Legal Notes
| Published date | 01 October 1929 |
| Date | 01 October 1929 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X2900200415 |
| Subject Matter | Legal Notes |
680
THE POLICE JOURNAL
crime, as at no time has there been much juvenile crime in Scarborough,
but
the good effect has been marked in promoting habits of cleanliness and better
behaviour in the street, and in reducing mischievous tendencies which cause
harm to others.
The
members are constantly reminded of the disgrace which
they would bring on the club if they committed offences or caused
hurt
or
damage to persons or property jand they seem, after a short membership, to
bear this in mind.
The
fear of being debarred from the club seems to act
as a more effective deterrent than being summoned before the Justices, and it
is remarkable how few of the boys have to be arraigned for bringing discredit
on the club.
(These Notes on Welfare Work will be continued, as regards Scotland, in
our next issue.)
LEGAL
NOTES
LIQUOR
LICENSING
LAWS
By the time these notes appear two Royal Commissions with wide terms
of reference will have been appointed to inquire into the licensing laws
in England and Wales and in Scotland respectively.
The
proceedings
of these
Commissions-the
first that have been set up since the Commission
appointed in
I896-will
be followed with a close and personal interest by
every section of the community, not least by the police, who have a very
special concern in the administration of our licensing laws. Upon them
falls the not very pleasant task of seeing that licensees and members of the
public observe and keep within the law, and of detecting any failure to do
so for which the law provides a penalty. In speaking of licensing law we
include, of course, the law relating to the supply of liquor in clubs and the
control of clubs generally, a branch of the subject which will no doubt be
closely examined by the Commissions.
The
development of any code of law regulating the sale and supply
of intoxicating liquor is influenced, perhaps more than in the case of any
other body of law, by national characteristics, climatic conditions and
politics.
It
is therefore not strange to find that the laws on this subject
In
different countries differ greatly.
The
Great War has left its mark on
ours and no doubt on the laws of other countries (not excluding the United
States),
but
the extent to which any restrictive measures taken during the
War have survived and continued since must in each case depend mainly on
special national circumstances. British people do not take very easily to
restrictive legislation which affects their personal convenience and habits j
but
they have the good sense to allow experience to teach them something,
and enough altruism to want to retain any reasonable restriction which can
be proved to have a definite social value. Police officers have every oppor-
tumty of seeing the detailed working of some parts of our present licensing
legislation in its application to licensed premises and clubs.
The
broader
social aspects of the law are, of course, no immediate concern of theirs,
but
there are many points on which their practical experience will be of the
greatest value to the Commissions, on questions of principle and future
policy as well as the application and effectiveness of the existing law. What-
ever changes in the law the Royal Commissions may ultimately decide to
recommend, we could hardly, in view of the complexity of the subject matter,
look for any developments in the direction of simplification.
Any stranger to the licensing laws of England and Wales could not,
when he came to examine them, fail to be struck by the very large number
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