1. Memorandum submitted by Alcohol
Concern
SCALE AND
SCOPE OF
THE PROBLEM
1. Alcohol-related anti-social behaviour
is identified by the public as being one of their main concerns,
with one in four saying that drunk and rowdy behaviour is a problem
in their neighbourhood and seven in ten saying that drinking in
public places or on the street is a problem in their area. Concern
is unsurprisingly greater in inner city or urban areas than rural
ones.
2. The group of drinkers which cause greatest
concern are the under 18s who are seen as the biggest problem
by 57% of the public, with "Friday and Saturday night"
drinkers and street drinkers being identified as the third and
fourth biggest problem. [1]
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
ALCOHOL AND
ANTI-SOCIAL
BEHAVIOUR
3. Alcohol is linked to a broad range of
anti-social behaviours. This includes a relationship with violent
crime (recent Home Office figures estimated that around 50% of
violent crime is alcohol-related) as well as lower level ASB such
as noise nuisance or vandalism. Increases in anti-social behaviour
can be linked to the growth of the night time economy in town
and city centres and can play a part in keeping people out of
these areas in the evenings.
4. Binge drinking and drunkenness play a
major role in contributing to the problems associated with the
late night economy in town and city centres around the country.
A recent Home Office study highlighted the links between anti-social
behaviour and binge drinking—60% of binge drinkers aged
18-24 admitted involvement in criminal or disorderly behaviour
after drinking compared with 25% of regular drinkers[2]
(this includes incidents such as vandalism and behaviours such
as getting into arguments).
5. The reasons for this are that norms of
drunken behaviour differ from standards of behaviour that are
expected when sober. Noisy, jubilant or rowdy behaviour is often
present, whilst aggressive or out of character behaviour may be
tolerated. Large numbers of drunken revellers can be intimidating
to others because of this and because their behaviour can be unpredictable.
The way that alcohol impairs cognitive skills may also mean that
people may misread social cues, take bad judgements about risk
or respond inappropriately in social situations. They may also
respond aggressively when they believe they are being provoked
leading to escalation of situations which would without the presence
of alcohol be defused or calmed down fairly easily.
6. The impact of this on police and other
emergency services is well documented—a recent Alcohol Concern
report "No Half Measures", which researched the views
of the Police, illustrated the frustration felt by many officers
about the impact of alcohol related disorder on their work. Dealing
with the sheer numbers of drunken revellers was a frequent theme
of discussions with one police officer feeling like "little
more than a UK Peacekeeping Force" at weekends, whilst another
said "My whole job revolves around alcohol. We're there to
deal with crime, but we're constantly distracted by disorder offences.
. ."
7. This was backed up by polling evidence
too—where just under 70% of the Police Officers polled believing
that attending alcohol related incidents frequently diverted staff
away from tackling other kinds of crime.
8. These problems have become much more
obvious over the last 10 years or so as the "Evening Economy"
has expanded in town and city centres around the country. The
regeneration benefits which this sector of the economy was seen
as bringing in, have sadly been blighted by the alcohol related
violence and disorder which are increasingly visible and which
act as deterrents to local residents and the older population
in particular using public space during certain times of the day
and night.
9. A further link between alcohol and anti-social
behaviour is the issue of street drinking—an area on which
Government policy has tended to focus. Individuals who fall into
this group often have long term alcohol, physical and mental health
problems and drink on the street both because it tends to be cheaper
than in pubs but also for the companionship it can offer. Aspects
of street drinkers behaviour can be seen as intimidating or anti-social
including rough sleeping, rowdy drinking sessions or begging.
IMPACT OF
CURRENT GOVERNMENT
INITIATIVES
10. Tackling alcohol-related anti-social
behaviour effectively requires a number of different responses
to deal with the heterogeneity of the problems it causes. A truly
effective approach means tackling the symptoms of the problem
in the shorter term but also making sure that the causes are addressed
in the longer term.
11. The problem of tackling anti-social
behaviour associated with binge drinking and drunkenness has been
lower down the policy agenda than approaches to deal with street
drinking until fairly recently. The 2002 action plan on reducing
alcohol related crime and disorder published by the Home Office
aimed at reducing under-age drinking and public drunkenness but
was low profile and has not been a success partly due to the low
priority given to this issue.
12. The National Alcohol Harm Reduction
Strategy in 2004 recommended little in the way of new powers to
tackle alcohol related crime and disorder instead concluding that
the powers needed were largely already in existence. Our concern
is that this does not provide a basis on which to move forwards
on this issue. Reasons why enforcement does not happen were not
explored, nor was there any incentives given either to change
the culture of policing of offences related with drunkenness or
to challenge industry practice in this area.
13. The Home Office Campaign over the Summer
of 2004 was a welcome step forwards in this area. The Campaign,
which looked both at tackling unacceptable drunken behaviour and
rooting out underage sales through a regime of test purchasing,
was a success in terms of getting Police, Trading Standards and
Licensees to work together. Over the course campaign, Police and
trading standards officers carried out sting operations against
more than 1,700 licensed premises, issued over 4,000 fixed penalty
notices and confiscated alcohol from more than 9,500 adults and
juveniles.
