London venue Cargo loses its license for ‘failing to tackle violence’

If you have ever been out in Shoreditch, the chances are you’ve ended up inside Cargo at some point in time. A well-known late-night spot in the heart of the east end of London, it has been a mainstay on the capital’s clubbing scene for many years.

Met Police had been monitoring the venue following several incidents since reopening in July, including minor assaults, large scale disorder and serious violence.

In August alone, there were twenty thefts and eight violent incidents. During the same time, a nearby venue with similar capacity had no reported thefts and only two violent incidents.

Following meetings between the MPS’ Central East Command Unit licensing team and the venue, the decision was made to apply for a review of the club’s license – as no improvement had been seen despite several interventions.

The club’s license was revoked during a hearing at the council’s Licensing Sub-Committee on Tuesday, which will see the venue on Rivington Street close its doors indefinitely.

Central East Basic Command Unit’s Inspector Andy Durrant said:

“The management of Cargo nightclub did not address key concerns frequently raised by the police relating to high levels of crime and disorder in and around their venue. The committee’s decision is the result of those repeated failings.

“There is no greater responsibility for police than the safety of the public. We thank the residents of Hackney and Tower Hamlets who supported our application to have this licence reviewed and took the time to attend the hearing.

“Police licensing officers will continue to engage with Cargo’s management team and licensees across Hackney and Tower Hamlets, in an effort to secure a much-improved environment for people living and working in the area.”

Hackney and Tower Hamlets’ nighttime economy lead, Chief Inspector Lucky Singh, also said:

“We are extremely proud of the nighttime economy here in Shoreditch, and we want it to be the safest and most secure in London. We want all visitors to have a safe and positive experience, and we work closely with venues to achieve this.

“We will always provide assistance and guidance in the first instance, and our officers will go on investing a lot of time in an effort to help venues to improve.

“However, where they continue to fail to play their part in delivering improvements on key issues like safety and security, it is right that we take robust action as we did in the case of Cargo.

“I’m confident that the committee’s decision will be welcome news for local residents, neighbouring businesses and other visitors to the area who have suffered for too long because of the continued crime and disorder in and around this particular venue.”