News Article: June 21, 2008

Section: News
Outlet: The Nanaimo Daily News
Byline: Darrell Bellaart
Title: Barwatch aims to reduce rowdiness downtown
Date: 2008-21-06

Nanaimo (CP) - Troublemakers and underage patrons can forget moving on to another bar if they get thrown out of a downtown Nanaimo nightclub.

The new Barwatch system tracks barred patrons, blocking their entry into other establishments.

Now every patron must agree to have their identification recorded and photograph taken before they can enter Club 241, Spice Lounge, the Globe or the Queens Hotel.

Their name and photo is kept on a [TreoScope] computer hard drive and used to track them, in case they try to pass their ID on to someone else, or if they are ejected from the bar for misbehaving.

Media got a demonstration of the new system at city hall on Friday, where Queens manager Jerry Hong used Coun. Merv Unger as a mock nightclub patron. After swiping Unger's ID in a [TreoScope] card scanner, information appeared on a screen.

Software captures a patron's name, license number [not visibile] and expiry date, age and sex from their drivers license. Data is added to track the patron's status, including when they last entered the club and if they were barred from re-entry. If the patron misbehaves and gets thrown out, they will find himself barred for anywhere from a week to a year. And since it's linked by a network, that ban will be in effect in every bar in North America connected to the Barwatch system.

Nanaimo RCMP have agreed to respond immediately when they get a call for assistance from any participating licensed establishment. Inspector Al O'Donnell said police expect it to reduce problems downtown.

"When you're in a bar and something tragic happens, as it has sometimes, there is a record of everyone in the bar," O'Donnell said. "There is no anonymity anymore."

George Hanson, executive director of the Downtown Nanaimo Partnership, said merchants hope the program will help restore confidence in going downtown at night.

"We are thrilled with the commitment and dedication of the RCMP and the city of Nanaimo on this," he said.

DBellaart@nanaimodailynews.com

© The Daily News (Nanaimo) 2008