City's violent nightspots to be named and shamed by police

A league table of licensed premises in Leeds city centre is the latest scheme being used by West Yorkshire Police to combat drink-fuelled violence and anti-social behaviour.

The force's City and Holbeck Division has introduced a licensing matrix to build on efforts to reduce violent crime and encourage licensees to act responsibly.

The matrix – which is not made public – affects all licensed premises in Leeds city centre and scores them on incidents of crime which directly involves the premises and can be related to poor management.

Each incident of drunkenness and drug possession and dealing scores one or two points, with incidents of violence or possessing weapons worth up to eight points. Points are doubled should the incident involve someone aged under 18 or a member of staff.

Should a particular premises receive 30 or more points within six months, its management is made aware and bosses can be invited to meet officers from the Leeds district licensing department.

Should a premises gain 60 points within six months, officers could apply to Leeds Council to review the licence or impose conditions on the business.

The licensing matrix was introduced by Chief Inspector Vernon Francis, who is responsible for policing in the city centre. "The licensing matrix is a completely transparent and accountable process where premises receive points based on incidents which are directly related to them.

"This in turn helps officers to identify any possible trends in crime or incidents at an early stage and work closely with the premises involved to tackle the issue straight away.

"We won't wait to intervene in a premises which has been host to three serious incidents just because it hasn't yet scored 30 points, and similarly we have to take into account that some premises are likely to score points much quicker than others simply because they are much bigger.

"The ultimate aim is to ensure that violent crime continues to drop in Leeds city centre."

So far, of more than 250 premises involved, only three have reached 30 or more points, and two have reached 60 points.