Police data has revealed that the Hornsey Arms pub on Hornsey High Street is a violence hotspot, with a high number of police callouts and crime reports linked to the premises. The premises licence was initially issued under 'Grandfathered rights' in November 2005.
Data presented to a Haringey Council Licensing Sub Committee showed that police have been called to the pub on twenty-six separate dates since March 2024. Of forty calls, twenty-eight were related to violence. The data indicates that incidents occur throughout the week, primarily between midnight and 3:00 AM.
According to the police report included in the Public reports pack, approximately nineteen of these incidents involved members of the travelling community refusing to leave or engaging in fights inside the pub, with some resulting in criminal damage. The report also noted an incident where a 16-year-old was allegedly served alcohol at 2:55 AM, violating the premises' license conditions regarding unaccompanied children.
Over the past year, police have generated eleven crime reports connected to violent incidents at the Hornsey Arms. Police data indicates the premises is a hotspot for violence against the person, criminal damage, and public order offences.
The Hornsey Arms has faced scrutiny before. It was taken over by Mr. Thomas Kearns on 29 October 2021, under the name of The Hornsey Tavern Ltd, with Mr. Kearns as the director. On 14 March 2022, the premises was reviewed following noise complaints from a resident during late evening and early morning hours, resulting in added conditions to the licence.
According to the report pack for the Licensing Sub Committee, police engaged with James Kearns, director of Hornsey Arms Ltd, on multiple occasions. On 14 February 2025, Mr Kearns stated he would bar individuals causing issues. A licensing visit on 14 March 2025, revealed several breaches of licensing conditions, including:
- Employing only one SIA door supervisor on weekends instead of the required two, a breach ongoing since at least December 2024.
- Lack of a refusals book.
- Initial difficulty in obtaining CCTV footage.
The report pack stated that Mr Kearns acknowledged consuming alcohol on site, raising further concerns about his ability to manage the premises effectively.
Following the police visit, the premises reportedly took steps to improve compliance and safety. These measures included increasing CCTV coverage and storage capacity to better monitor incidents and hiring two SIA door staff to assist with managing patrons and the prevention of disorder. The pub also signed up to Licensing Connect, which includes WAVE training to improve staff awareness of vulnerability issues.
However, subsequent incidents on 17 and 18 March 2025, indicated that management continued to struggle to control the premises.
Representations included in the report pack from Councillor Adam Small, Hornsey Ward Councillor, stated that he was submitting the representation on behalf of numerous concerned residents regarding serious and sustained issues associated with The Hornsey Arms known as North Eight. Councillor Small stated that his representation was based on his belief that the following licensing objectives were not being upheld:
- The prevention of crime and disorder
- The prevention of public nuisance
- Public safety
Councillor Small stated that there was a consistent and well-documented pattern of anti-social behaviour, noise disturbance, and criminal activity directly associated with the operation of this premises, and that residents had repeatedly expressed that the premises had:
- Failed to control the conduct of its patrons both inside and outside the venue.
- Attracted individuals who engage in threatening or violent behaviour, often requiring police attendance.
- Created an unsafe and deeply unpleasant night-time environment for the surrounding neighbourhood.
The Licensing Sub Committee is scheduled to convene on 5 August 2025, to review the premises licence for Hornsey Arms Ltd. The committee has several options, including:
- Modifying the conditions of the licence
- Excluding a licensable activity from the scope of the licence
- Removing the Designated Premises Supervisor
- Suspending the licence for a period not exceeding three months
- Revoking the licence altogether.