Alcohol Policy UK

Safe. Sensible. Social. Selling Alcohol Responsibly - consultation events

The Home Office are running a series of ten events around England and Wales in July and August 2009 as part of the consultation on the code of practice for alcohol retailers.  They want participants from the alcohol retail industry, licensing authorities, health bodies or enforcement agencies.

These events "will inform the future development of this policy in order to ensure that it gets the balance right by achieving reductions in alcohol related harms such as nuisance, crime and disorder, public safety, protection of children and the health impact, in a targeted and proportionate way that does not harm businesses that are behaving responsibly."

The dates are:

• Newcastle 7 July
• Hull 9 July
• Liverpool 14 July
• Nottingham 16 July
• Birmingham 21 July
• Cambridge 23 July
• Portsmouth 28 July
• Cardiff 30 July
• Weymouth 4 August
• London 6 August

Details and registration here.

Mandatory code proposals announced for further licensing regulations

The Home Office has opened consultation on the forthcoming mandatory licensing code of practice intended to address irresponsible retailing of alcohol and associated crime and disorder. The proposals set out a number of new requirements detailed in the main consultation document 'Safe. Sensible. Social. Selling alcohol responsibly'. The new code of practice has four 4 key areas:

• mandatory licensing conditions that will apply to licensed premises
• a requirement to display alcohol unit content and health related information
• discretionary local licensing conditions that can be applied to groups of two or more premises in any local area that have been clearly linked to alcohol-related nuisance and disorder
• statutory guidance to support the conditions and requirements, maximising the positive impact of the code, and good practice guidance.

The mandatory licensing conditions are expected to receive the most attention given that up to 8 compulsory requirements can be brought in under the proposals that will impact on how pubs and clubs and the off-trade sell alcohol. The proposals include a number of key conditions:

1. Banning irresponsible promotions such as 'all you can drink'
2. Banning irresponsible practices such as alcohol being directly dispensed into customers mouths
3. Ensuring smaller measures (but not glass sizes) are made available 
4. Ensuring the availability of free tap water
5. Ensuring online retailers have robust age-verifications systems
6. Ensuring point of sale information such as unit information and health guidelines are visible to all customers

The proposals for a new code of practice follow previous consultation last year on whether and how the government should take further action on retailers and industry. The government then quickly responded in announcing that further measures would be taken and published a consultation findings report. However when the announcement was made that a mandatory code was to be brought in, we highlighted dissatisfaction amongst some groups that the proposals would not directly address heavy discounting of alcohol by supermarkets. Arguments calling for action on the continued availability of cut-price alcohol from the off-trade were supported by findings that price and availability are directly linked to alcohol-related harm.

As a result, the debate over minimum pricing has continued, particularly following recommendations to the government to introduce minimum pricing by the Chief Medical Officer and other senior health professionals. However the Home Secretary and Prime Minister have both spoken out against minimum pricing, using the argument of not wanting 'to punish the sensible majority' although a recent presentation to the Commons Health Select Committee showed that "Moderate drinkers would only pay an extra £12 a year, whereas a harmful drinker, because they buy so many more units, would pay an extra £163 a year." (Guardian coverage here). 

The treasury has continued its promise of increasing duty on alcohol, last month announcing the most recent 2% increase.

Following announcement of the most recent proposals, further media attention and debate has opened up including:

• Criticism of 'confusing' mandatory code from the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), see  ACS press release for details
• Responses to the new code from Mike Craik, Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and Alcohol Concern Chief Executive, Don Shenker, included in this Home Office press release

Licensing news and updates: Scottish Industry agreement, Guinness glass has units, Pubwatch legality issue, Trading Standards reporting initiative

Scottish Government agrees new responsible sponsorship agreement

The Scottish Government and the Alcohol Industry Partnership have drawn up a new agreement which means sports teams, celebrities or events with appeal to under 18s will not be sponsored through alcohol branding. The deal also means responsible drinking messages will also appear at points of sale for alcohol. For more see a BBC report here. The move comes after talk of tough action on the industry by the Scottish government, including an rumoured move at introducing minimum pricing and moves to make a minimum age of 21 for purchasing alcohol from off-licenses. 

Last year year the British government set out objectives for a new mandatory code that would seek to increase the responsible retailing of alcohol.

New Guinness glass shows units

Drinks giant Diageo meanwhile takes a further step in improving unit awareness; a new Guinness glass that displays a pint's unit content of 2.3. See here for more.

Pubwatch ban powers to be challenged

The legality of powers to ban people from premises through the Pubwatch scheme is to be challenged. A forthcoming case is based on the issue as to whether the action to decide if a ban is appropriate holds a sufficient review process, based on a case in Haverhill. See CRP news story here. However Drinking Banning Orders take effect this year following the introduction of the 2006 Violent Crime Reduction Act.

