Club and pub bosses will meet to discuss the effects of the Reynhard Sinaga case on Manchester's night time economy.
Manchester Pub and Club Network and the Village Business Association will meet at a Canal Street bar on Thursday (January 9) for an extraordinary meeting.
The network has confirmed that representatives from Greater Manchester Police, Manchester council and CityCo will be in attendance to answer questions.
Police have long asserted that Sinaga, who is the most prolific rapist in British judicial history, is a one-off.
They say his offending, which saw him target lone drunk men in the city centre, has no bearing on safety in Manchester.
Assistant Chief Constable Mabs Hussain said Manchester is as safe as any other city.
“Manchester is a vibrant, fun city to be in," he said. “It has a wealth of diverse communities living harmoniously together.
“We have over 160,000 people coming to the city centre of a night. Over 1,200 licensed premises. 300 of them are open after 3am.
“We are as safe as any other city.
"What we have here is one depraved individual. One vile individual who has taken advantage of the trust of young men. Who has befriended men who have shown him a great deal of trust as a result of their kindness.
"I don’t think we should be focussing on Reynhard Sinaga or the idea that the city’s not safe.
"Our night time economy is vibrant. We have a multi-agency operation every weekend, we are supported by the third sector and a number of charities supporting young people like they do in every other city. Manchester is no different.”
Sacha Lord, Greater Manchester Combined Authority's night time economy adviser, added that Sinaga must not be allowed to tarnish Manchester's reputation.
In a statement released immediately after reporting restrictions on the court case were lifted yesterday he said: “Reynhard Sinaga preyed upon lone men out enjoying the famous nightlife of Manchester.
“His appalling, violent acts are hard to comprehend, as is the scale of offending. My thoughts are with the victims and their friends and families.
“However, one man's vile actions must not be allowed to taint Greater Manchester's reputation as a safe and enjoyable place to relax and socialise. We are a city region blessed with a huge variety of cultural and entertainment offering and we take people's safety and security extremely seriously.
“Working with the police and other partner agencies we have a wide variety of schemes and approaches that aim to make Greater Manchester a safe place to enjoy a night out.
“We always encourage people taking advantage of our city-region's bars, restaurants, theatres and night clubs to enjoy them responsibly and with friends, and to travel around out city-region securely in groups or on safe public transport or in secure licensed vehicles.
“But Sinaga was manipulative and cunning and targeted lone men just a few feet from his home. I hope the public can take some small comfort that he is now behind bars for a very long time.
“I fully appreciate that, in light of the news, the public may feel apprehensive on a night out in Manchester. But they need not - our city is warm and welcoming, we are a community and we look out for each other.
"We always have and we always will, and the unspeakable actions of someone like Sinaga will never divide us.”
