New restrictions for ‘the strip’

ZIZ News– July 18, 2013–If you’re looking to party at the strip this weekend be prepared to head home a few hours earlier.

ZIZ channel five’s Jason Davis tells us a time cap for live bands is not going over well with the bar owners.

On the weekends the strip is usually a hotbed of activity with bars staying open as late as 3:00 AM.

But that’s about to change. The police are putting new restrictions that will end all live band performances by midnight.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mirelees (Myre-Leez) Dolphin says this comes in the wake of the recent stabbing at Vibes Beach Bar.

He said “the high command has taken a look based on the last incident we had, with the murder that we had over there and seeing how we can curtail persons’ behavior of that nature and if the live performances end earlier then the troublemakers would go home earlier.”

We spoke to some of the bar owners on and off camera and they told us they don’t agree with this decision.

One owner said “I think it is unfair because anything can happen at any time at anyplace at anywhere and it is going to affect everybody, because we have our bills to pay and everything to pay. Shutting everything midnight is hard on the business owners.”

But ACP Dolphin says the time cap isn’t a threat to their business, the violence is, persons go to the island to go to the strip to enjoy themselves. But when we have this violent behavior over there, that in itself will kill it. Not the time cap.

The new restrictions only apply when a band is playing live.

Otherwise the previous closing times of 3:00AM for Friday night sessions and 2:00AM for Saturday nights will stay in effect.