Pubs and clubs are being urged to call time on alcohol-related disorder through a prestigious awards scheme.

The Best Bar None project sets a minimum standard of operation for pubs, clubs and bars and rewards high standards.

The scheme was unveiled by West Yorkshire Police yesterday in partnership with the Govern-ment Office for Yorkshire and the Humber, Bradford Council, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, West Yorkshire Trading Standards and the British Beer and Pub Association.

Best Bar None has already started in Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield, and is being phased in around the county.

According to a British Crime Survey, a significant proportion of crime is linked to poorly-managed licensed premises.

Best Bar None aims to provide an incentive for owners to improve standards by assessing them and giving them a score.

Door and security policies and practice, first aid and health and safety provision, how venues deal with customers and handle incidents of alcohol abuse and how they deal with drugs will be assessed as part of the scheme and used to rate the venue.

Home Office-trained specialist assessors will carry out the inspections once venues have applied to become accredited.

Bradford Council leader Councillor Margaret Eaton, co-chairman of the district's Safer Communities Partnership, said: "This scheme will make the city centre a safer place at night for everyone by reducing the number of drink-related incidents."

Chief inspector Mick Quirk, of the West Yorkshire force's headquarters community safety team, said: "The Best Bar None Awards Scheme is a positive vehicle for all sectors of the night-time economy to work together for the common good, resulting in improvements to the attractiveness and economic vitality of West Yorkshire.

"Through the scheme, we're seeking to help Bradford licensees understand how they can reduce alcohol-related crime and disorder, minimise the harmful effects of binge drinking, whilst improving the attractiveness of the general area."