It’s not just police who are opposed to a new 24 hour shop
Grange Road West, Birkenhead. (Image: Copyright Unknown)
A new shop’s request to be able to sell alcohol and stay open for 24 hours in a day has led to fears it will make matters worse in a “problem” area for drunken anti-social behaviour. Merseyside Police has told Wirral Council they have concerns about the plans.
Amanji Bakhtyarpanah applied to the local authority for a licence for a shop called Birko which is based at 9 Grange Road West in central Birkenhead. He asked the council for permission to stay open for 24 hours a day and sell alcohol during that time.
According to a photo posted to Google by the shop, the business sells drinks, sweets, tobacco, cigarettes, vapes and groceries.
However the shop’s proposals have raised concerns from the police, the council’s licensing department, and local councillors. The shop is located in a Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) area which regulates the number of places selling alcohol off the premises.
This policy was brought in for Birkenhead town centre as it was felt the number of off-licences was “leading to problems undermining the licensing objectives, in particular crime and disorder and public nuisance”. The CIA has been reviewed several times since it was first introduced in 2017.
The CIA means councillors at a licensing committee meeting on August 19 have to consider any representations as well as evidence any new licence wouldn’t add to the impact of alcohol consumption in the area.
According to a Wirral Council report published ahead of the meeting, Merseyside Police said granting the application “will undermine the licensing objectives of the prevention of crime and disorder and the prevention of public nuisance”, adding: “Granting of the application will add to the cumulative impact of licensed premises selling alcohol for consumption off the premises only, within the CIA area.”
The council’s licensing officers have also written in arguing the licence being granted “would undermine the prevention of public nuisance licensing objective”.
Two representations have been made by councillors in the area. Birkenhead councillor Amanda Onwuemene “has concerns with the application due to there being a problem with anti-social behaviour in central Birkenhead which is caused by drugs and alcohol” while Claughton councillor Steve Foulkes has “concerns of alcohol-related anti-social behaviour and street drinkers”.
During a review of the CIA area in 2024, Constable Chris Clinch made a representation on behalf of Merseyside Police asking councillors to keep the policy which has been in place in Birkenhead since 2017. He said alcohol-related crime was rising and issues with street drinking were commonplace.
A council report published before a November council meeting said there were 371 incidents of alcohol-related domestic violence in Birkenhead and Tranmere in 12 months and 132 incidents of non-domestic alcohol-related violence in six months.
Constable Clinch said the crimes often went unreported despite it happening on a daily basis. He said people street drinking often hung around licensed premises and if they were refused at one, they would visit another nearby.
He told councillors on November 14, 2024 access to alcohol was far too high and was leading to violent crimes, street fights, abuse, and theft with police witnessing people “already clearly drunk” being able to buy more alcohol. He pointed to one incident of a 21-year-old man who had to be restrained as he tried to assault members of the public.
He also pointed to testimony from Birkenhead police officer Constable Diane Park that said street drinkers were becoming targets as “groups of youths are tormenting them” and stolen alcohol was either being drunk immediately or sold on. Action taken by the police found some licensed premises were selling fake cigarettes and vapes but the force said no evidence was found that would lead to a licence review.
The police said the ASDA store in the town centre was targeted on a daily basis for alcohol theft though most of these went unreported as it is considered a low level and low cost crime.
Constable Clinch said at the November council meeting people were urinating in street corners and human faeces was found in shop doorways and loading bays while litter was also a problem. He said the police received regular reports from ASDA and Grange Road of street drinkers and drug users using the stairwell, lift area, and car park “in order to consume alcohol, take drugs, urinate, defecate, and also engage in sexual activity in full view of the CCTV cameras”.
He said people were “undeterred by the presence of shoppers exiting or returning to their vehicles and staff are afraid to approach. They are highly likely to be abused or even worse be assaulted.”
Merseyside Police said shops had complained street drinkers were putting off shoppers returning to Birkenhead town centre with more than three quarters saying alcohol-related anti-social behaviour was a problem.