Police to force some London clubs to breathalyse ravers

In cooperation with the London Metropolitan Police, some London clubs are planning to start breathalysing clubbers upon entry, reports the Evening Standard. The Met reckons that this will stop people from 'pre-loading' before going out, thus preventing violent offences.

Rooted in claims that this will ensure the safety of both ravers and doorstaff, the Met is enacting various initiatives including equipping bouncers with breathalysers to screen for individuals who are 'too intoxicated' to be in the club. According to police, the standard for 'too drunk' is close to two-times the limit for drink driving.

They have already tested the breathalysers in a small number of clubs in Croydon and plan for more since, according to Chief Inspector Gary Taylor, the breathalysers were effective in keeping the peace. He said: "[The clubs] have told us that it did help reduce violence and confrontations involving door staff. The breathalyser helped to stop people who were persistently trying to get into clubs when they clearly had to too much to drink.

"The breathalyser helps to reduce the number of arguments when door staff refuse entry to someone who is intoxicated. In the past door staff would get involved in long arguments with people who were refused entry. People who were arguing with staff were more likely to accept the results of the breathalyser."

This is only one of the recent crackdowns on clubland that the Met has enforced. Last monthFabric was threatened with closure for having too many drug related incidents on the premises, and the Met determined that the club was to have sniffer dogs at its entrance going forward.

[via: London Evening Standard]