14. We believe that the good work of this
campaign needs to be taken forwards in an ongoing way if we are
to sustain this behaviour change both in terms of tackling underage
sales but also changing individual behaviour around alcohol consumption.
To achieve such a change it is vital that the action is not seen
just as a summer crackdown as this implies that it is simply about
avoiding trouble for the duration, but rather as a line in the
sand which is drawn to say that this sort of behaviour (from both
retailers and individuals) is no longer to be accepted.
15. Ensuring that action on this issue is
effective becomes increasingly important given the recent changes
to licensing laws which may exacerbate the problem.
STREET DRINKING
16. Government initiatives to deal with
this issue have included controlling mechanisms such as by-laws,
alcohol free zones, or anti-social behaviour orders. Although
we are supportive of measures aimed at reducing anti-social behaviour
caused by alcohol it is also important, particularly for this
group—many of whom will be alcohol dependent or have entrenched
problems with alcohol misuse—to offer access to treatment
as a part of this approach. Anti-social behaviour orders in particular
could be used in a constructive manner as a lever for accessing
treatment but we have heard only anecdotally of their use in this
way. It would be helpful to have central guidance as to how these
can be used in cases where alcohol misuse is an issue.
17. It is also important to offer alternatives
to drinking in public such as wet centres, as part of a controlled
drinking zone approach if the problem is to be tackled effectively.
There has been little research into the effectiveness of the current
approach of alcohol free zones etc but concerns include the displacement
of street drinkers into other less visible areas such as housing
estates or side streets. Wet centres offer a harm reduction approach
which can promote healthier more stable lifestyles and a first
point of referral or contact to return street drinkers to a less
problematic lifestyle.[3]
18. ALCOHOL CONCERN
RECOMMENDATIONS:
(a) Better definition and recording
of the scope of the problem
1. Those who work on a day-to-day basis
in the criminal justice system (for example police, probation
officers and lawyers) are clear about the impact that alcohol
has on their work; however the absence of systems for recording
data about alcohol-related crime means that there is little formal
evidence of need. It is vital that a system for recording such
data is put in place so we have a clearer idea of how wide scale
the problem is.
(b) Better evaluation and research
into current initiatives
1. There is not as far as we know any comprehensive
research on the effectiveness of alcohol free/controlled drinking
zones as a way of tackling street drinking as a problem.
2. Monitoring the use of police powers—Enforcement
of legislation on drunk and disorderly behaviour has dropped sharply
over the last 10 years which reflects the problems in policing
large numbers of drunk people and the low priority given to the
problem historically. Similarly anecdotal evidence suggests that
sanctions against irresponsible retailers such as the ability
to shut rowdy premises for 24 hours are not used but we have not
been able to access comprehensive data on this. The use of new
sanctions such as the dispersal orders, ASBOs and Fixed Fine Penalties
need to be monitored.
(c) Increased Priority given to Policing
Alcohol Related Anti-Social Behaviour
1. The attention paid to the Summer Enforcement
campaign needs to be carried on throughout the year.
2. Alcohol related anti-social behaviour
should be a key priority in the National Police Plan and within
Home Office public service agreements.
(d) Responsibilities of the Alcohol
Industry for tackling anti-social behaviour
1. The role and responsibility of the Industry
in tackling alcohol related anti-social behaviour needs to be
highlighted.
2. Test purchasing for underage sales needs
to continue as standard.
3. Sales to intoxicated purchasers is something
which is well known to occur—but rarely results in a conviction.
In order to challenge the complacency of retail trade on this
issue this needs to be changed. Test purchasing in these circumstances
are difficult but it would be possible to mount surveillance operations
and high profile prosecutions in this area would be a welcome
focus of attention.
(e) Challenging the culture of drunkenness
1. The Strategy Unit interim analysis pointed
out that expectations about the effect that alcohol has on behaviour
also plays a key role and drunkenness is often used as an excuse
for out of character behaviour. Drunkenness therefore should no
longer be seen as a mitigating factor in criminal behaviour.
2. Public Campaigns on Drunkenness need
to be mounted to challenge public opinion in the same way as smoking.
Currently quantity of alcohol consumed is seen as a proxy for
a good night being had and this will need to change if we are
to prevent drunken anti-social behaviour from occurring.
(f) Prevention and Treatment
1. Young people in particular cite the lack
of youth facilities as reasons for anti-social behaviour—and
the role of parenting support, youth and community services and
the youth justice system in diverting young people from anti-social
behaviour and from alcohol related anti-social behaviour in particular
should be recognised.
2. Links between treatment and criminal
justice agenda should be built in particular into initiatives
aimed at street drinkers.
18 October 2004
1 All figures from Strategy Unit Interim Analytical
Report on Alcohol. Back
2
Home Office (2003) Findings 185 "Drinking Crime and Disorder". Back
3
Wet day Centres in the UK: A research report and manual (Crane,
M and Warnes, M) University of Sheffield 2003.
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