SINGAPORE: Popular jazz bar Blu Jaz Cafe was told earlier this month that its public entertainment licence would be cancelled because of repeated breaches of licensing conditions, said the police on Friday (Oct 19).



The cafe had set up a petition last week to appeal against the cancellation, which is to take effect from Oct 22. At about 5.40pm on Friday, there were a total of 4,498 signatures on the petition.





But police said that the live music and standup comedy venue had flouted regulations repeatedly and the two most recent cases were for severe overcrowding.

On Apr 28, more than 150 people were found on the second floor of Blu Jaz Cafe, more than five times the approved occupancy load of 30 people. The police then informed the management of the breach.

However, in another check on May 5, the police found about 200 people on the same floor, more than six times the approved occupancy load, it said.

"Such severe overcrowding poses very serious safety risks to patrons and staff, especially in the event of a fire. If there is a need to evacuate, it may result in a stampede," said the police.





"The fact that the overcrowding occurred on the upper level significantly compounded the danger to everyone in the premises. It was very irresponsible of the management of the cafe to have allowed those situations to occur, putting so many lives at risk."

Blu Jaz Cafe accumulated 24 demerit points within 24 months, after which the police issued them a notice of cancellation on Oct 8.



In response, sales & marketing manager for Blu Jaz Cafe Anuj Kumar said that they did not expect the turnout on those nights, when they hosted well-known DJs, to be so large.

"We didn't expect the turnout to be beyond our control as that was not our usual turnout," he said.



"But we do take full ownership of the overcrowding issue. We fully agree that safety of our patrons is of paramount importance and are committed to ensuring strict compliance with the occupancy loading stipulated in our licence."

MITIGATION MEASURES

According to the police, the cafe management also did not address the breach or put in place any mitigating measures. But Blu Jaz later said that it has tried to limit the number of patrons for special events.



Mr Kumar said that after the second police check on May 5, the management increased the minimum entry age for access to the second floor of the premises, from 18 to 25 years for men and from 18 to 21 years for women.



The cafe has stopped hosting DJ nights as well, and changed the programming mix from hip-hop to pop and rock music "to attract a more mature crowd for the second storey of the premises".

He added that the establishment is also seeking a review of the approved capacity load under current licence conditions.

"Thirty pax for 1600 sq ft including manpower makes (the) place look too empty," he said, adding that that he was "not really sure how any club can survive if they need to follow such restriction".

"We respect the authorities' decision but what we are also looking for an opportunity to rectify this issue instead of an outright cancellation of our public entertainment licence."



The police said it has received Blu Jaz Cafe's appeal against the cancellation of its public entertainment licence, and it was being reviewed by the independent Public Entertainment Appeal Board, which comprises members from the private and public sectors.

