THE owner of Halo nightclub says its closure poses an increased risk to safety at night in Bournemouth town centre. 

Ty Temel, owner of Halo nightclub, says the loss of the venue means there will be fewer trained security personnel available to deal with the aftermath of crime.

He says security at the club had assisted in several serious incidents in town when police were often not on the scene immediately.   

"One of the things that gets massively overlooked with nightclubs is the layer of security they provide", he said.

"If a town centre is thriving with lots of clubs, each club has a minimum requirement of door security personnel. 

"We had 10 which meant 10 people in the middle of town centre that could run to the gardens if something was going. The amount of times we've had to help and assist the police when they arrive because there's not a lot of them and, as we know resources are tight."

Ty believes the slow decline of clubs and bars within the area could lead to an increased risk of danger for those in the town centre with police restricted by budget pressures. 

He gave the example of a stabbing that happened in which Halo's security team were first on the scene. 

He said: "There was two of them walking around on a Saturday night and there was a stabbing. Our head of security was first on the scene until the police arrived.

"No we're not there, what's the town centre going to be like? What's the garden going to be like now?

"I'm genuinely concerned about that. I do everything I can to make sure it's thriving and safe, now all of a sudden, we haven't got that control or influence."

Halo announced its closure on March 6 and blamed a mixture of a change of drinking culture and cost of living costs. 

The venue had been open for 11 years and club-goers were quick to pay tribute after the news broke.

One said: "Pre-Covid nightlife in Bournemouth was great - it feels so hollow now."

A spokesperson for Dorset Police said: "We run Op Nightjar every weekend where we have a number of officers on foot across Bournemouth Town Centre during the night-time period to ensure that we can respond to incidents quickly and robustly.

"As part of Op Sceptre, our response vehicles are also equipped with knife wands and arches fully-funded by our police crime commissioner. Our efforts and outcomes are regularly shared to members of the public via our social media channels.

"Officers from the neighbourhood policing team and across the force will continue to work with partners and ensure there is a visible policing presence in the area."