31. Second supplementary memorandum submitted
by the Home Office
(a) How many closure
orders have been used in relation to licensed premises under section
17 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001?
In relation to (a), S17 of the Criminal Justice
and Police Act 2001 is apparently an area for which the Department
for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has the lead. Having spoken
with officials in DCMS it appears that statistics for closure
orders under S17 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 are
not collected centrally.
(b) How many FPNs were issued in 2004, specifically
in relation to alcohol offences?
In relation to (b), a table showing the number
of penalty notices for disorder (PNDs) in relation to alcohol
is attached [Printed at Ev 226]. Please note that these figures
are provisional.
(c) What were the results from the Christmas
enforcement campaign?
The results of the Christmas alcohol blitz by
the police and other partners show that during the last two weeks
in December police and trading standards officers carried out
sting operations against nearly 1,000 licensed premises, targeted
nearly 4,000 troublemakers with fixed penalty notices and confiscated
alcohol from more than 1,800 adults and juveniles.
Results from the campaign period show that:
— Police and partners visited more
than 31,000 premises (24,886 on and 6,356 off licence);
— 374 premises visited were found to
have committed an offence;
— Out of 989 sting operations on targeted
establishments, 32% of on licence and 32% of off licence premises
were found to be selling to under-18s;
— Police issued 4,044 fixed penalty
notices to individuals—2,046 for causing harassment, 1,771
for being drunk and disorderly, 72 for underage drink offences
and 155 for other alcohol related offences;
— In addition to this, 6,085 arrests
were made;
— Police confiscated alcohol from 1,560
under-18s and from 1,290 adults in a "designated area";
— 187 dispersal orders were in place
by the end of the campaign.
(d) Where can the guidance to local authorities
on managing night-time disorder be found (as mentioned in the
Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy and promised by Q3/2004)?
ODPM are launching the "How To" programme
on 15 March in Manchester at one of the ASB Together academies
which are being run during March. The "How to" guide
is part of the greener, cleaner and safer agenda and highlights
good practice and partnership working for managing town centres,
residential areas and parks and open spaces. Guidance on managing
the night-time economy will form part of this.
(e) Where can the code of practice, agreed
with the alcohol industry, be found?
We are still drafting the code of practice with
the help of industry representatives. We hope to roll-out the
code in June this year.
(f) The Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy talks
about a "financial contribution scheme under which local
alcohol outlets would contribute to a local fund", depending
on the outcome of consultations. Can you clarify whether this
happened, whether it was just a matter for local authorities,
or whether the outcome of this is the proposed alcohol disorder
zones?
We're still taking work forward on developing
proposals for how this might look. In the consultation "Drinking
Responsibly" published in January, we announced proposals
for "Alcohol Disorder Zones". These zones would cover
licensed premises within an area agreed between the police and
local authority. Before the zone is implemented, licensed premises
would get a warning and have the opportunity to implement an action
plan to improve the situation. Where they fail to implement the
plan to reduce alcohol-related disorder, the premises would be
required to contribute towards policing and other local costs
of dealing with the disorder. The intention of the new power would
be to provide an incentive to operators to reduce the levels of
disorder through better management of their premises. The consultation
closed on 28 February and we will consider all of the responses
before we firm up our proposals.
But it is important to draw a distinction between
an imposed compulsory charge on businesses and voluntary contributions.
Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) offer
a means by which local businesses vote to pay a levy based on
the rateable value of their premises to pay for additional services.
Those businesses would determine the services to be provided.
Several emerging BIDs propose to address problems associated with
the night-time economy including the provision of additional cleaning,
security and transport services. Existing town centre management
schemes could also provide a less formal structure for making
use of voluntary contributions.
Bedford's Bedsafe is an example of a voluntary
scheme whereby businesses are contributing voluntarily to the
extra costs of policing the night-time economy.
(g) Do you know when an announcement is expected
following the consultation that closed on 28 February?
The consultation closed on Monday 28 February.
We have had over 150 responses from a wide range of organisations
and individuals, including the Local Government Association and
LACORs, the Association of Chief Police Officers, alcohol trade
associations and individual companies, Alcohol Concern and the
Portman Group. We will be considering each and every response
carefully, and will announce how we plan to proceed as soon as
possible.
3 March 2005
Attachment to Home Office submission (Ev
222)
PENALTY NOTICES FOR DISORDER ISSUED FOR ALCOHOL
RELATED OFFENCES IN ENGLAND AND WALES 2004 (PROVISIONAL FIGURES)
| Offence | Number of notices
|
| Drunk and disorderly | 24,597
|
| Sell alcohol to person under 18 (1) | 85
|
| Purchase alcohol in licensed premises for person under 18 (1)
| 19 |
| Delivery of alcohol to person under 18 or allowing delivery (1)
| 7 |
| Drunk in highway | 2,291 |
| Purchase alcohol for consumption in bar of licensed premises for person under 18
| 46 |
| Consumption of alcohol in designated public place
| 455 |
| Consumption of alcohol by person under 18 in licensed premises (1)
| 7 |
| Allowing consumption of alcohol by person under 18 in bar of licensed premises (1)
| 6 |
| Total | 27,513 |
| |
(1) Offence added to PND scheme only from 1 November 2004.
Source: RDS-NOMS.
Ref: PND018-05 3 March 2005.
| 
