Home affairsLetter from Rt Hon Theresa May MP, Home Secretary, to the Chair of the Committee, 9 October 2013

Thank you for your letter of 18 September in which you asked about the concept of “Welfare Centres” proposed by Adrian Lee, the Chief Constable of Northamptonshire, as places where persons arrested by the police might be detained to be dealt with. These centres have been referred to by the press as “drunk tanks”.

Chief Constable Lee mooted the idea in the press on 18 September as part of the “In Focus: Alcohol Harm” campaign, which was designed to challenge binge-drinking and timed to coincide with university freshers’ weeks. My understanding is that he is looking for new ways to challenge perceptions of the normality of excessive alcohol consumption, emphasise its negative consequences and encourage personal responsibility.

The Government is taking a wide range of action to tackle alcohol-related crime and disorder and has increased the powers available to the police, PCCs and local authorities. We are supporting innovative action at a local level and it is up to local authorities and agencies, including the police and PCCs, to decide what works best in their area, using the powers available.

I understand that Adrian Lee’s proposal for Welfare Centres is at an early, conceptual stage and Northamptonshire police intend to develop the proposal further. The provision of Welfare Centres does not form part of the Government’s Alcohol Strategy and we have not, therefore, issued guidance on it or assessed its costs and benefits. Whilst I am not aware of any pilot schemes that have been conducted or proposed domestically, I understand that a trial of a similar idea has recently commenced in Sydney, Australia.

Rt Hon Theresa May MP, Home Secretary