POLICE PRESSURED CROYDON CLUB TO BAN BASHMENT AND DRUM & BASS

Croydon police are denying they told a nightclub not to play certain genres of music after a recording has emerged of an officer demanding owners “change the music”.

On Monday, the Croydon Advertiser published a recording of a conversation between Sgt Michael Emery and the managers of Dice club, Roy Seda and his wife, Farrah, in which they were asked to not to play bashment and drum & bass.

The meeting is reported to have taken place in January at Croydon Police Station between the Sedas, and police officers including Chief Inspector Peter McGarry and Sergeant Michael Emery, of the borough's licensing team. 

The couple are pressed by Emery on why they have not made changes to the club’s music policy following an incident outside the club during a Christmas party.

A section of the transcript reads:
Sgt Emery: "You were told about this before Christmas. Why has it taken until now to decide now that you want to change the music?"
Mr Seda: "We weren't told to the change the music."
Sgt Emery: "You were advised that because I was there and spoke to you about it and Darren [Rhodes, licensing officer] spoke to you about it."
Mr Seda: "Darren said don't put bashment so we stopped that, we stopped the bashment."
Sgt Emery: "Right."
Mrs Seda: "The rest we've just been softening."
Sgt Emery: "But you've been playing drum and bass, haven't you?"
Mrs Seda: "No, we don't play drum and bass."
Sgt Emery: "Right, okay."

The club was previously sent a letter by Sgt Emery, in June last year, in which he accused Seda of continuing to play "what this borough finds unacceptable forms of music".

Seda told the Croydon paper that he was left with no choice but to make DJs sign contracts saying they will not play bashment after coming under threat of losing his license.

However, police are insisting that they have had no say over the club’s music, claiming that the "initiative came from Mr Seda himself”. The Metropolitan Police do not have the power to ban certain types of music.

Croydon council said they were unaware of what police officers were instructing Dice’s owners.