Licensing Crisis Management for Licensed Premises

Complete Licensing provides support when a serious incident, police action or licensing enforcement threatens your premises licence and puts your business at risk.

A serious incident at licensed premises can place your business under immediate scrutiny from the police or licensing authority. The decisions made in the first few hours can have a lasting impact on your premises licence and your business.

When a major incident occurs, we provide licensing crisis management and urgent premises licence support to operators, solicitors and businesses following major incidents at licensed premises across England and Wales.

We work alongside solicitors, barristers, police, local authorities and specialist experts to coordinate the licensing aspects of the case.

If your premises licence is at risk, early strategic advice can make a significant difference. Contact Complete Licensing or call 0207 222 2345.

What is licensing crisis management?

Licensing crisis management provides your business and premises with support when a serious incident or regulatory intervention threatens a premises licence.

Support includes assessing the immediate risk to your licence, gathering evidence, responding to relevant concerns and helping you to develop a long-term recovery plan. We work with you so you have a clear strategy at a time where information may be incomplete and several organisations are involved with short deadlines.

When do you need urgent premises licence support?

We can help following incidents or regulatory action involving:

  • Fatal incidents
  • Serious assaults
  • Allegations of sexual assault
  • Police closure notices
  • Summary reviews under the Licensing Act 2003
  • Premises licence reviews
  • Serious crime and disorder
  • Safeguarding concerns
  • Drug-related incidents
  • Public nuisance incidents
  • High-profile enforcement action
  • Significant media attention

Seeking advice early can help you to understand the licensing implications of the incident and identify the actions you should take to protect your business.

What to do after a serious incident occurs at your licensed premises

Every incident is different. We develop a bespoke strategy to help clients respond to police concerns, local authority investigations and licensing proceedings.

Your initial response may need to include:

  • Protecting the safety and welfare of anyone involved
  • Cooperating with emergency services
  • Preserving CCTV and other digital evidence
  • Securing incident logs, refusals records and door supervision records
  • Recording an accurate timeline of events
  • Identifying which licence conditions and policies and procedures are relevant
  • Appointing a clear point of contact for the authorities
  • Coordinating communications with your legal and operational teams
  • Obtaining urgent licensing advice before making significant operational changes

Evidence should be preserved in its original form wherever possible. Avoid changing records, deleting footage or circulating unverified accounts of the incident.

How our licensing crisis management services work

Assessment of immediate licensing risk

We work with you and your management team to review the circumstances of the incident, your premises licence and any initial communication with the police or licensing authority.

This enables us to identify the immediate risks to your premises licence and business so we can put the right processes and steps in place.

Licensing response strategy

A serious incident often involves a police investigation, civil or criminal proceedings, safeguarding issues, health and safety considerations and media interest so licensing is rarely considered in isolation.

We help you develop a licensing strategy that fits alongside the wider investigation. We coordinate with the relevant authorities, gather evidence and help you prepare for a licensing hearing.

Evidence preservation and coordination

Access to good evidence can be essential when responding to a premises licence review or other licensing enforcement action. We can help identify, preserve and coordinate the material relevant to your incident.

Our team can also identify any gaps in your available evidence and help your legal team understand how it relates to the licensing objectives.

Preparation for summary reviews

A summary review, or expedited review, under section 53A of the Licensing Act 2003 can move extremely quickly. A review can be initiated by the police where a premises authorised to sell alcohol is associated with serious crime, serious disorder or both.

Interim steps may be introduced by the licensing authority after receiving the application which can include anything from modifying the premises licence conditions to suspend your premises licence.

We can help you prepare for:

  • Police representations
  • Interim steps hearings
  • Full review hearings
  • Evidence gathering
  • Operating schedule improvements
  • Licence recovery strategies

The current review process is explained in the Home Office guidance on summary reviews.

For support with a non-urgent review application, read more about our premises licence review services.

Recovery planning and ongoing compliance

Our support continues long after the immediate incident. We can assist with implementing new licence conditions and provide ongoing licensing compliance support to help demonstrate that lessons have been learned. Ensuring licence conditions are followed and implemented on an ongoing basis helps to prepare for future inspections and reduces the risk to your business of another review threatening your operations.

We regularly work alongside licensing solicitors and King’s Counsel, ensuring that technical licensing issues, evidence and expert witness reports are coordinated effectively throughout the case. This ensures your legal team has access to the practical information needed to prepare a robust case.

Why choose Complete Licensing?

A serious incident requires more than just form filling. Our team understands how serious incidents are investigated and how licensing authorities assess risk, evidence and compliance.

Our experts support you throughout the entire process, from the immediate aftermath of an incident through to licensing hearings and long-term recovery.

Our practical experience includes working on matters involving premises licence reviews, summary reviews, crime and disorder issues, public nuisance complaints, CCTV evidence, expert evidence coordination, noise management, security management, licensing hearings and appeals.

Meet the consultants who handle this work, or read about our licensing reviews and expert witness reports and hearing evidence.

Licensing crisis management for solicitors

We also support solicitors acting for licensed premises in England and Wales.

As part of our role, we can provide specialist licensing knowledge, coordinate expert evidence and assist legal teams in preparing technically robust licensing cases.

We can work alongside your chosen legal advisers or introduce experienced licensing solicitors where appropriate.

Licensing crisis management questions and answers

What happens during a summary review of a premises licence?

A summary review is a licensing procedure that may be initiated by the police if your licensed premises are considered to be associated with serious crime, serious disorder or both.

The licensing authority will quickly consider whether interim steps are required. A full review hearing follows within 28 days of the licensing authority receiving the application. Interim action can affect your premises with immediate effect so obtaining urgent professional advice is essential to minimise the impact to your business.

Can my premises licence be immediately suspended?

Yes, potentially. The interim steps imposed by the licensing authority during the summary review can include a suspension of your premises licence. Licence conditions may also be modified to exclude the sale of alcohol or remove your designated premises supervisor.

Can you help following a police closure notice?

Yes. We can assess the licensing implications and work with your legal advisers to prepare for any related licensing enforcement or review proceedings. Different closure powers involve different procedures so it’s essential that the notice and circumstances are reviewed as soon as possible.

Do you replace my solicitor?

No. We work alongside your solicitor or barrister, providing specialist licensing knowledge, strategic advice and evidence coordination.

Can you attend meetings with the police or local authority?

Yes. Where appropriate, we can attend meetings and provide strategic licensing advice throughout the investigation. We identify the relevant experts which may include former senior police officers, security specialists, acoustic consultants and other relevant professionals.

Can you coordinate expert witnesses?

Yes. Where specialist expertise is required, we can identify, instruct and coordinate appropriate independent experts to support your case.

Do you provide 24-hour support?

Where practical, we can provide urgent assistance following serious incidents. Early engagement often allows more options to be considered before regulatory action progresses.

Is your licence at risk right now?

If your premises has experienced a serious incident, contact Complete Licensing as early as possible. The decisions made in the first few hours can have a lasting impact, and early advice often means more options are still open.

Call 0207 222 2345Send us an email

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