What Happens If a Pubwatch Member serves breaks the Pubwatch Ban themselves?

This is a common question that pops up at Training Courses, whereby one licensee alleges that a competitor premises is allowing persons who are banned by the Pubwatch to drink in their bar.

Overview:

Pubwatch relies on mutual cooperation. If one member disregards a ban, it weakens the collective deterrent and may encourage banned individuals to test other venues.  If true, this leads to a Breakdown of Trust, whereby other members may lose confidence in the scheme or the non-compliant venue. It also leads to tensions between licensees, especially if the banned individual goes on to cause further issues.

Internal Sanctions:

Most Pubwatch groups have rules or constitutions. A member who repeatedly ignores bans may be:

• Warned by the group
• Excluded from the scheme
• Reported to the local licensing authority if their actions compromise Public Safety.

However there is NO Legal Obligation to Enforce Bans:

Pubwatch bans are voluntary and civil in nature. There is no legal requirement for a member to enforce a ban, but by joining the Pubwatch scheme, members agree to uphold its collective decisions.

Reputational Risk:

A venue that ignores bans may gain a reputation as a “soft touch” for troublemakers, potentially attracting more antisocial behaviour.

Summary:

While there’s no legal penalty for serving someone on a Pubwatch ban, doing so undermines the purpose of the scheme and may lead to exclusion from the group or loss of support from fellow licensees and local authorities.  Pubwatch works best when all members stand together to uphold shared standards of safety and behaviour.

Banned from One means Banned from All.