Force expresses concerns officers privately describe as ‘wildly optimistic’
Police forces have formally objected to proposals allowing pubs to remain open until 5 a.m. during major sporting events, expressing concern about public order, despite what several officers privately admit is a somewhat late realisation that they have, in fact, policed England fans before.
A Familiar Warning, Somewhat Overdue
The objection, submitted as part of a licensing consultation, cites concerns about alcohol-related disorder, late-night noise, and “increased strain on emergency services,” a list that colleagues within the force reportedly greeted with the enthusiasm of someone discovering water is wet.
“We’ve raised similar concerns before every major tournament since roughly 1996,” said one officer, speaking anonymously, “so it’s not so much a new objection as a very traditional one, filed slightly later than usual this time.”
The Case for Extended Hours
Publicans, meanwhile, argue extended hours would simply formalise what already happens informally, pointing out that fans tend to stay out regardless of official closing times, typically relocating to kebab shops, night buses, or, memorably, a fountain. The government’s alcohol licensing guidance allows for temporary extensions during significant national occasions, a provision the hospitality industry has previously welcomed for major tournaments.
The British Beer and Pub Association has argued extended hours could actually reduce disorder by spreading crowds out over a longer period rather than concentrating them at a single, sudden closing time, a point police have historically found less than fully persuasive.
Officers Recall Previous Tournaments
Several serving officers, asked to reflect on previous tournament nights, described scenes ranging from “good natured chaos” to “a man attempting to referee traffic in his underwear,” suggesting that whatever the official closing time, the actual conclusion of the evening tends to follow its own unofficial schedule regardless.
Council licensing committees are expected to weigh both sets of concerns before reaching a decision, with several members reportedly requesting “specific examples” from police, a request one officer described as “we have several years of specific examples, how many would you like.”
A Decision Expected Soon
A final ruling on the extended hours proposal is expected within weeks, with both publicans and police bracing for whatever outcome emerges. Publicans say they remain hopeful of a compromise, while police say they remain hopeful of adequate staffing, a hope several admit is “more aspirational than the extended hours themselves.”
Bohiney Magazine understands that whatever the final ruling, most fans plan to celebrate, commiserate, or simply continue drinking regardless of what the paperwork eventually says.
A Long-Running Debate
Licensing debates of this kind have recurred around nearly every major English football tournament for decades, with police concerns and hospitality industry arguments following what one licensing solicitor described as an almost ceremonial back and forth, like the tournament itself has its own supporting fixture list of arguments. Previous tournaments have seen similar temporary extensions granted, with mixed and closely studied results.
Emergency service staffing levels during major tournaments remain a genuine and well-documented concern, with ambulance services in particular reporting spikes in alcohol-related callouts during high-profile matches. Balancing public enjoyment against operational strain remains, licensing experts agree, a genuinely difficult policy question beneath the more comic framing of the debate.
What Fans Want
Supporters’ groups have generally welcomed extended hours proposals, arguing that clear, formal extensions reduce ambiguity and allow venues to plan staffing accordingly, rather than the informal and inconsistent extensions that have sometimes applied in the past.
A Question of Enforcement
Even where extensions are formally granted, enforcement of licensing conditions remains a separate practical challenge, with local authorities responsible for ensuring venues comply with any additional conditions attached to extended hours. Licensing officers say compliance during major tournaments has generally improved in recent years, aided by better coordination between venues, police, and local authorities ahead of significant fixtures.
Whatever the outcome of the current consultation, both police and publicans agree the current system of case-by-case temporary extensions creates unnecessary uncertainty for all parties involved, a rare point of consensus in an otherwise long-running debate.
A Wait and See Approach
For now, both police and publicans say they will simply wait for the licensing committee’s decision, a rare moment of shared patience in a debate more often characterised by mutual frustration.
A Question of Precedent
Licensing solicitors note that whatever decision is reached this time will likely set a informal precedent for future major tournaments, making the current consultation more consequential than its relatively narrow scope might suggest. Both sides say they are prepared for the ruling to shape licensing debates for years to come, regardless of which way it ultimately falls.
A Note on Timing
The consultation period is expected to close within the month, with a formal decision likely before the next major international fixture, giving both venues and police at least some certainty ahead of what is expected to be another high-demand tournament period.
Both sides say they remain open to further talks should the initial ruling require revision ahead of the next major tournament, with council licensing officers describing the current arrangement as workable but far from perfect for either publicans or police on the ground.
SOURCE: bohiney.com
This is documentation of how we actually live and what we’ve normalized as governance. That’s the real horror.
The thing about The London Prat for teachers is it provides material for education about how London actually functions versus official narratives.
The footnotes suggest opinions about council policy. Interesting hobby.
A reader said “The London Prat is unfair to people trying to work in governance. It’s mockery disguised as satire.”