Kukui nightclub is facing a licence review following complaints that the club is failing to address crime and disorder taking place on the premises and is neglecting public safety issues.
Police have expressed concerns that Kukui is neglecting these important matters and have therefore forced Kukui to face a compulsory review of its licence. The review could result in the club having to close.
Last term saw two serious glassing incidents at the pacific island themed club on Park End Street. Both incidents resulted in hospital treatment for those involved.
Since Kukui’s opening in August, police have been called out 22 times.
Police licensing officer Tony Cope told the Oxford Mail “Thames Valley Police has had meetings with the management on several occasions to express concerns”, and that the local force felt that “due to the seriousness, rather than the number of incidents, a review of the licence is the only option left to address these issues.”
A spokeswoman for Kukui said that the two glassing incidents had “been handled in the perfect manner”, and added that the club had now gone seven weeks without a violent incident.
She denied that the club was in danger of being closed down, stating that, “the licensing officer has told us that we are not even on the radar as a problem club”.
She said of the license review that “revocation” was extremely unlike, saying “the licensing authority has confirmed to us that revocation is not their intention, as have the council”.
The press office for Oxford City Council said that problems surrounding capacity had been another issue involved in the decision to call a licensing hearing.
However, Kukui’s spokesperson denied that the club was frequently overcrowded, commenting that “we do not run Kukui at capacity because it affects the level of service that we try to achieve.”
Asked about problems with queuing outside the club, she blamed council policy that refused the club permission to allow smokers to use the club’s terrace.
She said, “due to the council not allowing us to use our terrace for smoking we are forced to put smokers at the front of the venue which is always going to have an effect on queuing options.”
She claimed that Oxford police had voiced support for Kukui’s opposition to the council ban and had agreed that allowing smoking on the terrace “would alleviate any possible issues with regards to queuing”.
Many students have expressed similar concerns to those voiced by the authoritties.
One second-year student spoke of the violence that had taken place within the club, as well as the issues of long queues and overcrowding, but added that closing the club was an unnecessary step. The student said,
“there are a lot of fights and stuff at Kukui, and the queues are always huge. I don’t think they need to close it down though.”
Kukui is the third Oxford club to have faced a licensing hearing recently.
Last April, Imperial was forced to close for six weeks and fire its premises supervisor, after a licensing review was called by police and health and safety officials.
Among the issues raised were an incident of mass brawling, dangerous electrical wiring and the fact that traces of cocaine had been found in the toilets.
Bridge was also reviewed last year after police complained about “the number of crime and disorder incidents at the premises”, and was forced to exchange glasses for plastic cups.
The official licensing review of the club is to be conducted in Oxford Town Hall, on February 26th.
