman of Glasgow Licensing Board, Jim McNally, is happy for other regional licensing boards to use the Glasgow ban as a model as they consider their new safety policies demanded by the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005. "It has been relatively successful and I would welcome it elsewhere," he said. "There have been suggestions that the Executive is going to support an assumption that plastic should be used where appropriate. The signs are that it wants to introduce a policy across the country."

However, SLTA Chief Executive Paul Waterson is worried that safety guidelines under the Licensing Act will encourage the spread of glass bans across Scotland. He said: "The new act does make it easier for licensing boards to bring in these policies. Any blanket ban throughout the country would be a terrible indictment on the image of Scotland."