A convenience store keeper in Bristol has said that his is being unfairly blamed by the police for a hotspot of crime and antisocial behaviour.
Local Store, at 42A Old Market Street, has been run for a decade by Vas Anwar, but could soon be taken over by a new owner. Police and trading standards said his shop was selling alcohol to underage teenagers, laughing gas under the counter, and illicit cigarettes.
The shop was linked to more than 100 police reports over the past three years, and police said drunk people were often seen drinking outside. Bristol City Council’s licensing sub-committee has now revoked Anwar’s licence to sell alcohol at the Local.
However, representatives for Anwar during the licensing hearing on Thursday, September 22said many police reports came from shop staff phoning 999 and “trying to do the right thing” about issues outside, for which he was now being penalised.
Frequent customers also said the shop is used as a landmark, so many people phoning police might name it as an address, despite the incident potentially having nothing to do with the Local.
Between 2019 and 2022, police recorded more than 100 incidents linked to the Local. According to a police licensing officer, 50 of these were outside the shop, including begging, assaults, and threatening behaviour; and 58 were reported inside the shop, including assaults on staff, assaults by staff, criminal damage and theft. About a third of the incidents were reported to the police directly by shop staff.
Solicitor representing Anwar said only six police incidents have been linked to the Local this year. These included a drunk person outside falling over, a scooter theft, staff receiving nuisance phone calls, and a shoplifter assaulting a staff member. Incidents in previous years were also not the fault of the shop’s, he added, but problems rose “exponentially” when the neighbouring building was used as a squat for homeless.
Trading standards also found 14,400 cigarettes in a nearby office used as storage for Mr Anwar, which they seized. He told the licensing committee they were for personal use, for him and his family, and were bought duty-free on trips abroad.
Local will now likely be sold to a different shopkeeper, who will apply to the council to take on the premises licence. Mr Anwar said he wanted to stop working in his shop, and focus on his health and spending time with his family. But before the sale goes through, he won’t be allowed to sell alcohol.
