Category: Woods Whur Team

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One Step Forwards, Two Steps Back

Luke and I were chatting this week about topics for today’s newsletter and the fact it was impossible to write about what the likelihood was of licensed premises opening up after 2nd December when this lock down ends. We decided it was too speculative to try and second guess what is going to happen. A further lockdown, return to the previous tier system, new tiers–who knows really. As a result of our chat, and the decision to wait until we had some understanding of what is to happen, it made me realise how impossible it is for the trade to plan. We know for certain that nightclubs will not be able to reopen, I can’t see how the government will change their position and we have to wonder whether some of the late night venues will now ever reopen.

We are now approaching the busiest time of the year for restaurants and bars. The next 5 weeks usually generate the business which provides the revenues to get through the fallow months of January and February. Without these 5 weeks of bumper returns, many operators could fail–from small independents right up to the largest of multiple operators. What do you order in to sell? I saw one of my clients posting this week as they were disposing of beer stocks going out of date in this lockdown. It is a complete mess that is for sure and the lack of certainty for planning is shambolic. We represent significant National Casino and Bingo operators and we have seen ever-changing schedules of who is open, who is on furlough, who we should deal with. It is taking a huge amount of effort for lots of these operators to change their style of operation to match what they can do, and have to do to provide a COVID safe environment.

2021 will be Andy and my 30th year as qualified solicitors specializing in the Leisure and Gambling sector. We have seen huge challenges in that time but we are both confident that as we pull out of this pandemic we will see the leisure and gambling sector show new buds of growth. Some, but not all, will come through the hardest of times. It is those who had viable, successful business which don’t survive who you feel the most sorry for.

What we are seeing is fresh challenges every day. The industry looks at bringing in innovative new ways to create a safe environment, and then people behave in such a way that it puts their licence in jeopardy. When we came out of lockdown I was in one of my client’s premises and was shown how the QR code worked. Scan it on your phone, up pops a menu, you order and pay without leaving your seat, and your drinks are delivered to you at your table. Wow, I was so impressed and the operator told me how they were able to go cashless in their premises and control the number of staff they needed so much more accurately. Good for the operator, good for the customer–win win. But, one step forwards, two steps back…every time something good comes forward, people begin to behave to frustrate the system. I had a meeting with the police and council licensing officers in Leeds. Great to see them, in a socially distanced environment with our masks on. It was at this meeting that they explained the new pitfalls of the QR system and remote ordering. People have been ordering drinks through these app-based systems for different tables or even adults have been ordering on their credit/debit cards from home for their kids in licensed premises. This brings about a whole new set of issues over assessing the age of people as they have their drinks delivered. Training of staff to ensure that challenge 21/25 is still taking place when alcohol is delivered to the table is now even more vital. It also brings about monitoring what people are drinking, how much people are consuming and how quickly, if they aren’t ordering their own drinks. Strong management right through all staff is going to be critical and I cant thank the officers enough for bringing this to my attention.

Luke and I have also been discussing Cumulative Impact Policies over the last few days as we delivered a session at the IOL virtual conference, on where they sit post pandemic. What is for sure is that every single CIP has been developed on data which is now fatally flawed and out of date. Lots of licensing authorities will be coming up to reviewing their policies, which they have to do at least every three years. Lets hope this is an open and honest process and we look carefully at what the landscape looks like now as opposed to when the policy was derived. We are making applications at the moment in CIP areas and trying to explain to committees why a fresh approach needs to be taken. Fortunately we have, for the most part, seen sense prevail and a good pragmatic approach being taken.

We are hoping for better news for the bar, leisure and gambling sectors as we approach the release from lockdown, whatever the government plan we will be hear to help and advise all of our clients.

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COVID 19 – Something Not To Forget

I’m sure over the past days and weeks you’ve been bombarded with newsletters, articles and sage words from lots of law firms telling you how to deal with the COVID 19 pandemic from an employer’s viewpoint to your commercial arrangements to name just a couple.

