The two officers will also check that hackney carriage and private hire vehicles are operating within the terms of their licences.


The posts are being funded for a six-month trial period by St Albans City and District Council and Hertfordshire Constabulary, as part of the St Albans Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership.


The Licensing Compliance Officers will work mainly on Friday and Saturday evenings between 9pm and 4am supporting the police with their operations, providing guidance to licensees and licensed taxi drivers and operating as a point of contact for residents who may be concerned about pubs contravening the terms of their licences.


Their focus will be on reducing crime and disorder in hot spots identified via monthly assessments conducted by the Partnership.


Residents, licensed taxi drivers and licensees will be able to contact the Licensing Compliance Officers about any issues they may have on a special hotline number available during their working hours at the weekend.


Councillor Anthony Rowlands, Portfolio Holder for Community Engagement and Support, said:
“The high visibility presence of the Licensing Compliance Officers will help ensure that the licensing legislation is complied with and assist the police in controlling anti-social behaviour that affects local residents, businesses and visitors.

“Residents often complain that there is no one to call with their concerns about licensing activity out of office hours. Now they can alert these officers straight away by calling a special hotline number.”


St Albans Chief Inspector, Richard Hann, said:
“St Albans and the surrounding District are already some of the safest places to go for a night out. We hope that the Partnership approach will help reduce the number of underage sales of alcohol and make licensees more responsible about serving people who have had too much to drink. Both of these things tend to increase anti-social behaviour. We hope that these appointments will help our already good relationship with licensees and make people enjoy an even better, trouble free, night out in St Albans.”