The chairman of the Licensed Victuallers Association, Dave Ratcliffe, has given a warm welcome to the extra money given to the police in the Budget.

The Department of Home Affairs was given an extra £3m in the 2019 Budget, of which £2.5m has been earmarked for the police.

Mr Ratcliffe said he is ’delighted’ the police have been given the funding necessary for them to do the job of keeping our streets safe, saying ’this affects everyone’

He said: ’The LVA indicated its support for the police to have an increase in funding during a meeting with Alfred Cannan (Treasury Minister) last year.

’I know the Chief Constable Gary Roberts also was seeking more money and fortunately, it has been granted.

’It really is needed, the police do a great job but they need more officers.

’What’s the point of spending millions on the prom if we aren’t supporting those who keep the streets safe.’

Mr Ratcliffe, who is also assistant manager at the Old Market Inn, Douglas, told the Manx Independent that the LVA has a ’very good’ relationship with the police as they both have the same aims, to ensure a regulated and safe, friendly, drinking environment for patrons.

Mr Ratcliffe said that while he would like to see more officers in place by TT, he understands that ’the logistics of recruitment may not make that possible’.

He said it was good that both the police and the courts support the licensed trade and taxi drivers with tough sentences for offenders but he would like to see ’more consistency with sentencing’.

He welcomed the news that part of the extra fundingwould be used to fight drugs in the island. He said drug use is becoming ’rife’ at weekends.

The LVA will mark its 150th anniversary next year and would welcome new members.

Mr Ratcliffe said that the LVA is working towards ’leading the evolution’ in pubs to ensure the island’s pubs maintain their character while ’moving with the times’.