Spend time in the bars – and you'll end up behind bars

Drunken yobs face being served Christmas dinner in a police cell as a major crackdown on festive troublemakers is launched.

Police are warning it could be a lonely festive season for revellers who drink too much in Wearside and get out of control.

Cells are being made available from today to accommodate troublemakers, while extra officers have been drafted in.

Known yobs, who have been barred from city centre pubs, have been identified to make sure they do not spoil the party atmosphere, while taxi marshals and police community support officers will also have a highly visible presence.

This year, officers are taking an "early intervention" approach which will see them making arrests for minor public disorder offences before drunks turn violent.

Chief Inspector Paul Orchard, who is in charge of the operation, said: "We are not waiting until people get so drunk that they assault and hurt somebody.

"At the first sign of any disorder they will be arrested and put into a cell.

"They must take responsibility for their own actions and, if they don't, suffer the consequences of what will happen to them.
"We have contingency plans for cell capacity and we will make sure there is sufficient room in cells across the area."

High-profile dates during the holidays, including this Friday, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve will receive particular attention.

Mr Orchard added: "We do want people to come into the city. We do want them to have a good time and enjoy the holidays. "But the message to the minority who are considering causing trouble is that they will all face arrest."

A command centre will be established at a Sunderland police station to oversee the operation, while officers have been working with licensees through the city's Pub Watch scheme.

Mr Orchard added: "The aim is to make Sunderland a safer place for everyone to enjoy Christmas."

Past successes

POLICE crackdowns on drunken yobs have been successful in the past.

In July, the Echo reported that more than 2,000 people were arrested during the past year in a clampdown on booze-fuelled violence.

Sunderland was one of the most successful places in the country at beating alcohol-related trouble, as teams of city officers arrested 2,098 people as part of the campaigns The Party's Over; Don't Spoil the Party; and When to Stop?

A campaign against drunken violence over last year's festive period proved effective.

Nearly 100 revellers who ignored police warnings spent last Christmas weekend behind bars.

 

The toll taken by our boozing culture

Sunderland:

44 per cent of men consumed more that 21 units of alcohol per week compared to the UK average of 30 per cent.
19 per cent of women consumed more than 14 units of alcohol per week compared to the UK average of 16 per cent.
Nationally:
47 per cent of victims of domestic violence described the assailant as being drunk.
Alcohol is a factor in 30 per cent of city centre arrests.
17million working days each year are lost through alcohol-related absences.
Approximately one million children are affected by a parent's alcohol problems
Between 30 and 60 per cent of child protection cases involve alcohol.
50 per cent of homeless people are dependent on alcohol.
* Source: National Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy, and Health Survey for England

Catch the boozers young

Hundreds of bottles of booze have been seized from youngsters in undercover stings by cops.

The crackdown was launched as part of Durham Constabulary's ongoing efforts to tackle the antisocial behaviour blighting Seaham's estates.

During Operation San Miguel, 10 officers worked alongside Trading Standards to discover how the alcohol is getting into the hands of under-age drinkers. In many cases they found adults were going into off-licences to buy drink to sell on for profit – often to children as young as 13.

Now police are preparing to look through hours of covert footage they have captured outside nine shops, as well as CCTV tapes from businesses, with plans to interview several adults they believe are responsible.

During the three-month campaign, uniformed officers confiscated more than 100 bottles of beer, 30 cans of lager, 20 bottles of wine, 10 large bottles of alcopops and four bottles of spirits. They have also poured more down drains but kept the containers to help track down where it was sold and visited off-licences in uniform as part of regular patrols.

Officers have spoken to about 30 youngsters, aged up to 16, about their activities, with some taken home because of their drunken state.

Pc Brian Dawson, beat manager for Seaham, said: "This has been intelligence-led and people have rung in to say these shops are selling alcohol.

"The result of this operation is that we get the message out to the public that we are taking action and we will prosecute.
"It is an ongoing thing and we can resurrect this operation at any time we choose."

"Under-age drinking has a knock-on effect later in the night when they start fighting and there are assaults in the streets.
"There is criminal damage and we have to call out ambulances. This is tying up the other emergency services."

Police have also reported that they have taken steps to move on adults, who use the town's bus station as a drinking den, after complaints from business owners and passengers.

Hospital A&E: Don't be a casualty of drink

A NEW alcohol worker has started at Sunderland Royal Hospital's A&E unit to help patients who have drink-related injuries or problems.

