A PIZZA takeaway has been refused permission to trade until 5am at weekends after police raised fears it could fuel violent crime.

Pitstop Pizza on Charminster Road, Bournemouth, has a licence to sell refreshments until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays.

After complaints from residents and a warning letter from the council that it was staying open beyond these hours, the shop made an application to extend them.

But at a November meeting of the council’s licensing sub-committee, Dorset Police’s PC Darren Harris objected on the grounds this would "undermine the area’s licensing objectives".

The site is located in Charminster’s “cumulative impact area” which, under licensing policy, calls for a presumption to refuse new applications due to high crime and anti-social behaviour levels.

“As a demonstration for the need of this special policy there have been six violent incidents within a 200-metre radius of this premises since September 12 this year,” said PC Harris.

“These comprise two assaults of actual bodily harm, of which people were knocked unconscious, two incidents of GBH where broken bones were sustained and two public order offences of affray.

“These all happened during the hours the applicant wants to extend their hours for trading, the most recent being October 29 this year.”

Taflan Dikec, representing Pitstop Pizza, asked PC Harris if the crimes referenced had been alcohol related.

“Some are, some are not,” PC Harris replied. “Is that particularly relevant though?”

PC Harris added that the issue of violent crime is “caused by licensed premises whether they be for late-night refreshment or for alcohol”.

Rejecting this, Mr Dikec said: “This is only a food place, it doesn’t sell alcohol.”

PC Harris, however, said one of the most serious of the recent incidents - where a person was knocked unconscious - occurred at such an outlet.

Mr Dikec, who has lived in Charminster for 40 years, said the suburb was “being picked on” and that restricting licences on areas like it could create knock-on problems to the town centre.

Before denying Mr Dikec's request, the chair of the licensing committee, Cllr Andrew Morgan, reminded members that the application was being heard because the takeaway had “chosen to ignore its licensed hours”.

“The point was made by the applicant that the cumulative impact zone is not as bad as it is made out to be," he said. "However in the view of the sub-committee that statement contrasts rather sharply with the police evidence of six serious assaults in this area."