Perceptions of crime and anti-social behaviour: Findings from the 2008/09 British Crime Survey

Results from the 2008/09 British Crime Survey (BCS) are now available, detailing recent perceptions of crime and anti-social behaviour including alcohol-related disorder.

Perceptions of crime and anti-social behaviour: Findings from the 2008/09 British Crime Survey can be found here (pdf).

According to the 2008/09 BCS, 26 per cent of people thought that people being drunk or rowdy in public places was a very/fairly big problem in their area. This was stable compared with 2007/08.

Some key alcohol-related findings from the report include:

• In line with previous findings, the most common behaviour, mentioned by three quarters of those perceiving a problem (76%), was that noise from people in the streets when they had been drinking caused a problem.
• The next most common problem was cans and bottles being left on the streets or thrown into gardens (69%). In addition, 55 per cent of people reported fast food wrapping being left on the streets or thrown into gardens as a problem, 37 per cent reported people urinating in public places to be a problem and 34 per cent reported vomit on the pavements to be a problem. In total, 80 per cent of people who perceived a problem with drunk or rowdy behaviour reported one or more of these environmental factors to be a problem.
• Young people drinking in public places was mentioned by 57 per cent of those perceiving a problem, while homeless people and alcoholics drinking in public places was mentioned by 16 per cent.
• Fifty-six per cent of those perceiving a problem said that people being abusive when they had been drinking was a problem, and 49 per cent said that people being intimidating when they had been drinking was a problem. In total, 66 per cent of those perceiving a problem reported people being abusive or intimidating when they had been drinking to be a problem.
• Alcohol-related violence was reported by 43 per cent of people who perceived a problem, with 37 per cent reporting fighting within or between groups to be a problem and 23 per cent reporting violence/people being assaulted by drunks.

Actual crime figures for England and Wales in 2008/09 can be found here.