THE CLUB EVIL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 31 March 1930, Page 8

THE CLUB EVIL

POLICE DIFFICULTY POWER TO SEARCH WANTED | LONDON, 21st January/ ' The views of Viscount Byng, Commissioner of Metropolitan Police, concerning clubs and the closing hours of public-houses were put before the Royal Commission on Licensing, which is inquiring into the laws relating to the supply and sale of liquor. Mr Norman Kendal, Assistant Commissioner of Metropolitan Police, said that the variation in closing hours caused trouble on the .border line between the 11 p.m. and 10 p.m. areas. In to clubs which are believed to be breaking the law it was suggested that the police should have power to search the premises at any hour and arrest persons ;ref using to give their names and addresses. "As far as these clubs arc concern'-, od," said Mr Kendal, "you arc faced With this dilemna. Provided you ,wish tho law enforced, unless the Commissioner is given power to authorise entry, then the practice of sending in informers, which is hated by. the'police and condemned by the public, has got to be continued.

"Your choice is either to do nothing at all, to not enforce the law, or.use informers, cither policemen or others, or give the Commissioner power, when ho is reasonably satisfied that things are wrong, to authorise an officer to enter.

"The police," Mr Kendall observed, "are for the most part powerless to deal with registered clubs in which offences are suspected until they have collected, by some means or other, sufficient evidence to obtain a-warrant of entry. ..;'• "This warrant gives no power ot arrest. The collection of evidence, is often a long, difficult, and costly business, and involves the adoption of surrepitious methods, which are disliked by the ■ police and condemned by the public.

£ A STRIKING ANOMALY "The commonest offence detected and dealt with'is supplying intoxicating liquor during non-permitted hours. Unregistered clubs, where intoxicating liquor is sold, can be entered by warrant, which does give power to arrest people who refuse their names and addresses. "There is a striking anomaly between the positions of clubs and licensed houses. On the one hand, a person applying for a justices' licence to sell liquor is subjected to a most searching inquiry as to his antecedents and characters! and the premises can be entered at any time by the police. On the other hand, any person wishing to promote a. club can do so by observing the formality of: registering. No inquiry whatever is made as to his character "or as to the suitability qf the premises, and once the club is registered it cannot be entered by the. police except under a search warrant. It is hardly surprising that this situation has been taken advantage of by persons who are prepared to break the law if they can do so with impunity. "There has been since the passing of the Act in 1921 a steady increaso in the number of clubs in tho Metropolitan Police district—from 128 a m 1921 to 1823 in 1928." i

INVASION OF PERSONAL RIGHTS

Mr Kendal told the Rev. Henry Carter (a member of the Commission) that he did not believe that any rule, however strict, would prevent what had been called bogus clubs getting themselves on the register. "It is possible to comply with rules on paper, however'strict," he said. • \ Mr Carter: "As regards police entrv, you suggest a frank method pi entry" bv carefully selected officers. How would Vou meet the objection that a certain" proportion of club members would regard that as an invasion of their personal rights,?" :"■'-. , Mr Kendal: "By seeing that under the arrangements to be made there would be no prospect of a club that did not break the law being entered. Members of a club which did not break the law need be under no sort of fear." • , Mr Carter: "That seems to suggest that the right of police entry would only be exercised where complaint had been lodged by the police, or became known to them?" . Mr Kendal: "Where the police got to'know bv any means that there was rcallv definite,'reasonable grounds for believing that something was wrong. Mr Carter: "Clearly, therefore, the rHit of police entry would be exercised here and there only very occasionally ■'."— "Yes." Superintendent John Concannon (bt. James's Division) said: "My hands arc completely tied in regard to clubs. The law does' not empower me to go in and look for myself. Secondly, the. JJoynl Commission on Police Powers objected to police entering these places using n disguise, and all manner of things. The consequence is that they are springing up and nourishing and very little can lie done. There were fifty-six clubs registered in my small division last year. I would not say that they were all drinking dens, but 75 per cent, of them were. Drinking is the chief thing. There is very little gambling- going on in the West End now/'