Hibs star Derek Riordan knocked back from nightclub for the third time

The 25-year-old striker allegedly attempted to gain entry to The Hive in Niddry Street on Saturday night following his side's 4-2 defeat to Celtic. But bouncers at the Cowgate club – formerly The Honeycomb – spotted the player

and turned him away. Riordan is currently serving a two-year nightclub ban under the Unight scheme following disturbances with door staff, and the existing order may now be extended further as punishment.

Last month, his fellow Hibs players tried to smuggle Riordan into the Lulu nightclub in George Street by clustering around him to block the bouncers' view.

After being turned away, the group attempted to help Riordan into the nearby Opal Lounge but were refused again.

Riordan was handed a one-year ban under the Unight scheme in May after he allegedly verbally abused staff at the Berlin club in Queensferry Street Lane when they refused him entry. Within weeks, it is understood he was caught breaking the ban by entering the Espionage club – causing his ban to be extended to two years.

Staff at Espionage said Riordan hit bouncers with a "mouthful of abuse" after being asked to leave the venue.

Hibs were contacted for comment but failed to respond.

The latest Riordan incident comes as police revealed that crime in city nightclubs has fallen by 21 per cent since the Unight scheme was launched a year ago.

Figures released today showed that the number of serious assaults in the 21 member clubs fell to 13 between October last year and July compared with 26 for the same period the year before.

The volume of drug offences fell from 284 to 128 during the same time frame and overall offences dropped from 1185 to 936.

Officers said Riordan's rejection from the club showed that the Unight scheme was proving successful in keeping out troublemakers from city premises.

A total of 142 people have received bans under the Unight scheme since its launch in November last year. A total of ten individuals have received lifetime bans from every Capital club.

Sarah David, from Cabaret Voltaire, is one of the four Unight chairmen. She said: "I believe it is truly commendable to see venues taking an active stance in enhancing Edinburgh's already well deserved reputation as one of the country's safest cities.

"We have not only created unity and a platform for entertainment venues to voice opinions in an open forum and gain direct answers from police and licensing, but have worked hard to further establish Edinburgh as a safe environment for our staff and patrons to enjoy."

Under the data-sharing system, still pictures of drug-takers or violent customers taken from CCTV cameras are sent to other clubs.

Offenders are given a banning letter prohibiting them from entering any of the venues, with the minimum order lasting three months.

Pc Mark Pickavance, from the force's safer communities unit, said: "Unight is a successful partnership initiative placing the safety of the public and staff first.There is a real willingness amongst licensees and club owners to recognise the impact that their business has on the local community."

"Unight members are taking appropriate and responsible action to reduce crime for the benefit of both residents in their local and members of the public who come into Edinburgh to enjoy its nighttime economy." Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: "The licensees involved are showing a very responsible attitude to some of the issues facing the trade and doing their best to make clubs safer and more appealing to everyone. I hope this successful initiative can be taken up in other areas of Scotland."