Gang fears over 24-hour licence application for McDonald’s where knife found
A 24-hour licence at a McDonald’s where a knife was found in the toilets should not be granted, say police, over fears it could increase gang activity in the area.
And residents have joined the police in their call to reject the application, with one resident claiming the granting of the application would ‘ruin our lives’.
The McDonald’s, on Parsons Hill in Kings Norton, made headlines last month when police reported that a sharpened knife had been found in a men’s toilet and youths were found smoking drugs.
The evidence was revealed after the restaurant, owned by McClean Restaurants Ltd. made an application to extend its opening hours from 18 to 24 hours a day.
Managing director Sarah McClean said that the restaurant improved under her ownership with what she called the "best restaurant manager I have" now running the McDonald’s premises in question.
However, speaking on behalf of West Midlands Police, Pc Reynolds said that extending the licence would increase a ‘whole host of policing problems and issues’, including an increase in gang activity in the area.
"I’ve got 17 years police service, and 15 years on the neighbourhood team and on the estate that I work, and I’m currently second in command for the local area underneath my sergeant," he said.
"The area is a deprived estate, it’s a priority location for West Midlands Police, and my understanding is that there’s only five priority locations in the whole of the West Midlands. And that’s down to the depravity and social depravity as well.
Prediction
"It needs a lot of help and support. That in turn does bring a whole host of policing problems and policing issues, so when we got to hear about the application as a local team, we had a careful discussion and consideration within the local team and it was quite clear where everybody stood within the team.
"We all share the same concerns as our local residents, and we all object to the application on the basis that we do genuinely believe that it will increase crime and disorder, will increase anti-social behaviour and all the associated litter and noise and nuisance within that.
"Just to highlight, we do have a lot of issues on the estate, and one of the main issues we’re trying to tackle at the minute – and we are being fairly successful, but it’s a problem that won’t go away – is a gang problem on the estate.
"These gang members are known to use the McDonald’s, and they have used it on a regular basis. And we have been attending McDonald’s because of that, and because of the associated problems they do cause. Albeit lockdown has reduced it, but it’s reduced a lot of issues because a lot of places haven’t been open.
"But our biggest fear is once we get back to some sort of normality, that problem will come straight back."
A representative for the applicant said that the police had not presented any evidence of gang activity in the area, arguing that this was a ‘prediction, but not supported by any evidence’.
