Bournemouth town centre club owner on issue of knife crime

Ty Temel, who owns Halo, said too many people blame violent incidents on the town’s nighttime economy.

He argued that the clubs and bars are currently the “safest place to be”.

Ty told the Daily Echo: “None of these incidents are happening in nightclubs.

“If you look at the crimes and anti-social behaviour involving knives, it’s under 18s in the Square and in the gardens – it’s people that haven’t been into the clubs.

“The clubs don’t have the issues. We’re not confiscating any knives in clubs.”

Debates over knife crime were re-ignited following the death of 18-year-old Cameron Hamilton.

He was stabbed in the town centre after being involved in an alleged knife attack in the early hours of Saturday, August 5.

Ty Temel (Image: Wesley Glover/ LA Media)

The Daily Echo has spoken to a number of residents who blame nightclubs for ‘fuelling anti-social behaviour’ or have criticized their security measures.

Ty said: “Every single person who comes into Halo has to go through a scanner, is searched, and is metal wanded. You wouldn’t get in with a knife.

“There are still venues in Bournemouth that don’t do all of that, but they should. Our job as nightclub owners is to create a safe and fun environment, not hubs of crime and anti-social behaviour.”

Ty added that the nightclubs actually offer a “layer of protection” to the town, with the additional security staff they bring.

He told the Daily Echo: “People are saying close all the nightclubs and casinos down and it’ll be solved, but if you shut down everyone in Bournemouth, you lose that extra surveillance.”

Discussing a solution to knife crime, Ty feels there needs to be more education in schools and more police in the town centre.

He said: “The police are seriously under-resourced. We have a lack of police presence in the town centre.

“I’m not saying put police on every corner, but in the short-term, there has to be a drastic noticeable change in the number of officers.

“On a Friday and Saturday night, it wouldn’t hurt to have two police officers constantly patrolling the areas that our security can’t see.

“We don’t need them where there are nightclubs because we’ve already got eyes, and we can radio through to them.”