Bristol shop with ‘chequered past’ asked to hire door staff to keep alcohol licence

A troubled convenience store which has been the scene of drug-dealing and alcohol sales to drunk customers has been granted a booze licence – but it must employ door staff.

Police objected to the application for Rehan Food Stores in Stapleton Road in Bristol after officers were “inundated” with calls to the premises under previous owners.

But councillors approved the application for off-licence sales from 9am to 11pm Monday to Saturday and 9am to 10pm on Sunday with conditions.

Bristol City Council licensing sub-committee members heard new management took over the shop in Easton on August 8 last year – a week before police applied for a review of the licence – and had “cleaned the business up”.

Avon & Somerset Police licensing officer Louise Mowbray told the hearing: “The premises refused to engage with the police for a number of reasons.

“There were issues with drug-dealing at the premises, sale of alcohol to intoxicated people, and it became a hub of activity which took up an inordinate amount of police time to the detriment of the neighbourhood policing team, culminating in a review application being submitted.

“We were made aware the premises licence holder had deceased in 2018 which invalidated the licence. The issues ceased at the premises because the alcohol was no longer for sale.”

She said the shop had illegally sold single cigarettes and that during an inspection of the store in February this year she spotted three open cigarette packets behind the counter.

Mowbray said the manager failed to download CCTV footage to determine whether single cigarettes were still being sold and was told the system had just been installed, although it appeared to be the same as during her previous visit.

“The issues we had previously – CCTV unable to work, single cigarettes were still behind the counter – it seemed we were in the same position as before when we had a large number of incidents at the premises resulting in a review application,” she said.

“My concern is that the premises will revert back to issues we’ve had previously and that they will have the same issues when alcohol goes on sale. We may have the same people who were frequenting the store before that caused the police a lot of work.

“I am mindful this is a change of management but I am yet to have that confidence that things have changed. Without the confidence that the store can be run effectively and properly, we would ask the committee to reject this application.”

She said the previous owners “may still be running these premises”.

Solicitor Stewart Gibson, representing applicant Wahid Ali, said this was not the case and there had been a “clean break” from the previous regime as the new owners had not been involved with the store.

He said: “The police representation has highlighted the fact the premises were subject to serious problems in the past – the sale of single cigarettes, use of a stolen debit card, local residents feeling threatened if they complained about problems, drug-dealing and sales to minors.

“Since the premises were taken over by the new management team, there have been no incidents.”

He said the manager had been unable to download CCTV footage requested by police because the newly installed system did not recognise the password.

Gibson said the three packets of cigarettes behind the counter belonged to the manager.

He said a visit by trading standards four days after the police visit found no breaches.

The solicitor continued: “In their representation the police say ‘a cavalier attitude has been adopted to the running of these premises’.

“This is based on CCTV download issues due to a slight change in passwords, three open packets of cigarettes but no evidence that any sales have taken place and broad assumptions made.”

He said the owners were happy to accept all conditions requested by the police except a requirement for door staff.

“That doesn’t need to be there,” Gibson said. “The problems at the premises in the past were a great concern to the police.

“They have disappeared under the current management who should be applauded for that and given the opportunity to prove they can run a licensed premises just as well as they have run a convenience store for the last eight months.”

Announcing the panel’s decision on Thursday, April 23, sub-committee chairwoman Cllr Eleanor Combley said: “The compliance visit by the police on February 20 still gives rise to some concern, however, we consider that with conditions attached to the licence, these concerns can be mitigated.”

She said the requirement for door staff was “proportionate and appropriate given the outstanding concerns the police have”.

The shop must also keep an up-to-date record of all staff and managers, to be made available to police on request.