I thought I would take this edition of the newsletter to perhaps raise a cautionary word about regulatory law generally and health & safety law specifically.

You cannot fail to notice that literally every day the law is being relaxed on many fronts to allow a flexible approach to dealing with the issue. Whilst you may be comforted by the steps being taken both locally and nationally, don’t forget that the same standards & duties that you are required to adhere to in “normal times” still apply during these exceptional circumstances.

At the time of writing, your obligations as a duty holder under Health and Safety Legislation haven’t altered. You may perhaps agree that the need to act and do all that is reasonably practicable to keep your employees and others safe has been enhanced rather than diminished in these exceptional times.

It’s important not to forget the standards & duties that should be upheld and in the case of changes due to COVID 19 such as a reduced work force & agile working, should be revisited to ensure they are fit for purpose.

One obvious example is your arrangements in relation to lone and remote working which in the past may not have warranted too much scrutiny or a formalisation of a policy or procedure, but now are a daily activity.

Despite these hectic and uncertain times, take a moment to consider how you operate now as opposed to how you may have operated last week – what has changed, and do your health and safety arrangements need to change to keep pace?

Should anything go wrong and months in the future your regulator is asking you potentially awkward questions, just be aware that saying, ‘it was COVID 19’ may potentially be some mitigation when something has gone wrong, as far as I can see, it will not be a defence.

Please check your procedures reflect the reality of today, and keep them reviewed and change them when necessary.

On behalf of the Regulatory Team we hope you all stay safe & healthy and you know where we are should you need any assistance.

James

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What a difference a week makes

Last Friday I had a meeting in Manchester followed by a client lunch where we were pre-occupied with discussing how our businesses were going to cope with the Coronavirus outbreak. None of us realised that a week later, the leisure and gambling industries would be so badly affected or by the pace of change. I didn’t anticipate then that I would have asked all of my staff to start working from home and put us into almost isolation. Technology is a wonderful thing and it is amazing that we can keep our business going through remote access to our systems. This doesn’t come anywhere near to the social interaction that we have through the workplace.

A usual Friday morning in the office, in dress down clothing and with a fantastic breakfast sandwich from Nosh, is one of the best days of the working week.

So much has changed at such speed.

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, all of our outstanding hearings at licensing authorities around the Country were stood down. These were some review hearings and some premises licence applications that had valid representations. In all of those cases we have been told that the likelihood is that these will not be relisted until after May. This is obviously going to put breaks on the development plans of a number of companies. We also have a number of applications which are currently running through their notice periods and if they receive valid representations, it is in doubt a hearing on those particular will be listed.

I did notice last night that Wandsworth Council held a remote hearing where technology was used to get everybody to remotely log into the hearing.

I have had this previously where I was permitted to dial into a summary review interim steps hearing even though I was away on holiday. It just shows that there is the ability and technology to set this up should we enter a prolonged period of isolation. Gary Grant, the Licensing Specialist Barrister from FTB Chambers, wrote an excellent article entitled ‘Licensing hearings during the Coronvirus crisis.’ This article set out the fact that there is an ability for remote hearings to take place. He highlights that there is no legal bar to holding a Licensing Sub-Committee using remote technology. This will be practically very difficult, albeit legally possible, in that most authority areas have started to send their staff home to work remotely as well. This is to continue and the likelihood is that applications will be adjourned rather than more remote hearings.

There are clearly significant operational issues that come about whilst premises are still open. It is critical that the licensing objectives are promoted by operators who choose to stay open and conditions on premises licences will need to be complied with. If anyone has any confusion of where we are on this then please contact us directly by mobile number or email.

In addition, the Business Crime Hub from the Metropolitan Police Service have sent out a very helpful note in relation to their position moving through unprecedented times.

Our colleagues in Scotland have been grappling with the issues as well and Glasgow City Council have sent out a very clear “advice and guidance for current licence holders and new applicants on changes to our licensing service.” This is to last for the period of Covid-19 outbreak.

