Police are today sending out letters urging bar owners across the City of Hamilton to join a “Pubwatch” scheme to tackle a growing trend of drink-fuelled violence.

Licensees will be invited to a meeting aimed at forming an action group to confront binge-drinkers causing trouble in the Front Street area.

The letters are being written by Bermuda Police Service’s liquor licensing officer, P.c. Scott Devine, who wants to introduce a system in which serious troublemakers are banned from every bar in the city.

P.c. Devine first spoke to bar owners several months ago about creating an action group based on the Pubwatch scheme which has been successful in his homeland Scotland.

He says he will do everything he can to ensure the move goes ahead over the next few weeks.

“If the licensees are keen to get on board, it shouldn’t take too long to get things up and running,” he said.

“I have had some experience with Pubwatch in Scotland and I think it would make a massive difference in an island this size.

“You ban someone from every bar in the city centre and they realise they have to go all the way to Somerset or St. George’s to get a pint. That’s a very big inconvenience and a real incentive to behave.

“I am sending out invitations to a meeting about Pubwatch to every bar by the end of Thursday.” Under the scheme, bouncers at different venues could link up with radios to warn each other of troublemakers.

P.c. Devine explained: “For example, if you have a fight in the Pickled Onion and a guy is thrown out, the bouncer could radio bouncers at the other venues with his description. That way they would be pre-warned before he turns up and tries to get in.”

The officer added that the onus would be on licensees to run the scheme, but that Police would ask to attend meetings in an advisory role.

“We have to find out what the buy-out would be,” he said. “Most of the feedback I’ve had so far has been that pubs want to do something about this. The more venues who get involved the merrier.”

Meanwhile, Police spokesman Dwayne Caines urged pub owners to do everything they can to keep trouble to a minimum by tackling underage drinking, using CCTV and encouraging their door staff not to behave aggressively.

“We are eager to work with the owners and proprietors of liquor licensed establishments,” he said. “However, there are critical issues we must address together. We must at all times to basic things that aid Police.

“This includes monitoring CCTV in liquor licensed premises. It will be helpful after an incident to surrender these tapes to Police.

“We must ensure that they are checking identification to ensure that all the patrons that are entering their bars are the legal age.

“We must also ensure that all front door personnel and bouncers do not create a hostile environment and operate outside the law.

“There are some times when bouncers are heavy-handed throwing people out. If there are any serious problems they should contact the Police to deal with it.”

The Pubwatch scheme would involve meetings every two months in which bar owners could discuss ways of improving safety.

Managers who have said they will be involved so far include those from the Docksiders pub, Bermuda Bistro At The Beach, Flanagan’s Irish Pub, The Pickled Onion and The Hog Penny.

The initiative is being pushed by bosses at Docksiders, where a reveller had been drinking minutes before he was viciously assaulted in an alleyway in the early hours of Thursday, December 28.

It has received support from the Chamber of Commerce and the Corporation of Hamilton.