First Scotland venue to fingerprint
30 August, 2007
Trade organisation BEDA has welcomed the move
Trade organisation BEDA has welcomed a new Glasgow club’s move to become the first in Scotland to bring in mandatory fingerprinting for customers.
Fingerprint ID is well-established in English clubs, says BEDA’s Scottish chief, Eddie Tobin, but bars and clubs operator Ultimate Leisure’s new venture, the 1,500-capacity Sea and Crystal Lounge, will be first to apply the system in Scotland’s biggest city.
The Newcastle-based firm, whose existing outlets are in the north-east and Ireland, says fingerprinting has already been comprehensively tested in its other clubs.
Main advantages are said to be that customers do not have to carry ID, under-18’s are automatically barred, and trouble-makers can be identified and refused admission.
Customers gain entry by pressing a pad to confirm their previously-registered print, which is stored as a series of numbers.
The new club, Ultimate’s first in Scotland, launches on September 7 on the site of former nightclub Destiny.
It was one of the first in Glasgow to bring in an all-plastic policy, which included ashtrays pre-smoking ban, in a bid to eliminate assaults.
Tobin added: “There isn’t an issue with this, because it’s the fingerprint that’s important rather than the customer’s details. It isn’t a cheap system, but it is completely effective – I welcome it, and I think it’s the way ahead.”