NIGHTCLUB owners and police now have a new weapon in the battle to curb late-night antisocial behaviour in Bendigo’s CBD.HuHa and Universal nightclubs have introduced ID scanners as a condition of entry to the venues.The scanners, which scan the ID of every patron that enters the venue and then keep it on record for 30 days, are already in use in many Melbourne nightspots.The information can be retrieved by police and management in the event of an incident.HuHa owner David Cambridge said the scanners would help clean up antisocial behaviour.“This is going to help weed out under-age drinkers and troublemakers,” Mr Cambridge said.HuHa and Universal began using the scanners on Thursday.Universal manager Toby Gray said the scanners would not only help increase safety inside the nightclubs, but also safety on the streets.Both managers said people such as drug dealers and those who didn’t want to be known to police would be deterred by having their information kept on file.“People will now think twice before assaulting someone or harassing a girl, because we now have their details,” Mr Gray said.Mr Cambridge and Mr Gray said issues of privacy were valid, but they assured the public that access to the information was tightly controlled and restricted to senior managers and police.They said anyone who didn’t want to hand over their ID could go to another club or simply stay at home.Acting Inspector Bob Simpson said the scanners would enable police to arrest the perpetrators of assaults more quickly, and increase safety in and around the nightclub precinct.“If somebody is involved in an incident in a nightclub, we are able to identify who they are, what they’ve been involved in and who they’ve left with,” he said.Acting Inspector Simpson said the scanners would also be used in conjunction with new laws banning unruly patrons from venues.“If people are banned for a period of time, we will be able to crosscheck to make sure they don’t get into any nightclubs,” he said.Sandhurst Ward councillor James Reade said he supported the introduction of the ID scanners.“This is another step forward by the Liqour Accord to make Bendigo a safe place,” Cr Reade said.He said people would soon learn that when they were out, their details were on file, and this would deter them from engaging in antisocial behaviour.“Every person, when they go out, is now on the record. They will know that police have their details.”Cr Reade said the Liquor Accord had studied the success and use of the scanners.