Jim Sollars

Jim Sollars is a Senior Licensing and Compliance Advisor at Complete Licensing, with 35 years of Metropolitan Police experience and exceptional knowledge of premises licensing, compliance and London’s night-time economy.

Jim’s police career began in 1980 and concluded with his retirement in 2019. During that time, he worked in uniformed policing, criminal investigation, community policing and licensing enforcement. He became particularly well known for his work in Soho and later managed the Westminster Police Licensing Team at Westminster City Hall.

This experience allows Jim to read and interpret complex premises licences, identify compliance problems and recommend practical solutions. He supports businesses with licence applications, variations, reviews, Temporary Event Notices, operating procedures and preparations for licensing hearings.

Metropolitan Police career

Jim served with the Metropolitan Police for approximately 35 years. His career included uniformed policing, crime squad duties, community policing and an extensive period working in licensing.

For many years, Jim was known as Soho’s “village policeman”. This position required a detailed understanding of the neighbourhood, its residents and its unique mixture of restaurants, pubs, clubs, entertainment businesses and late-night venues.

Jim regularly mediated disagreements between licensed premises and local residents. He also worked with operators to improve management practices, address problems and promote the licensing objectives.

A 2009 West End Extra article described Jim as a familiar Soho police officer who had also spent around 20 years cooking for older residents at the Soho Community Centre.

Police commendations and investigative experience

Jim’s experience extends beyond premises licensing.

In a signed professional statement filed in Islington licensing proceedings, Jim records receiving commendations for two significant pieces of police work.

The first recognised his professionalism, initiative and dedication during an investigation that led to the arrest of a group of prolific burglars. The second recognised his sensitivity and detective skills when uncovering and addressing the trafficking of vulnerable women for prostitution.

This investigative background supports Jim’s present-day licensing work. It enables him to examine evidence carefully, interview staff, assess incident records and determine whether allegations are supported by the available facts.

Westminster Police Licensing Team

Jim subsequently joined the Westminster Police Licensing Team, based at Westminster City Hall, where he eventually became the team’s office manager.

The City of Westminster contains one of the UK’s largest and most complex concentrations of licensed premises. It includes Soho, Mayfair, the West End, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Oxford Street and numerous internationally recognised hotels, restaurants, theatres, bars and nightclubs.

Jim’s professional record includes responsibility for:

• processing hundreds of premises licence applications;
• assessing thousands of Temporary Event Notices;
• preparing for expedited licence reviews;
• representing the Metropolitan Police at licensing hearings; and
• examining operating schedules and proposed licence conditions.

Notable closures he oversaw due to serious crime and disorder included Amika, Madam Jo Jo’s, Studio Valbonne, Avalon, the Embassy Club and Jalouse. In several cases the premises voluntarily surrendered their licences and closed permanently. He also liaised with well-known nightclubs including Novikov, Whisky Mist and Dstrkt to prevent the need for reviews.

Jim represented the Metropolitan Police at weekly licensing hearings in front of the Westminster Licensing Committee, and worked with problematic premises to suggest action plans or minor variations that would promote the licensing objectives. He was responsible for training new staff in Westminster and provided licensing training across the Metropolitan Police area, with officers from other licensing teams frequently spending time with him to gain knowledge and experience.

Whilst working in the Westminster Police Licensing Team, Jim participated in Gold Advisory Groups at Scotland Yard and the Mayor’s Office at London City Hall for both Gay Pride and Notting Hill Carnival. He later served as a licensing advisor to Sector Commanders at these events for several years.

From that experience, Jim has seen the importance of the police working with business operators to identify and resolve issues through a collaborative approach — the approach he now brings to Complete Licensing clients.

Read more: A safe port in any licensing storm