This highlights that there are to be no face to face appointments. All planned meetings with the licensing and regulatory committee and the City of Glasgow Licensing Board have been postponed.

In addition, they are asking that only the most essential applications are submitted and if they are submitted, they should be sent by electronic means rather than paper work.

Glasgow have moved very quickly to set out a very clear guidance document which can be found at the following link – http://www.sllp.co.uk/TWLinks/C19.pdf.  We understand that most other Scottish Licensing Boards are offering similar advice to clients.

The Gambling Commission is sending out regular notifications as to their expectations during these testing times.

In the most recent email sent yesterday, the Commission highlighted that they are following Public Health England’s Guidance and have told all staff to work from home until further notice. They have set out that the Commission has set out a well-practiced and comprehensive business continuity plan that they have invoked with the intention of minimising the impact on their regulatory and advice services.

The Gambling Commission have highlighted that whilst these current circumstances create unprecedented changes to daily life, that these changes will also increase the risks to some individuals which mean that despite the fact that these are changing times, customers must be protected by operators.

They set out “first and foremost we expect all our licensees to follow the applicable Public Health guidance, which I am confident you will already be doing. Where facilities for Gambling are being offered, we expect all our licensees to ensure that they have sufficient management, staffing and an oversight in place to maintain compliance with the LCCP that apply to their licences.

The social distancing measures that are being put in place will mean that more people will be at home and we would like to remind online operators that they must continue to act responsibly, especially in regard to individual customer affordability and increase social responsibility interactions.” – Neil McArthur. This is a clear message that the Gambling Commission expects licensed operators to be increasing their social responsibility principles during this period. In addition, the Gambling Commission have written to us directly to ask that we do not send any documents by post. All documents to be received are expected to be scanned and sent electronically.

They are currently deciding how to proceed with personal licences, usually they require an original identification to be provided but are going to be determining how to deal with this during the currency of the outbreak.

It is clear that the Gambling Commission is seeking to provide a service as close to normal working life as possible.

The taxi licensing sector is going to be seriously affected through the Covid-19 outbreak.

The Government guidance is that no driver should be working if they have a new continuous cough and/or high fever and should obviously at that point self-isolate.

Drivers of Hackney Carriage or private hire vehicles, Hackney Carriage and private hire proprietors and private hire operators have responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to both themselves and those who are likely to come into contact with their business.

We would hope to see that taxi licensees are frequently cleaning and disinfecting objects and surfaces that are touched regularly.

They will have been reminded of the following document – http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ORzch4VgR_8_4jtHWPrUhWWXUFEwPk1_yOx0G_BvwCVE3JgV7KFDkHPQLVdB6-mnHKtXBIf9D1jSjJ734LV2TMR1XtsIMLvnHr9xulnjGD30DGLmenz_JiAMNHnev78MjVN8LtMIFJ0dgvo3_cwki5eaFxCXB7J0IRcX4z7jb90l5Q_bpeiomNoX5NFdfxuU2zTS8JXMfav1GTWBRLaxHyArFqnXeanjwAiOWwOeItGPSPaEYk044ST_yHdsvMDrCGNbEvLJz_2Dn14ayhV5vPYxQ46JOAmwQOE0Y7l0K5Wj6JEQsl3AMNcnumKAjhM4EXaLUrIFGzUSIs-e3jhnTfqOTjxvuvOUcxOMbI8jQJI=&c=8o17pjsQEdLRrknxnpRasOps3Ta5IG1AoK62O9nwvRAR5wEMVqqstw==&ch=BlkNCzs5PWMCwu2JegPktSao_dEXzv_JXLr8B99FSikLegMQ4yKqRQ.

We are certain that taxi’s will continue to play a vital role in the movement of people through these difficult times.

It is now becoming clear that we are going to be in a protracted period of different working practices. We hope that everyone will look to make the licensing process and regulatory remit as user-friendly as possible during this period. I have had a significant number of messages from operators asking how our team is and the element of interaction has been high. This is at a time when their own businesses are closing for public safety reasons.

