West Midlands Police has said it had 'lost confidence' in a club owner after a recent stabbing, prompting a call for a licence review. The police force has urged City of Wolverhampton Council to examine the licence for Oxygene in Queen Street, following a stabbing in March and an under-18s event in April that saw approximately 400 youths gather outside the venue, leading to a fight.
Police reported that they received a 999 call regarding a stabbing at the venue around 4am on March 8 this year. CCTV footage, which could not be produced by security staff at the time and was incorrectly timestamped when retrieved weeks later, showed that the altercation outside the club's entrance was broken up by members of the public, while security staff did not intervene, assist, or call the police.
West Midlands Police said it had 'lost confidence' in club owner Alex Osiagor to manage the venue and properly risk-assess events. The force intends to seek a reduction in the club's opening hours and a suspension of the licence until all breaches are addressed. The council's licensing committee is scheduled to meet on June 11 to make a decision.
The police also noted that the club had ignored security measures that were conditions of its licence, including not carrying out searches, ID checks, or using handheld metal detectors, not blocking anyone from entering after 3am, and failing to ask under-18s to leave at 9pm. On the evening of April 4, police officers patrolling the city centre found over 400 young males in Queen Street, which led to a fight breaking out.
Officer body cam footage from April 4 showed the club's owner and security staff unable to confirm how many people were in attendance. Mr Osiagor later told police that the under-18s event was an invite-only party organised by students from Wolverhampton, and that the event had drawn huge crowds after being advertised on social media. The crowds amassed outside after being barred entry as the club had reached capacity.
The council contacted Mr Osiagor expressing 'deep concerns' from licensing officers and West Midlands Police about the large groups of youths and potential further disruption. In response, the club owner said no under-18s functions would take place in the future due to the problems encountered. However, West Midlands Police stated that such under-18s events would always be classified as 'high risk' with 'complex security measures' due to the safety of children.
Furthermore, an eighteenth birthday party with an expected 150 guests, which exceeded the venue's maximum capacity by 40 people according to West Midlands Fire Service, took place a week later. West Midlands Fire Service, which supported the review, noted that Mr Osiagor had previously agreed to restrict the capacity and implement measures to ensure it was not exceeded as part of a 2023 application to extend the club's opening hours. These measures included recording attendance levels.
The club is currently licensed to sell alcohol until 6am and is allowed to open from midday to 6am every day, with specific opening hours listed as 10pm to 4am from Thursday to Sunday.
