Ten pubs are being given photographs of suspected criminals and drug dealers this week.

In the latest police campaign to cut crime, the rogues' gallery scheme is being tested in Crawley and will run for six months, after which police and landlords will decide whether to extend it to pubs throughout the town.

The project follows a 12-month campaign by the town's Pub Watch scheme for photographs so they can identify known troublemakers and criminals. The licensees hold quarterly meetings to discuss problems and have a paging scheme in which they contact each other with information about troublesome customers. The pilot scheme will run alongside this self-help initiative.

Sgt Nick Handley said the scheme would benefit both landlords and the police in preventing crime. He said: "We are distributing nine photographs this week of suspected offenders who could be active in pub premises. We hope to get intelligence, feedback and information to help us deal with offences in pubs."

Sgt Handley said the licensees had been calling for the scheme because of the high turnover in staff in Crawley. He said: "Bar staff tend to move about so their knowledge of local villains is not always very good.

The photographs will only be shown to staff members and will remain the property of the police. They have to be surrendered on demand and must not be shown to other people."

Any pub found breaking the rules would be removed from the Pub Watch scheme. Sgt Handley said: "The scheme will help with the safety of pub staff who will be able to alert police when these people are around." He said the photographs would be updated every three months.

Pubs are also protected by exclusion orders imposed by the courts on violent customers prohibiting them from using any of the town's pubs. The licensees also run their own exclusion system by refusing to serve certain people.

Former Pub Watch chairman David Hall, who is leaving the Black Dog in Northgate this week, said he was delighted the scheme was being tested.

Mr Hall, who led the group's campaign, said: "It is a fantastic idea. We will be looking for known troublemakers, people who can be violent, drug dealers and fences. I welcome anything that will help clear them out of the town's pubs and make them safer places for other customers."

The rogues' gallery scheme already operates in Chichester and Eastbourne. Police are also leaving cards in Crawley pubs as part of the Putting the Boot In On Crime scheme, offering cash rewards for information on stolen, counterfeit and dangerous goods and illegal imports.

The cards have a space on the back for jotting down registration numbers, names and descriptions.

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