Having being in the leisure sector for over 30 years, I can attest to the fact that they are a resilient bunch. It’s now imperative that the Government give significant financial support so that these businesses, viable until the outbreak of the Coronavirus, have the ability to come through the other side and provide the much needed distractions that we will all be looking forward to by then. The measures so far announced don’t go far enough and it is hoped that the Councillor will be making more practical announcements later today which can come into effect very quickly. A significant number of my clients have been posting that they are now closing voluntarily until we are through the worse of the virus. These are fabulous responsible operators, viable businesses, who deserve to be supported by central Government.

Paddy

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CORONAVIRUS AND WOODS WHUR

These are unprecedented times. Andy and I have worked in the leisure sector for over 30 years and it is hard to watch what is happening.

We have acted for some of our clients for nearly the whole of that period and they have become more than clients, they have become very close friends.

We are hopeful that the Government will announce packages today which will give the leisure sector the support to get through the next few months. Many successful businesses will be pushed to the very limit.

I have just asked our staff to work from home from tonight, something I never thought we would have to do.

We will maintain a skeleton presence in the office but we have invested in a fabulous practice management system, skype and digital dictation which means all of our team can work safely at home.

Importantly we will continue the same level of service which we always strive for…..as the Legal 500 said….”the client always comes first.”

Please stay safe, and do not hesitate to contact us if there is anything we can help with.

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Out with the old and in with the new.

As we say goodbye to 2019 and look forward to 2020 we are in the midst of a move to our new offices in Leeds. From 2nd January 2020 we will have a new HQ in Leeds. After 8 years in Devonshire House we are moving to ST JAMES HOUSE, 28 PARK PLACE, LEEDS LS1 2SP. We are really pleased with our new offices which are spacious and modern, allowing for the continued growth we have seen in 2019. Amanda Usher became our first trainee Solicitor after working for us as a paralegal and Kirstan Lounsbach joined to further strengthen the Leeds based admin team. Luke Elford joined us in London from TLT to continue the development of our London presence as we moved our London offices to 42-46 Princelet Street, London, E1 5LP .

It has been an amazing year. Andy has had several trips abroad as our international gambling client base has grown significantly. We are seeing continued growth in this sector and I am hopeful I can make another exciting announcement in this area in the New Year. We have seen a hike in regulatory interaction in the Gambling Sector, with the Gambling Commission looking particularly closely at operators and their compliance with social responsibility, money laundering and proceeds of crime conditions. It has been very clear that the Commission is keen to act if they feel operators do not have first rate systems to ensure a transparent and safe gambling sector in the UK. We really do not see this slowing down and have written, and will continue to write, bulletins on this in 2020.

I have been doing much more work in the music sector, securing premises licences for Field Day festival, Drumsheds, Shindig festival on the back of successful applications for Printworks, Dock x and Exhibition in London. This is a really exciting area to be working in and it is always interesting to be involved in the SAG process around these major events. Again, we have some new and exciting developments in this area for 2020 and only see this area growing as we move forward.

As well as representing large multi-site operators, as a firm we have always represented some of the best independents in the country. 2019 has been a particularly strong year for our clients in this sector with a raft of new award winning openings around the country. It is still very exciting to be involved with these operators from site finding, proactive advice, delivering a new licence to celebrating with the client at opening events and seeing the premises flourish.

The Regulatory team has had some major successes this year in both defending operators when systems have gone wrong and let them down, as well as giving pro-active advice to operators to avoid the pitfalls which can be hugely impactful to businesses. The Regulatory team continue to be very active in the Taxi sector, which is a very active area of licensing and regulation. James and his team held a fantastic regulatory conference this year and we will be looking to hold a Gambling conference and other training events through 2020. Luke and I both spoke at the Institute of Licensing National Conference, and James spoke at the regional conference in York. We will continue to support and speak at IOL events.