Lucy Sproul is one of the first workers of her kind in the country.

She will identify patients who are in the early stages of an alcohol problem, as well as getting help for people with drink-related illnesses.

A quarter of people who turn up in casualty during peak times over a weekend have conditions related to alcohol, up to half of which are falls.

Ten per cent of admissions to the hospital's general medical wards are linked to drink – about five per cent directly caused by alcohol, such as cirrhosis or falls, and five per cent indirectly related to alcohol abuse and the increased risk of stroke and heart disease.

Alcohol support worker Ms Sproul is part of a range of new measures aimed at tackling the city's drink-related health and social problems.

She will help to spot people treated in A&E who may be at risk of developing a drink problem and offer help.
She will also be involved in screening patients who are admitted to the wards with alcohol-related medical problems, putting them in touch with treatment and other support.

A spokesman for City Hospitals said: "The new appointment is one way that local healthcare is trying to combat the huge growth in alcohol-related illness.

"This includes accidents and violence after drinking too much, but also a 300 per cent national increase in chronic conditions like cirrhosis of the liver.

"Alcohol at the levels it is now being consumed, particularly by younger people, larger measures, stronger drinks and sophisticated marketing, all make the binge drinking culture a serious threat to public health – as well as a drain on NHS resources."

Ms Sproul – who has worked previously in alcohol rehabilitation, mental health and with substance misuse programmes – can offer a range of options to patients, depending on the extent of their alcohol misuse.

She said: "Targeted screening involves trying to identify only those people who may be drinking in a problematic way.
"Following screening, individuals may benefit from a brief intervention. This can range from a short conversation to a number of sessions of motivational interviewing.

"However, there will be some elements which are common to all brief interventions. This includes giving information and advice, encouraging the patient to consider the positives and negatives of their drinking behaviour, and giving them help if they do decide that they want to cut down."

An estimated 20 per cent of drinkers in Sunderland are at "harmful or hazardous" levels.

Dependent drinkers can be referred to detoxification and treatment courses, but others, such as binge drinkers, may be given harm minimisation programmes or other forms of help.

After initial intervention at A&E, regular appointments can be made for those who want to properly address their drink problem.

Kate Lambert, A&E consultant at Sunderland Royal Hospital, said: "Alcohol-related problems are a common cause of emergency attendances and admissions."

She added: "Alcohol intoxication means people are less able to protect themselves from accidents and physical or sexual assault.

"In many cases the injuries we see are minor, but every year we see serious injuries and deaths as a result of drink-related accidents and assaults.

"Long-term alcohol misuse can damage vital organs such as the heart, liver and brain, contributing to chronic illness."
Sunderland Teaching Primary Care Trust is funding Ms Sproul's post and the project will be managed by Turning Point, which already provides a wide range of services to people with substance misuse problems in Sunderland.

Peter Carlin Page, alcohol and substance misuse co-ordinator with Sunderland Teaching Primary Care Trust, said: "There is growing evidence of the success of early interventions in helping to combat alcohol related health and social problems."
Ms Sproul is spending this month working with doctors and nurses at Sunderland Royal Hospital's A&E department and will begin her work with patients in January.

Help for area with city's worst drink problems

HUNDREDS of people with alcohol problems in a Sunderland neighbourhood will get help from a pioneering new project.
An estimated 450 people in Hendon are alcoholics or harmful drinkers, while more than 1,600 drink to hazardous levels and are at risk.

The area has the highest proportion of residents on waiting lists for treatment for alcohol problems.

The new Community Alcohol Misuse Programme in Hendon will offer community-based treatment and support services.

It will help people with high and low-level dependency, and aims to develop a better understanding of problems caused by excessive drinking.

Help will also be available for people suffering problems caused by someone else's drinking.

Specialist services will be provided for alcoholics who need intensive support such as detoxification and rehabilitation programmes.

Work will also be done to identify and help those drinking at hazardous or harmful levels and those needing long-term support to give up or reduce their alcohol consumption.

The pilot scheme has been developed by regeneration project Back on the Map, specialists from Sunderland Teaching Primary Care Trust's substance misuse service and the North East Regional Alcohol Forum, which will set up a new base in Hendon.

Pat Harriman, Back on the Map programme development officer said: "The need for this service was identified by local residents for the benefit of the community as a key priority for funding from Back on the Map."

Sunderland Today