News that Guernsey’s Pubwatch scheme is to relaunch means a welcome weapon in the armoury of landlords to help keep their customers in line has returned.

Most people visit licensed premises without causing any trouble. But a few do and a potential ban from all drinking establishments is more effective than a fine in the Magistrate’s Court.

The relaunch was necessary because the original scheme lost its way – with good intent – and left itself open to accusations of acting like a kangaroo court and almost being run by police as an additional penalty to court.

Interestingly, the problems experienced by Pubwatch emerged only after a data protection complaint, which was upheld by the local commissioner, who was critical of what he saw relating to the treatment of individuals and their right of appeal.

While data protection, like health and safety, can be decried as nanny state government busy-bodying, the commissioner’s involvement highlighted some significant breaches that, at their heart, affected individual rights.

It was a good example of how independent scrutiny is necessary to protect essential freedoms even when people or organisations are trying to act in the best interests of the island.

Yes, it was embarrassing that a law enforcement agency had fallen foul of the law, but that also highlighted the potentially wide-ranging nature of data protection and how it safeguards individuals, even those who have stepped out of line.

The Data Protection Commission will maintain a watching brief on the scheme and that, too, is valuable because islanders need to have confidence that a system that can take away someone’s right to enter a public house is properly run.

What the hiccup also demonstrated is that people can have confidence in the impartiality of the commission and its ability to investigate at any level of the island.

Now that the scheme is firmly back on track, the chief benefit, however, is that island landlords have a very effective sanction at their disposal to ensure their premises – and the surroundings – are not blighted by troublemakers.

That is very good news indeed.