We are looking forward to dealing with whatever 2020 throws at us. We have a new Government and movement on Brexit. It will be interesting to see what impact this has on the leisure sector, a bit of movement and more certainty will definitely help. With the amount that needs to be undertaken by central Government on these and big ticket issues we don’t foresee any major regulatory/legislator changes. That is not to say we wont see changes brought about by litigation through the courts creating interpretation of the legislation.

Everyone at Woods Whur wish you all a productive New Year; profits for the operators; safe environments for the regulators; exciting new developments and innovation. Back to the unpacking now though so we can settle into the new offices and hit the ground running for the new year.

Paddy Whur

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Minimum Unit Pricing to be introduced in Wales

The Welsh Government has voted to approve The Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Wales) Act 2018 which will make it an offence for alcohol to be supplied below a fixed minimum unit price (MUP), likely to be 50p per unit. The law will come into force on 2 March 2020.

The decision to approve the legislation is based on research which suggests that MUP will:

  1. result in 66 fewer deaths and 1,281 fewer hospital admissions in Wales per annum;
  2. save the Welsh NHS more than £90m in direct healthcare costs over the next 20 years;
  3. will reduce workplace absence by 9,800 days per year; and
  4. contribute £783m to the Welsh economy in terms of the reduction of alcohol related illness; crime and workplace absence.

The Welsh Government say that the new law will support the Government’s work to tackle harmful drinking by addressing the availability and affordability of cheap, strong alcohol. The move has been welcomed by the Welsh Health Minister, Vaughn Gething, and the Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Dr. Frank Atherton, who said that the move “could help save many lives.”

With Scotland and now Wales having introduced MUP is it only a matter of time before Westminster follow suit? Time will tell and as always we will keep you updated with all the latest developments.

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Changes to the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP)

The Gambling Commission are often consulting on a number of topics which concern the gambling sector and we always encourage our clients to regularly keep up to date with open consultations that may affect their operations and provide responses to any consultations where they can.

One of the big calls to evidence and consultations this year was that of the use of credit cards for gambling, and you may well have seen media coverage of this in the news too.

At the time of writing, there are no Gambling Commission consultations open however we await responses to the following closed consultations and calls to evidence:

  • Gambling with credit cards (closed on 06 November 2019)
  • Test House framework development consultation (closed 31 October 2019)
  • Gambling Commission calls for evidence on Category B gaming machines (closed 16 May 2019)

The Gambling Commission consultation for either banning or limiting the use of credit cards for gambling will have a wide impact on the entire gambling sector. Following the call for evidence the Gambling Commission have learnt that there are risks of harm associated with using them however it also confirmed that not all credit card gamblers are problem gamblers therefore they want to minimise the impact on any changes following the consultation.

The data indicates that credit cards are a more popular method of payment than overdrafts and loans. It is thought that those at risk of harm from using credit cards may be harmed by using overdrafts and loans to gamble with similar financial consequences. Over 20% of online gamblers are likely to be experiencing negative consequences from gambling, according to the call for evidence leading to negative consequences.

Risks associated are significant enough to cause harm therefore the Gambling Commission seek to either ban or restrict use of credit cards.

In respect of current confirmed upcoming LCCP changes, these include the 01 January 2020 when the gambling operators have to donate to a list of bodies provided by the Gambling Commission, rather than not being stipulated as was the case previously. Following the Gambling Commission consultation on credit cards, it is likely we will see further LCCP changes around April time 2020.

We will be continuously reporting on any changes to the LCCP and urge those in the gambling sector to keep up to date with developments.

If you want to know more about the LCCP changes and how you, as an operator, can ensure you keep compliant please do not hesitate to contact us.

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Andy Woods is delighted to confirm that Luke Elford has today joined Woods Whur & that we have just moved into new offices in London

I am delighted to announce that Luke Elford has today joined Woods Whur.

Luke is ranked as the Associate to Watch for Licensing by Chambers & Partners and as a Next Generation Lawyer by The Legal 500.  He has previously been part of the highly regarded practice at Jeffrey Green Russell prior to joining TLT and has developed an excellent client base in London.

