COMMUNITIES and police have backed plans to give the public more power to tackle crime.

The Government has unveiled a raft of new proposals which could see people given a greater say on licensing laws, fines for selling alcohol to children doubled and ASBOs scrapped.

Community groups in North Lincolnshire have celebrated the chance to influence decisions, saying drunks and rowdy premises blight neighbourhoods.

Pete Woodcock, who chairs a Westcliff Neighbourhood Watch group and works on anti-social behaviour busting Fairplay Football, said he hoped plans were given the green light.

"The people who live in the wider communities definitely should get a say on licensing issues," he said.

"You may not live right next door to a pub but if it's a few streets away you still get the effects of people coming home to your community," he said. "I've seen some of the proposals, I don't think they go far enough to tackle places which repeatedly sell alcohol to under-18s, it should be a case of getting shut down, not fined.

"What I do really support is pubs paying for policing. I've been saying for years that when police are called to a venue it should be charged."

Among the suggestions is charging a fee for a late license which would be used to fund extra policing, a move which also won the approval of Pam York, a police and community volunteer.

She said: "They should certainly contribute, particularly in today's current financial climate.

"Late licenses are one of the reasons so many police are needed on the streets so late."

Humberside Police licensing officer, Martin Garfitt, said he could not discuss the proposals in detail at this stage, but said he approved of moves toward greater community inclusion.

He said: "I'm aware of all these proposals but we've not yet had the opportunity to discuss them.

"But in theory the idea of giving the community a greater say is a good one. Issues like this do impact greatly on people's lives."

The officer said one area of concern was plans to limit the number of temporary event licenses which could be limited to individuals to 10 per year.

He said: "The people who would be affected by this would be people who organise events, fun days and charity events in the community. Someone who plans a lot of those, or people who hire out marquees, for example, could easily need more than 10."