The Licensing Review Sub-Committee met on Tuesday 27 May 2025 to consider applications for the review of two premises licences held by Woolwich Snooker Club. The Sub-Committee approved recommendations to modify the conditions of both licences, including removing the Designated Premises Supervisor from one licence and suspending it for six weeks.

Review of Woolwich Snooker Club Premises Licences

The Sub-Committee considered applications to review the premises licences for both the Woolwich Snooker Club and the 'Multi-Use Events Venue' within the same premises, located at 1st Floor, 2-10 Hare Street, Woolwich, SE18 6LZ. The applications were brought by PC Mindaugas Alsauskas of the Metropolitan Police, citing concerns related to the licensing objectives of the Prevention of Crime & Disorder and Public Safety.

Representations were also made by Ms Ishwak Ahmed on behalf of the Royal Borough of Greenwich Public Health team, who supported the review due to the incident and breaches of licensing conditions.

The core of the review stemmed from an incident on 2 February 2025, where Mr Tacim Yavuz, the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) for the Woolwich Snooker Club and Premises Licence Holder for both licences, was seen to punch a member of the public and then kick another individual. This incident occurred after Mr Yavuz intervened in a fight between two patrons. The police noted that Mr Yavuz had failed to provide CCTV footage of the incident when requested, which was a breach of licence conditions.

Mr David Dadds, legal representative for Mr Yavuz and the company, argued that Mr Yavuz acted in self-defence and that the police had not proven any criminal wrongdoing. He highlighted that the criminal investigation into the incident had been closed without further action due to a lack of victim cooperation. Mr Dadds also stated that efforts had been made to recover the CCTV footage, and that the premises had since implemented new training for staff and upgraded its CCTV system.

The Sub-Committee heard evidence and submissions from all parties. They found that Mr Yavuz's actions escalated the violence and undermined the licensing objectives of preventing crime and disorder and ensuring public safety. The failure to provide CCTV footage was also considered a serious breach.

Decision for Woolwich Snooker Club (Premises Licence LN/8432): The Sub-Committee decided not to revoke the licence but to:

• Remove Mr Tacim Yavuz as the designated premises supervisor.
• Suspend the premises licence for a period of six weeks.
• Modify licence condition 7 to include more stringent requirements for CCTV operation, training logs, and quarterly checks.

Decision for the Multi-Use Events Venue (Premises Licence LN/15128): While Mr Yavuz was not the DPS for this licence and the venue was not operational at the time of the incident, concerns about his suitability as Premises Licence Holder regarding CCTV and staff training remained. The Sub-Committee made the same amendments to the licence conditions as for the first licence to maintain parity.

The Sub-Committee's decisions were made with a view to promoting the licensing objectives and were based on the evidence presented and relevant legislation and guidance.