Luke specialises in all forms of alcohol and entertainment licensing and has a wide range of experience having previously worked for a London local authority. Luke is uniquely placed to advise clients from ‘both sides of the fence’ and Luke provides strategic and commercial advice helping clients to navigate the myriad of rules and regulations facing licensed premises. He qualified as a solicitor in 2012 and now represents a significant number of high-profile premises in London and around the UK. Luke is described as a “street-wise and up-and-coming licensing lawyer” whilst other commentators praise his “fantastic client service and dedication to the task.”

Luke will work out of our new London offices in Princelet Street which we have just moved into. These offices are operated by Fora Space who have been a client of ours for some time and I am delighted that we have moved into these fantastic offices.

Recent Highlights:

  • Blakes Hotel – Luke acted for Blakes Hotel helping the hotel obtain a new 24 hour premises licence despite fierce objection from officers and local residents.
  • Electric Shuffle London Bridge – Luke assisted the team behind Flight Club Darts in obtaining a premises licence at London Bridge station. With a site located in the cumulative impact zone and objections from 50 local residents Luke persuaded Southwark’s licensing sub-committee to grant a premises licence against its own policy.
  • Jigsaw – Luke helped well-known retailer Jigsaw secure a premises licence in Westminster’s cumulative impact zone for its marquee premises at Carriage Hall in Covent Garden. Luke was able to convince Westminster to grant a licence with a bar element contrary to policy.
  • 34 Surrey Street – called into action when a nightclub in Croydon was the subject of an application for summary review by the Metropolitan Police, Luke was able to convince the borough’s licensing sub-committee that their initial decision [to shut the premises] was wrong and to allow the premises to reopen during the crucial festive period. The sub-committee then agreed [at the full review hearing] that the premises could remain open operating under new management and conditions.
  • Nobu Hotel Shoreditch – Luke represented Nobu in relation to their application for a premises licence in Hackney’s Shoreditch Special Policy Area. Luke was able to convince the sub-committee to grant a premises licence in spite of objections from the police, environmental health and local residents.
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Our head of Regulatory, James Thompson is appointed to the Judicial Office as an assistant coroner

James, after an extensive and very competitive process, has been appointed a Coroner for the County of Durham and Darlington. James is now responsible with his fellow Coroners to investigate violent and unnatural deaths in this area, together with other deaths which the law specifies require scrutiny such as deaths in police and prison custody.

This is a prestigious appointment for James and reflects on the expertise he has in the investigation of deaths, particularly in the workplace setting.

This is a part time appointment for James and he will continue with the firm dealing with all regulatory matters as well as representing clients at inquests where they require guidance and support.

We all, at the firm, wish James well for his appointment and should you have any questions touching upon inquests and investigation of death, James will only be too happy to answer them for you.

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Can you afford not to chase that debt?

Woods Whur have now been working with CRS for a year and we have seen some fantastic results. We decided to branch into Civil Debt Recovery with CRS when we realised the synergies of our businesses and the clients we already had in common. Taking over the legal function for them was the natural next step and it is already bearing dividends, with some resounding successes. I was amazed by how many client cross-overs we already had when I started to look into this opportunity and met with Jon O’Malley, the managing director of the company. Jon says: “We have been delighted since we have moved the legal function over to Woods Whur. We feel the attention to service levels and customer care that they have given us have moved our business on to another level. The Woods Whur team are integrated into our systems now to provide a seamless service. Our business is all about client care, and we have seen that is mirrored with Woods Whur. The best testimonial to the CRS/Woods Whur relationship is the positive feedback we have had from our clients regarding the improved swiftness and professionalism in handling of claims”.

The work that CRS covers broadly falls into three categories.

CIVIL RECOVERY

Civil Recovery is an alternative to criminal prosecution, where the matter is reported to the police, Serious Fraud Office or other Government body for investigation and possible prosecution. Civil Recovery is the legal means by which a business may attempt to reclaim losses and costs directly from a wrongdoer without going down a potentially lengthy criminal route.

