The London nightclub Fabric has managed to hold on to its licence following a challenge from Islington council and the Metropolitan police in the wake of a series of drug-related deaths on its premises.
Prior to the meeting, the Met had proposed a raft of measures as a minimum requirement of the club keeping its licence, which the club will now have to meet.
The most unusual and costly of these is employing drug-detecting sniffer dogs on the premises each night, with each dog and handler costing the club £300 for a four-hour shift. It had been recommended that dogs patrol the entrance queue for at least 50% of the opening hours; Fabric’s solicitor countered that this would require seven dogs per night.The club must also introduce more stringent searches and ID checks. Fabric’s management responded with a statement saying they were “disappointed with the outcome of last night’s review”, and that none of the proposed measures would come into effect until after an appeals process. Previous suggestions that the club might alter its opening hours and age restrictions were not put forward at the meeting.
In incident reports submitted to Islington council, a number of drug-related deaths or near-deaths were reported at the club in recent years, including two since July 2014. Complaints from residents living near the club were also included.
Chief Inspector Ian Howells, of the Met, told the Evening Standard following the meeting: “The relationship between the club and police has been good. There’s a good level of support. With the two recent deaths we have sought to engage to improve the security and search regime to mitigate further risks.
”Fabric has frequently responded when flare-ups of crime take place at its premises – it launched the Good Night Out campaign in response to a notorious amount of sexual harassment, and its staff began wearing Is Your Phone Safe? T-shirts following a spate of phone thefts.
The club, one of London’s largest, celebrated its 15th birthday earlier this year. It has become a global destination for clubbers, drawn to Friday nights of bass-focused dance, and Saturdays of techno and house.