Birmingham Arcadian bar allowed to reopen with strict conditions following 'shooting'

A Birmingham bar at The Arcadian has been allowed to reopen with strict conditions following an alleged shooting last month.

Two people were reportedly left in hospital with gunshot injuries following the incident in Portrait Bar in Hurst Street in the early hours of Monday, December 18, according to West Midlands Police.

Following the alleged shooting, the bar’s licence was suspended meaning it lost out on festive trade. However, that suspension has now been lifted by Birmingham City Council’s licensing sub-committee this week after conditions for reopening were agreed between the venue and police.

The new measures mean customers could be subject to a “metal detection search in the form of a knife arch” while an ID Scan for all persons entering the premises will be carried out on certain days. A representative of West Midlands Police told the sub-committee that it had been an “invasive and difficult process” for the bar to go through.

“It’s a very detailed examination of the way they conduct their business,” he continued. “They entered into that in the spirit you would want them to with a view to identify the problems and put in place measures that will stop these problems occurring again.

“I believe this set of measures will do that.” A barrister representing Portrait bar told the committee that it was “pleasing to hear what the officer says” and added: “Hopefully this will sort matters out going forward.”

Councillor Phil Davis confirmed that the interim step of suspension was to be lifted and the conditions agreed between the police and licence would be “adopted as interim steps pending the full summary review hearing.”

In a previous statement, a spokesperson for Portrait bar said: “We will not hesitate to implement further measures to ensure our dedicated security team is fully equipped to protect the safety of our customers and staff.

“We look forward to working closely with the police and Birmingham City Council to ensure Portrait Bar can once again welcome our valued customers.”