From shoplifting or damage to property, to employee embezzlement and online fraud, such actions have a direct cost and – negative – impact on the profitability and growth of any organisation.

In addition to the actual value of goods stolen or property damaged, there are unavoidable and legitimate additional costs that have to be met by the business owner – from redeployment of staff and unscheduled time spent on administration to replacing stock and loss of income during repairs.

CRS understand that every business wants to tackle the often tricky subject of Civil Recovery in different ways, setting their own parameters and policy rules for pursuing claims against wrongdoers.

As such they have developed a unique framework of civil recovery solutions that can be seamlessly implemented by our clients to best meet their current requirements and which can easily be adapted in the future, as necessary – moving away from other, ‘one-size-fits-all’ processes that are prevalent in the industry.

Constantly pushing technological boundaries – CRS are the first company to develop a free-to-use case submission app and we’re in the business of helping your business. Take a look at the website to get more information about the app or contact Jon to arrange for a demo http://www.ukcrs.com

We have found that these solutions are particularly useful for operators in the leisure and the gambling sectors.

EMPLOYEE SCREENING

Any business owner wants to ensure that the best people are in the best jobs, so selecting, retaining and developing the right candidates is a priority in today’s competitive employment marketplace.

Employee screening can cover off everything from identity, academic qualification and employment history verification, through to criminal record searches, gap in employment analysis and adverse media impact. This is particularly useful for the leisure and gambling industries.

Pre-employment screening not only allows businesses to form a time-effective and accurate picture of potential employees when making their recruitment choices, but can also significantly reduce the burden placed on internal resources.

These are checks employers should be undertaking to mitigate risks of employing the wrong people, or, in the worst case scenario, people who don’t have the right to work in the UK at all. We have seen serious cases where the sanctions for employing illegal workers have led to the potential loss of the business due to the level of the fines imposed, and the very real threat of the loss of a premises licence.

Screening Checks Include:

Identity Verification

Are they who they say they are?

Passport and Document Verification/Right to work

Are travel documents and work visas current?

Employment History Verification

Where have they worked and why did they leave?

Criminal Record Search

Do they have any previous or unspent convictions?

Academic /Qualification Verification

Are they qualified to work for you?

Adverse Financial Checks

Does their personal, financial situation pose a risk?

Using the most up-to-date databases and industry-leading tools and methodologies, CRS tailor each candidate search according to the specific requirements of the client: Government departments and healthcare organisations may well set more detailed and different criteria for employee searches than businesses in the retail and logistics sectors, and the leisure and gambling sectors a different set again.

Once the criteria have been set, the team compiles a comprehensive report on each prospective employee, which includes all the must-know information, as well as other areas that the employer might want to consider when making their final selection, e.g. Adverse Financial Checks (motivation for taking the job), additional Directorships held (possible conflicts of interest) and Right To Work / International Screening (for candidates from other countries).

This is a cost-effective Employee Screening and Professional Vetting service and can help your business select and recruit the most suitable personnel to deliver the most value to your organisation. Testimonials from satisfied clients can be seen on the website and Jon O’Malley would be delighted to receive any enquiry for more information and guidance in this area. He can talk through systems, either on the phone or arrange for a convenient time to meet and demonstrate the range of solutions available.

He can be contacted at CRS on the following email address jon.omalley@civilrecoverysolutions.com

Online Fraud Detection

The approach to Online Fraud Detection uses a mix of state-of-the-art technology and software with tried and tested detective work.

The in-house detection team works in collaboration with online auction and trading site owners, police officers and ex-offenders, drawing from years of experience at both ends of the spectrum in this field of online fraud.

A full on-site consultation service is offered to clients, to analyse their current online fraud concerns and implement preventative solutions across the whole supply chain, to help minimise the costs associated with such activity in the future.

Jon would be delighted to discuss these Online Fraud Detection services in more detail, and can be contacted on the email address above.

These are significant potentially impactful issues for leisure and gambling operators and we have already seen success in these sectors.