A casino company has asked to open an amusement arcade 21 hours a day – and brought in ex-police officers to watch the gambling venue secretly and show it would not cause trouble.

Merkur Slots Ltd has applied to Stockton Council for planning permission to extend the opening hours of the adult gaming centre on the town’s High Street, to 9am to 6am.

And it claims it has evidence from “covert observations” showing the proposed hours will not drive up crime and anti-social behaviour.

In 2021 it applied to open 24 hours a day, but was only allowed to push back its closing time from 8pm to midnight. Cleveland Police and an environmental health officer had objected to 24-hour opening as they were concerned it would increase conflict and anti-social behaviour in a high-crime area with pubs nearby.

Now the developer says it can demonstrate “Merkur Slots does not create crime and anti-social behaviour and operating until 6am would also not increase levels of anti-social behaviour in the locality”. It has submitted an “independent observation report” from a licensing and security company headed by a former Metropolitan Police officer – with a career spanning over 30 years including intelligence lead at the London Olympics 2012 and tactical advisor – who wrote a 12-page report with 41 pages of photos.

Licensing consultant Stuart Jenkins told how he watched the area and visited Merkur Slots and another centre on High Street, played on machines and observed customers. He said he felt safe and found staff friendly, polite and informative in both venues through one weekend night in June, and found Merkur Slots “takes safer gambling seriously”.

He concluded: “From my visits it is my opinion Merkur Slots in Stockton-on-Tees and Merkur Slots UK Ltd premises are well run, and their operation significantly reduces the risk of crime and disorder. From my observations it is clear that Merkur Slots premises do not impact on the environment, infrastructure, or local community.”

A letter from Planning Potential Ltd, agents for Merkur Slots, says: “Leveche Associates Ltd (former police officers that assist Merkur Slots Lts with licensing and the planning process) have been commissioned to conduct independent observations on the existing Merkur Slots premises and the surrounding area.

“During observations, when machines were being used, they are used by individuals (not groups) and there was no anti-social behaviour inside or in the vicinity of the premises. Customers arriving went straight into the premises and customers leaving left the area safely and quietly.

“Overall, observations confirm that Merkur Slots UK Ltd premises are well run and operate correctly with no issues. The conclusive evidence confirms that the presence of a Merkur premises does not increase anti-social behaviour, noise or any other crime and disorder that would have a negative impact on nearby residents, the environment, local infrastructure or wider local community.”

It says “late-night assessments” showed the hours extension would not cause harmful noise to neighbours. It asserts internal noise levels were low, there was sound insulation and no noise could be heard outside.

Customer behaviour, comings and goings showed “customers are quiet and arrive and visit on their own/in couples rather than large groups and do not behave in an anti-social way”, says the agent. “At time of writing, there have been no complaints regarding noise, nor has the business caused any reported issues within the local area.

“Similarly, the number of customers reduces significantly during night-time hours. There will be a member of staff at all times to ensure customers respect the surrounding amenities of residents.

“A benefit of later opening hours is that it provides natural surveillance through the night.”