Section 73 – Notification of application to chief constable
149.This section places a duty on Licensing Boards to notify the chief constable of all applications received for personal licences. This is a key element of the new licensing system in that, when considering granting personal licences, it is important that an effective system is in place to enable Boards to ascertain whether or not someone is eligible to hold a licence. In that respect, to be eligible for a personal license a person must not have been convicted of any relevant or foreign offence. This is a change from the current test under the 1976 Act of being a “fit and proper person”.
150.Subsections (2) and (3) provide that the chief constable should respond, within 21 days, with information as to whether or not the applicant has any convictions for a relevant or foreign offence.
151.Subsection (4) provides that where a chief constable finds that an applicant has a conviction for a relevant or foreign offence then he or she may recommend to the Licensing Board that the personal licence application in question should be refused, if he or she thinks it necessary to do so for the purposes of the crime prevention objective.