Pubwatch sure works well in Wishaw, says manager Gareth

Local schemes in towns and cities throughout UK tackle antisocial behaviour and promote safe environments for pub customers and staff

National Pubwatch, the licensed trade’s equivalent of neighbourhood watch, has been in existence for more than 30 years, throughout the UK.

The local schemes range in size from more than 200 premises in cities to small rural schemes with just a handful of premises involved.

As at August 2024, Wetherspoon’s pubs were confirmed to be participating in 540 local pubwatch schemes, across the UK.

Many of these local initiatives are chaired by Wetherspoon’s pub managers.

Pubwatch schemes are local, independent groups, comprising those working in licensed premises.

They often take part in safety and alcoholawareness campaigns.

The groups’ objectives are to tackle and prevent antisocial behaviour and criminal activity, to promote safe drinking environments for customers and secure working environments for staff and to improve communication and information-sharing among licensees.

The basic principle involved in a pubwatch is that the licensees of the premises involved agree on several policies of action aimed at those who cause or threaten damage, disorder or violence and/or use or deal in drugs on their premises.

Normally, this action means refusing to serve those causing, or known to have previously caused, these types of problem.

Having agreed on these policies, the premises then publicise them and stick to them.

The publicity alone can have a very notable effect on such problems, yet refusing admission and service to those who cause trouble has proven to have a significant impact on antisocial behaviour.

To operate most effectively, any pubwatch scheme must work closely with the police, local authorities and other agencies.

By working together and keeping problems outside of their premises, licensees will make it easier for the police to identify troublemakers and deal with them.

Among Wetherspoon’s pubwatch successes are Wembley pubwatch, where pub manager Lily Capillo (J.J. Moon’s, Wembley) has created what we believe to be one of the country’s largest pubwatch schemes.

Here, we highlight one pub and its involvement in a successful pubwatch scheme in Scotland.

Pub manager Gareth Fuller has been running The Wishaw Malt since September 2022, his first pub as manager, having now worked for Wetherspoon for 13 years.

With just 12 licensed premises in the Scottish town of Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, nine of which (including The Wishaw Malt) are part of the town’s pubwatch scheme, community networking is key to continued success.

Gareth reported: “The pubwatch chairman has quite a casual style, but the efficiency of the scheme is evident.

“Pubwatch is an extremely valuable tool for us all, with huge credit to the local police force – an integral part of its success.

“The police has a very good presence in the town, with uniformed officers visiting the pub frequently.

“This is brilliantly helpful and in no way ever feels intrusive.

“They also send a representative to all of the pubwatch meetings.”

The meetings are held once a month, offering the chance for members to share information, concerns and ideas.

The members also use a WhatsApp group chat to stay in regular touch, making it easy to co-ordinate and share urgent messages, issues and images.

The encrypted messaging service allows images to be shared without data protection laws being compromised.

Gareth added: “The other real benefit of the pubwatch scheme is the ability for me, as a pub manager, to be a recognised face in the local community.

“It is too easy for a pub company like Wetherspoon to be seen as a faceless corporation, but, at a local level, we all want to contribute to our communities, get involved and help out.

“Pubwatch is a great way for me to meet key local people and foster good community relations.”

He concluded: “I’m an outsider here in Wishaw and do my best to keep up to date with everything.

″However, most of my management team members are local people, already integrated into the community, so that is a huge bonus.”

Originally from Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Gareth moved to Newcastle for university at the age of 18, starting with the company as a bar associate at The Job Bulman (Gosforth).

He progressed through the ranks, working at The Electrical Wizard (Morpeth), John the Clerk of Cramlington (Cramlington) and The Esquire House (Anniesland, Glasgow), before taking on his first pub manager role at The Wishaw Malt.