Booze Violence Down After Police Crackdown

The drop in booze related violence is the result of a police crackdown not the relaxtion of licensing laws, experts claimed today.

Home Office figures released today show that serious violent crime was 21 per cent lower in the final three months of last year than during the same period in 2004.

The Government's licensing minister said the predictions liberalising the drinking laws would lead to an upsurge in crime had been disproved by the Home Office figures.

But a spokeswoman for the alcohol misuse agency Alcohol Concern said the figures could be down to the police crackdown launched when the laws were introduced.

She said: "The Government are saying the reductions are down to the licensing laws but it's because of the crackdown."

The Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaign was used by police to tackle drunken behaviour in the run up to Christmas last year.

But ministers consider the police figures as statistically significant because a similar crackdown happened in 2004.

Alcohol Concern said it welcomed the new figures showing a reduction in underage sales and alcohol-related crime, but also warned that much more needs to be done to turn around the UK's dangerous drinking culture.

Geethika Jayatilaka, Alcohol Concern's director of policy and public affairs, said: "It's great that these figures show a reduction in the number of establishments caught selling alcohol to underage drinkers over recent weeks, but there is still a long way to go.

"Selling alcohol to under-18s is against the law - it's as simple as that - and the fact that there are still a significant number of underage sales is unacceptable.

"The drinks industry cannot be allowed to rest on their laurels now - they have to keep striving to put an end to illegal sales once and for all.

"We're also pleased to see indications that there has been a reduction in alcohol-related crime, however it is vital to ensure that this good work continues beyond the period of the latest crackdown and this means that these tough measures have to go hand in hand with a more pro-active approach to tackle the root causes of binge-drinking and prevent incidents of crime occurring in the first place.

"That must involve better alcohol education at every level and a focus on identifying individuals whose drinking is causing a problem and ensuring they get the support they need to deal with it.

"And, crucially, we need to see a genuine commitment from right across the drinks industry to maintaining the highest standards of responsibility when they're selling alcohol."

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