Trading Standards acts to encourage under-age sales reporting

South Derbyshire's Trading Standards Team have taken a proactive approach to encouraging residents to report suspected under-age sales following only one such report. The lack of reporting came despite local shops selling to under 18s in nearly a quarter of cases. In response, the Violence, Alcohol Harm and Licensing (VAL) group have produced a form available from the council website for residents to use to report a suspected under-age sale. The form can be directly downloaded as a PDF here . See Burton news story for more.

Managing the NTE: Essex head cameras; Wrexham street pastors in

Officers across Tendring are the first in Essex Police's eastern division to be fitted with cameras that will be used in an effort to combat late night crime and anti-social behaviour. The seven cameras are being trialled on Friday and Saturday nights by neighbourhood policing teams in the district that includes towns such as Frinton and Clacton.

Chief Inspector Jon Hayter, the Tendring district commander, said:

“The seven cameras will be shared between neighbourhood policing teams in Harwich, Clacton, Walton, Frinton and Brightlingsea. These cameras will enable us to gather the best evidence that we can for alcohol-related and anti-social behaviour crimes. They will also act as a deterrent. We hope that they will be a great aide in the work we and our partners are doing to combat the problems associated with the night time economy”

 

Terry Allen, mayor of Frinton, hit the headlines after he put forward a proposal for Police Community Support Officers to be given night-vision goggles. He told the EADT he
welcomed the trial period for the head cameras, saying he hoped it would have the same success as the night vision goggles.

“I think the problem is that a lot of respect has gone and the good thing about the cameras is that they will show when people are mouthing off or causing trouble when they are being arrested.  EADT24

"Wonderful work" carried out by Wrexham's Street Pastors has been praised in the Welsh Assembly.  The town's AM, Lesley Griffiths, said the Street Pastors project is run by volunteers, with the support local churches and community groups, in partnership with North Wales Police and other statutory agencies. It is a voluntary, inter-denominational church response to urban problems. Members engage with people on the streets of Wrexham to care, listen and have dialogue during the town's nightime economy. They began their work on the streets of Wrexham on Friday 21st April, 2006. Newswales

Southwark plans third saturation zone

Southwark Council in London has taken the unusual step of planning for a third saturation zone in the borough. The zone, in which applicants for new licences will be refused unless it is proved they will not increase disorder, covers the Old Kent Road area. The council is also investigating whether other areas should have a saturation zone. The council’s consultation on the plan points to incidents of disorder in the proposed zone, also known as a cumulative impact area.

For example, in the six months to May 2008 there were 33 recorded incidents of violence against individuals and 46 of disorder. Poppleston Allen solicitor Piers Warne said few authorities have more than two saturation zones: Westminster is a notable example of a council that does have three. He said licences in the zones can be granted “where it is possible to show that your application will not add to the cumulative impact in the area”. Morning Advertiser

Tackling young people's drinking pt97: Daventry tests strips; Chorley fingerprints; IoM website; flip flops

Police in the Daventry area have a new piece of equipment to help identify if young people are drinking alcohol. Officers have been given alcohol test strips which can be dipped into drinks and will change colour if they contain alcohol. Daventry Express

A high-tech fingerprint scanner is proving a huge hit in tackling underage drinking in Chorley. Staff at Bargain Booze in Pall Mall, Chorley, use biometric fingerprint scanners to avoid youngsters buying booze and so far around 400 customers have signed up to an electronic database since it was introduced in August. Owner Chris Bury has also had the scanners installed at his off-licence on Chorley Road, Adlington, saying it's dramatically reduced abuse and violence against employees. Chorley Guardian, see also previous post

Isle of Man: A new alcohol awareness website has been launched to encourage people to drink more responsibly. The interactive site is the latest initiative to be developed under the umbrella of the Chief Minister's Drug and Alcohol Strategy. It targets one of the core objectives of promoting greater community responsibility towards alcohol use, particularly among young people. The website features sections on safer drinking, risky drinking and young drinkers and includes interactive tests aimed at dispelling some common myths about alcohol. iomtoday

Some CDRPs decided to use Home Office funding to tackle alcohol misuse on party packs designed to help people get home safely from a night out.  The media picked up on this and were particularly unimpressed by the inclusion of flip flops in the packs: Torbay; Bognor; Rugby.  The Telegraph did a round up here.

Drinking Banning Orders to be implemented in the summer; guidance on DPPOs and ADZs published

Home Office Minister Alan Campbell has announced that from next summer, Drinking Banning Orders will allow police and local authorities to stop a person entering premises if they have been involved in criminal or disorderly conduct under the influence of alcohol.

Breach of an order, which can last up to two years, can lead to a fine of up to £2,500. The orders are focused on people whose drinking has been identified as a factor in their disorderly conduct.

The Government also published guidance on obtaining Designated Public Place Orders (DPPOs) and establishing Alcohol Disorder Zones. DPPOs allow police and local authorities to confiscate alcohol in public places, and command individuals in that area to stop drinking.

