The manager of a popular north London restaurant has hit out at a council which has hired private security guards to patrol the streets in the run up to Christmas.
Business owners in Islington have been ordered to pay a levy to fund private security contractors to patrol Upper Street to help deal with drunks.
The charge, which came into force last month, costs businesses that serve alcohol after midnight between £300 and £4,000 per year. The amount collected from bars and restaurants adds up to about £400,000 annually.
About half of the cash is being used to pay for a specialist security team of 20 guards to deal with drunken revellers on the street at weekends.
The guards also patrol Farringdon and Highbury Corner as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour.
Pete Crozier-Clucas, manager at Zilouf's restaurant, said businesses should be responsible for their own security rather than a borough-wide charge being enforced.
He told the Standard: "We have not had any trouble here in seven years of trading. We are a family business. We have a discerning clientele.
"I do not think we should be expected to pay for the additional security. We are not open late through the week. The bar staff are able to challenge people - if people are drunk then they do not get served."
He continued: "I do not feel [the levy charge] is strictly necessary. It is not really relevant to our business. When it was introduced there was a sense in the community of 'where is this coming from?' If you have a problem with security then that should go through licensing. But I am not here to pick bones with the council."
Patrick Donnelly, owner of Slim Jim's Liquor store, told the BBC earlier this year: "It is an unfair tax. It is anti-business by a Labour council. We pay a levy already for extra street cleaning for police and we feel it works and we feel we manage our late night economy very well."
Councillor Paul Convery, the council’s executive member for community safety, defended the levy, saying it would benefit the area as a whole.
He said many of the new security guards were ex-police officers or former members of the armed services who would provide significant support to Islington police.
He said: "I understand no one wants to pay what they do not have to pay but it is a very modest charge indeed. [The guards] can deal with things that the police do not always have time to deal with. There are always people who slip through the net - there are always moments when members of staff [at bars and restaurants] miss someone who is too drunk".
Superintendent Steve Deehan from Islington Police said even licensed premises which were not considered crime hot spots should be required to pay the levy because their businesses contributed to the overall workload for police.
He said: "We want a vibrant night time economy. It is about creating better efficiency. We are one of the smallest boroughs but we have the largest number of licensed premises.”
