'Zero regard for responsibilities': Police target Norwich Road café over alcohol served to 15-year-old

Why it matters: Suffolk Police have applied for a premises licence review of Café Carla, on Norwich Road, on the grounds of a failure to prevent crime and disorder. The case comes amid a broader crackdown on Ipswich premises suspected of selling alcohol and age-restricted products illegally.

The details: The constabulary says it believes the café has been run as a bar since last August, and has outlined several incidents of drunken behaviour between then and February.

During the first, on 23 August, officers attending a road traffic collision across the road said they could not speak with drivers due to noise from the premises. A drunken man was then told to quieten down but refused to do so.

In December, a 15-year-old told police she had been given a shot of alcohol by a man behind the bar while attending a children's party in a back room of the premises. She said she was then given a bottle of Jack Daniel's, which she shared with other young people at the party.

What they're saying: Police are asking for the removal of Sandra Bettencourt as the premises supervisor, describing her as "clearly unsuited for the role" with "zero regard for their responsibilities."

The bigger picture: According to the force's application, neither Ms Bettencourt nor the licence holder — Carla Maio — is currently running the premises. Instead, the café has been run by a man who was in the process of buying it. As of late February, however, no new application for a licence or to transfer the current one had been received.

The hearing is the latest in a series of enforcement actions involving Ipswich premises. In March, magistrates rejected a police closure order against Magazin Bacau Romanian Supermarket on the Buttermarket, despite a multi-agency investigation that led to the seizure of illicit alcohol, tobacco and prescription-only medication.

Days later, a Norwich Road vape shop, The Orange Shop, was fined more than £4,000 after magistrates heard it had sold vapes to underage customers on multiple occasions.

What's next: Ipswich Borough Council's licensing and regulation committee will consider the police application on Monday, 13 April. As well as the removal of Ms Bettencourt, police are seeking a three-month suspension of the premises, with alcohol sales limited to between 07:00 and 22:00 daily once it reopens.

The bottom line: Police will now bid to suspend the Norwich Road premises — the latest case that will test whether the town's licensing system can act where other enforcement actions have recently fallen short.

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