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COMPOL Lashes Out At Liquor License Board
posted (November 20, 2019)
And a part for keeping cities safe is avoiding trouble at nightclubs. And Williams says the liquor licensing board is not doing its part - including at Club Eruption in Ladyville where he has some major issues:

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Over the holiday, I think it was Tuesday night, we had launched an operation at a nightclub in Ladyville, I think it is Eruption Nightclub. Upon the police's inspection, there was no license displayed as is required by law and so the proprietors were asked to produce their license and they couldn't produce one. As a result of that, the proprietors were taken into custody and all the liquor that was on the premises was removed as we had intended to charge them for operating a liquor establishment without a license. However, yesterday, a receipt emerge and a letter from the liquor licensing board indicating that they had paid for the license since January of this year and that there was some issue with a printer and the license couldn't be printed, which according to the liquor licensing board, the people couldn't produce a license. Now, for me I have a serious problem with that because the law is clear that these liquor establishments must have the license displayed in a conspicuous position where it can be seen and from January to now to not have a license printed, I just cannot understand that. Based on that, the receipt produced and the letter, we have since released the proprietors and return the alcohol to them. But again, I have a serious issue with that nightclub because the law is that in order to operate these type of business, they ought to be reports from the public health, police and fire and one of the key things that the fire department looks at is the entry and exit and a place such as a nightclub by law should have an entry separate from an exit. The nightclub in question have one way in and one way out. So I cannot understand how they could have passed the fire inspection."

And moving on from eruption, Williams spoke generally about those waitress bars:

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"We will continue to go at those establishments especially those that we believe are giving our country a black eye where human trafficking is concerned and the objective will be to either have them operate in accordance with the law or they close down. I continue to harp to the liquor licensing board and I don't want it to sound as if we are having a fight with them, but as the custodians of the law we must ensure that the law is applied fairly to all and I have had the discussion with the liquor licensing board especially where the issuance of extension is concerned. The law is clear that in order for an extension to be issued, 3 conditions must be met; 1. There must be adequate security, 2. Liquor must be sold in plastic or paper containers, and 3. The place must be sound proof. As a matter of fact when the liquor licensing board issue the extension it says right there as a condition that if any of these conditions are not met, the license is void. But for Christ sake, the liquor licensing board knows that the places do not meet the requirements, so why give somebody a license that they know is null and void?"

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