Police and a venue owner have clashed over whether advice had been given about tackling drug-taking in the toilets at the premises in Hove.
The exchanges took place at a licensing panel today (Thursday 1 December) where councillors were told that police had twice found high readings of cocaine Persia, in Church Road, Hove.
Emad Abdolkhani, 33, who owns the venue, told councillors that he had plans to lower and remove flat surfaces in the toilets.
At the licensing panel hearing, Sussex Police licensing officer Hannah Staplehurst said that the force had sent advice and recommendations on removing flat surfaces to Mr Abdolkhani’s representatives on Tuesday 25 October.
But Mr Abdolkhani said that he was waiting to hear from the police before making any changes to prevent drug use in the toilets.
Sussex Police swabbed surfaces during a licensing inspection after Mr Abdolkhani applied to Brighton and Hove City Council earlier this year for a later licence.
He withdrew his original application and submitted a revised request for a late licence in October.
Police then carried out a second set of checks and found MDMA – better known as ecstasy – along with high readings for cocaine.
Police and council licensing officers initially objected to the revised application – but the council licensing team withdrew its opposition to alcohol sales from 11am to 11.30pm daily after Mr Abdolkhani said that he would run the venue as a restaurant after 7pm.
His current “café bar” licence requires substantial food to be available to customers drinking alcohol until 10pm.
But a “restaurant” licence would mean that customers must have a meal if they wish to drink alcohol – and under council licensing policy this would permit midnight closing.
Ms Staplehurst told the panel of three councillors – Christopher Henry, Jackie O’Quinn and Dee Simson – that the force had “no confidence” in Mr Abdolkhani’s management. She said that other venues in the city achieved “zero” readings when officers carried out drugs checks.
Sussex Police had concerns about a “split” licence, saying that it could prove hard to enforce if people were drinking wine in the late afternoon then told that they had to eat after 7pm if they wanted more to drink.
Only one other venue in Brighton and Hove operated such a licence, the panel heard, and it closed as a café at 3pm and reopened as a restaurant from 6pm to 9pm.
Ms Staplehurst said: “Sussex Police cannot support this application while they have current drug problems.
“No action has been taken to prevent drug usage despite an email being received by the licensing team on (Tuesday) 25 October telling us changes will be made.
Drug dealing and taking is ignored by the Police so why are the Police blaming venues when the reason drugs are on our streets so readily the Polices fault.
Licence turned down, licencing panel ‘does not have confidence in the applicant and his ability to manage the existing premises, let alone premises with an increased capacity and longer operating hours.’
Local media strangly silent!