NEARLY 500 Islanders have already signed up in support of later drinking licences in pubs and clubs.

An internet petition to extend drinking hours has so far been well received and could soon hit the 1,000 mark.

DJ Peter de Momme started the petition last week in response to police chief Graham Power’s comments that later opening times could help to reduce drink-related disorder and crime.

Mr Power has said he believes that levels of trouble could fall if pub and club closing times are staggered, to prevent thousands of people pouring out into the streets at the same time.

Mr de Momme said the show of support so far had been encouraging.

He said: ‘To be honest, I didn’t really know what would happen, but I suppose I was expecting people to be more complacent.

Even when people support a cause they don’t necessarily do anything about it.

Considering it has only really been going for five or six full working days, it’s not bad.

It will take time to see if it is going to make a difference, but we have had lots of promotion so I just hope that everyone who agrees with it will sign.’ Mr de Momme said that the next step would be to broaden the reach of the petition, taking it off the internet and into clubs, pubs and shops.

He said he hoped that all those in favour of the cause would take an active step in fighting for reform.

‘To get to 1,000 signatures would be great, but I still don’t think that would be a true reflection of the number of people in support.

I know there are lots of people out there who agree with what we are trying to do, so we’ve got some plans to get forms made up so we can put them in shops for people who haven’t got internet access.

‘We’ll also try to take them into the clubs, with the nightclub managers’ consent, which will hopefully start happening in the next few weeks.’ At the final stage the petition will be presented to the Jersey Licensing Assembly, the Attorney General, the Chief Officer of the States police, the head of the Police Licensing Unit and the head of the Jersey Nightclub Association.

The petition can be found at www.petitiononline.com/JLLP06/ petition.html.