Tuesday November 19th 2019
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
A Police chief has praised a local authority for its nail bar policy in the wake of the Essex lorry deaths tragedy.
Chief Superintendent John McKenzie told a meeting of East Lothian Council’s police, fire and community safety scrutiny committee that there was a clear link between the trafficking of people from Vietnam into the UK and the beauty treatment salons.
Pointing to the tragic events in Essex last month, when the bodies of 39 Vietnamese nationals were discovered in the back of a refrigerated lorry, Chief Superintendent McKenzie, divisional commander for Lothian and Scottish Borders praised the local authority’s demand for nail bars to be licensed.
He told them: “I welcome the position in East Lothian in terms of licensing nail bars.
“On the back of the tragic events in Essex, it is clear individuals are being brought into the country.
“There is information that links Vietnamese trafficking to nail bars.”
The divisional commander was responding to a question by local councillor Jeremy Findlay, who asked why business operators seemed keen to open a nail bar in the county’s largest town, Musselburgh.
He was speaking after an earlier meeting of East Lothian Council’s licensing sub committee had heard an application for a nail bar in private.
The local authority demands that nail bars have a public entertainments licence along with tanning salons, health clubs and gymnasia.
Mr Findlay said: “There seems to be quite a concerted effort to get a nail bar established in Musselburgh, why are people so keen?”
Chief Superintendent McKenzie said that nail bars were increasing in numbers across Scotland, pointing to their popularity as ‘cash-based’ businesses.
He added it was not about the service offered but “a question of who is operating the business itself”.
The latest application for a nail bar, which was heard in private by the licensing sub committee last Thursday (November 14), was refused.
Tweet Share on Facebook
