Metropolitan Police defend 'Form 696'

The Metropolitan Police has stood by its use of the controversial Form 696, which requires London venues to provide information about performers, promoters and fans ahead of live shows.

Under recently-introduced voluntary regulations, venues must inform the police of the music genre of concerts and their target audience 14 days before any event.

The police have claimed that the implementation of the form resulted in an 11% reduction in violence in licensed venues last year, the BBC reports.

Head of Form 696 team Thomas Bowen said: "A coordinated effort, and 696 assisting the process of identifying potential gang conflict, is undoubtedly contributing towards that reduction of shooting incidents in licensed premises."

Reverend and the Makers frontman Jon McClure has accused the regulations of being racist and said that the form was introduced to "stop black kids from having gigs".

Ch Insp Adrian Studd, head of the Met's clubs and vice unit, added: "We started to identify that some of the crime and disorder associated with licensed premises was attracted by certain events or promotions.

"Yes you could say that statistically, [with] certain genres of music there's more likely to be trouble. But what we want to do is capture all events where there may be problems. Statistics don't always tell the whole story."

The form has also come under criticism from the culture media and sport select committee.