Police have issued a warning over extended pub opening hours during the World Cup, insisting they are not 'killjoys' but urging ministers not to 'pass the buck' on policing resources. The government recently confirmed that pubs can stay open until 2am if any of the home nations reach the knockout stages of this summer's men's football tournament.
Police Concerns Over Extended Hours
Mark Roberts, chief constable of Cheshire Constabulary and the UK's national football lead, said the decision could have been managed better. 'We're not trying to be killjoys, but the existing licensing laws allow individual premises to apply for an extension, and we think that's a sensible way to do it,' he said.
This is the first time in a decade that relaxed alcohol licensing hours will apply to the round of 32 and round of 16. Roberts noted that 'common sense tells you that is going to give us more problems.'
Economic Boost for Pubs
Many hospitality businesses hope the World Cup will provide a much-needed economic boost. In a non-tournament summer, pubs typically sell 372 million pints between early June and late July. However, according to the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), an England appearance in the final could generate an extra £275 million in sales, with fans consuming 55 million more pints.
Each World Cup game adds between £2.5 million and £5 million to the industry, with individual pubs selling an extra 1,240 pints in the run-up to the final—equivalent to 625,000 50-litre kegs.
Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the BBPA, previously stated: 'The World Cup will be an important boost for Britain's pubs and brewers, bringing fans together in the nation's living room. This tournament will further cement pubs' rightful place as the home for community and celebrations.'
Policing and Resources
Addressing the decision announced by the home secretary in February, Roberts expressed concerns about crime and resources. 'My advice, and the licensing lead's advice, was don't. We want to support businesses to benefit from the tournament, but there are existing processes where venues can apply for a licence extension,' he said.
He added: 'Extending the hours means it extends the night-time economy, which invariably means during a tournament we need to extend the hours of officers. So the more people drink, the more problems we can have, the more policing that is required.'
Roberts stated that police are expecting 'more issues domestically than we are over in the States.' He said: 'We'll cope, we always cope. It means that officers will be working potentially late shifts into the early hours, that has a knock-on effect because that takes people away from local communities.'
He concluded: 'We'll deal with it. We'll be fine. We'll manage it, we'll manage it well. We always do, but we would have liked from our perspective, and I know the licensing lead agrees, do it in a more controlled manner, so that we can actually allow the benefits for the licensed trade but not just pass the buck on to policing to put extra resources in to make it work.'
