Police were too heavy-handed raiding my club (From Southend Standard)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting ECHONEWS to 80360, or email us Click here for details »
Police were too heavy-handed raiding my club
10:30am Wednesday 26th September 2012 in News By Laura Smith
Club owner Richard Shea outside the club,
A MAN who saw 100 police officers storm his nightclub says they were “too heavy-handed”.
Owner Richard Shea collapsed and had to be taken away in an ambulance after police raided Mayhem, in Warrior Square, Southend, on Friday night.
Clubbers were asked to leave the club and checked for drugs, while a police search team went into the club where it found some pills, suspected to be drugs, which will now be sent for testing.
Despite the massive police presence, no arrests were made in relation to the raid.
Mr Shea said: “I feel sickened they took this approach to prove a point in one of the cleanest clubs in Essex. It was very heavy handed.”
He had been at the club that evening because his son, Stevie, was holding his 21st birthday downstairs.
He said his son’s night was not only ruined, but he believes the club lost about £20,000 in takings.
Mr Shea said he felt if the police were concerned about drug-taking in any nightclub, it would make more sense to send in plain clothes officers.
He said: “I’d put 40 plain clothes people in there, caught anyone doing anything on the night, put them to one side and then stopped people from leaving the club.
“But no, they wanted to go in high profile. In the process they’ve hurt the club financially.”
Mr Shea said he had been pushed as police stormed into the club and then begun to feel unwell.
A short time later he collapsed on the pavement outside, and was taken to Southend Hospital for tests.
He visited a clinic in London to have his heart checked yesterday.
Mr Shea added: “I’m anti drug through and through, you can ask people in my circle.
“I haven’t got time for anybody who does drugs and I’ve always stipulated that, through the club, through the staff. I don’t tolerate it.”
He stressed his manager, Gary Stokes, had worked closely with police and regularly attended licensing meetings.
They have also brought in plastic bottles to reduce the risk of anyone getting hurt and have extensive CCTV coverage.
He said they had also put large shelves in the toilets so girls could take their drinks with them, rather than risk them being spiked.
Mr Shea said he had wanted to reimburse customers on the night, but hadn’t been given the opportunity.
Instead, he is offering free entry next Friday until 11pm with the first drink on him.
Comments(17)
Woodenspoon
says...
11:43am Wed 26 Sep 12
naffeville
says...
12:35pm Wed 26 Sep 12
Basildon.lad.21
says...
12:51pm Wed 26 Sep 12
Big Yes vote for me.
emcee
says...
1:20pm Wed 26 Sep 12
muffindamule
says...
1:56pm Wed 26 Sep 12
CALL ME CLINT
says...
2:17pm Wed 26 Sep 12
muffindamule wrote:Will that mean they got it about right then? ;-))
I bet the result comes out at 50:50 +/- 1% !
naffeville
says...
2:22pm Wed 26 Sep 12
Nebs
says...
5:52pm Wed 26 Sep 12
http://www.uea.ac.uk
/mac/comm/media/pres
s/2012/May/fingerpri
nting-america-deal
Seasider90
says...
7:43pm Wed 26 Sep 12
andy:)
says...
10:33am Thu 27 Sep 12
Seasider90 wrote:Really ?. Most posters on here would disagree. Where do you get your 'information' from, the same source as the Police, coz it appears to be wrong.
For Gods sake its well known for drugs. Mr Shea stop being such a drama queen. I know people assaulted in your club and how your doormen operate so you deserve everything you get. I hope it gets closed down. Its a stain on the centre of Southend. Well known for trouble far and wide. Grow some Shea and stop bellyaching.
andy:)
says...
10:35am Thu 27 Sep 12
emcee wrote:I agree. Whilst the Police have the right to do such raids, considering it costs the business many thousands of pounds and disrupts the night out of many hundreds of people they better be **** sure their 'evidence' is accurate, it appears it was not.
It seems like one big "b@lls up" by the police and I think questions need to be asked about what sort of intelligence the police had to go on and why the decision was made to raid the club. The police need to be held accountable. It is situations like this that cause the police to lose respect on an almost daily basis.
muffindamule
says...
12:53pm Thu 27 Sep 12
CALL ME CLINT wrote:I don't know about that but I certainly did at 51:49. Now if you're looking for a tip for this weekend's racing ..........
muffindamule wrote:Will that mean they got it about right then? ;-))
I bet the result comes out at 50:50 +/- 1% !
;-D
Druggie Scumbag
says...
3:25pm Thu 27 Sep 12
What sort of world do we live in where people routinely or even occasionally take their refreshments with them when they go for a whizz? Are similar facilities provided in the gents toilets?
In any other premises I would take it that the shelves were provided for rehearsals of that well known panel game "What's my Line?". Not in this establishment obviously.
I trust the Guv'nor has been given a clean bill of health from Harley Street.
Major Incident
says...
8:38am Fri 28 Sep 12
http://www.essex.pol
ice.uk/news_features
/latest_news_updates
/raid_on_nightclu.as
px
happy75
says...
5:26pm Fri 28 Sep 12
happy75
says...
5:41pm Fri 28 Sep 12
Major Incident wrote:Essex Police website. Are you saying this is a neutral article. I think not.
A typically biased Echo report. I'm not saying the tactics were entirely correct but read the other party's version of events and more importantly, the fact they seized several weeks of CCTV footage to examine for the evidence of the drug dealing they have been told about.
http://www.essex.pol
ice.uk/news_features
/latest_news_updates
/raid_on_nightclu.as
px
Son of stropmag says...
11:42am Wed 26 Sep 12
I'm voting 'No' though I suspect the truth may merit a 'Yes'.