Bars want centralised ban list
There are calls for bars, clubs and pubs to create one centralised blacklist of banned patrons, potentially locking troublemakers out of more than 100 venues.
The Big N Association of Northbridge nightspots wants the centralised list of people banned for antisocial behaviour, such as excessive drunkenness, violence and arguing with bouncers, to improve safety.
Under such a system, bouncers at venues which use digital ID scanners would be alerted when someone sought entry while facing a ban at another venue which also uses scanners.
Bouncers would then have the discretion to decide whether to allow that person in.
Big N chairman Mike Keillor said the move would require new technology to get about five scan systems used at about 100 establishments to share information.
Mr Keillor wants police to establish the technology and also feed into it information about misdemeanours on the street.
He conceded it could be unpopular with some patrons.
"Whether people like it or not, scanners are part of the modern world," he said.
Shared blacklists operate on a smaller scale, with many venues which use the same software, such as Scantek or idEye, also sharing names of banned customers.
It has led to people banned for fighting at a Northbridge nightclub, for example, being turned away from bars in Subiaco and Cottesloe months later.
The Liquor Commission Review recommended ID scanners are used at high-risk venues.
Scantek developer Ches Rafferty said a person banned from venues that used its scanners could be turned away from the 44 other member venues, though bouncers could use their discretion.
He denied bouncers could misuse their power, claiming managers reviewed decisions recorded in incident reports.
Mr Rafferty said Scantek had a suggested cap on ban durations, such as a month for patrons who were quarrelsome with staff. "We understand it is a very powerful tool, and like any powerful tool, we make sure it is used correctly," he said.
But civil liberties campaigner Brian Tennant said bouncers' blacklists could easily be abused.
Police said it was the hospitality sector's responsibility to develop any necessary technology.
Police would not say whether they would feed into a central system.