Campbell said: “The Government has given police and local authorities a wide range of tools and powers to tackle alcohol fuelled crime. We have recently given police forces and councils across England and Wales a cash boost of £4.5 million to deal with specific local problems."  He called for councils and police to employ new measures only as a “last resort”.  Morning Advertiser

• Download Guidance on Designated Public Place Orders (DPPOs): For Local Authorities in England and Wales
• Background here
• Download Alcohol Disorder Zones Draft Guidance
• Home Office press release

Home Office funds extra enforcement for "top 50" alcohol blackspots

Eleven London boroughs will each receive £30,000 to tackle specific local troublespots of alcohol-related crime and disorder. Hackney, Islington, Westminster, Tower Hamlets, Barking and Dagenham, Hammersmith and Fulham, Lambeth, Waltham Forest, Ealing, Newham and Southwark will be given a share of a new national Home Office £1.5 million fund.

This money is available to the 50 priority areas which have the highest levels of alcohol-related crime and disorder and public concern about drunk and rowdy behaviour. This money will be used to tackle underage sales, confiscate alcohol from under 18s and to carry out tougher alcohol enforcement work.

Home Office Minister Alan Campbell said

This money provides a timely boost to law enforcement as we approach the festive period.  In many areas police and local authorities are effectively using the range of tools and powers we have provided to tackle alcohol related crime and disorder. 

We have backed that with £3 million in every part of England and Wales and an additional £1.5 million for our priority areas. This means a third of a million pounds in 11 London boroughs. I fully expect this will boost the drive against alcohol-related crime and disorder, and help reduce alcohol related problems in London.

In addition to the £1.5 million for the 50 priority areas, a further £3 million has already been awarded to 190 crime and disorder reduction partnerships across England and Wales to enforce the law against alcohol-related crime and disorder. This £3 million fund will be spent on supporting local, multi-agency campaigns to tackle alcohol related crime and disorder. Home Office

The top 50 list (see top 10 below) appears to have been derived using perceptions of alcohol-related anti-social behaviour and rates of "less serious wounding" crimes as a proxy for alcohol-related violence.  Blackpool tops the list, with Newham in second spot, yet these are two very different places, with contrasting night time economies (Newham's is minimal) and drinking cultures.  According to the indespensible North West Public Health Observatory's Local Alcohol Profiles for England, Newham has the 17th lowest synthetic estimate of binge drinking in England whilst Blackpool has the 26th highest. 

Can we rely on proxy measures to determine priority areas for enforcement?  No; what we need is better data on alcohol-related crime.  Better flagging of police records to denote the involvement of alcohol in incidents would be a start.

1. Blackpool
2. Newham
3. North East Lincolnshire
4. Southampton
5. Thanet
6. Lincoln
7. Burnley
8. Wakefield
9. Weymouth & Portland
10. Mansfield

New alcohol measures tackle irresponsible drinks deals - but not 'loss-leading'

Government officials today announced new measures to tackle irresponsible retailing practice such as 'happy hours' and 'buy one get one free' promotions. The measures will be delivered through a new code of practice that retailers will be legally obliged to comply with following findings that the existing voluntary code was widely flouted. Although the new mandatory code is yet to be produced, a Home Office/DoH press release announced key measures were to include:

• banning offers like 'all you can drink for £10'
• ensuring that customers in supermarkets are not required to buy very large amounts of a product to take advantage of price discounts
• ensuring staff selling alcohol are properly trained
• requiring that consumers are able to see unit content of all alcohol when they buy it
• requiring bars and pubs to have the minimum sized glasses available for customers who want them

But the announcements are likely to frustrate some groups, as the heavy discounting of alcohol by supermarkets will not be curbed, despite consultation responses identifying loss-leading by supermarkets as the most important issue to be addressed by the retailing code. Others had also called for minimum pricing measures which would help control loss-leading as well as the supply of 'high-alcohol low-price drinks' often targeted at binge and severely dependent drinkers.

The decision not to choose minimum pricing may be in part influenced by the current economic climate but is more likely to reflect a likely negative impact on the government's popularity; Jaqui Smith announced she did not want 'to stop the vast majority of people who enjoy alcohol and drink responsibly from doing so'.  However health lobbyists may criticise the lack of pricing control, especially following the review of the relationship between pricing and consumption by the University of Sheffield that has shown price is an effective control for alcohol related harm and would not adversely impact the majority of responsible drinkers. A recent BMJ report also advocated pricing control as more effective than treatment in further reducing alcohol harm.

It was also announced that local government and police partnerships are being given £3.5M to tackle alcohol-related problems with an extra £1.5M being given to high priority areas to assist with tackling under-age sales and communication campaigns.

The full consultation report, detailing responses and feedback from agencies and the public on the the new code and measures can be found here.

Know Your Limits festive campaign packs released

The national Know Your Limits campaign team have released a series of resources to help deliver a range of alcohol awareness messages to support unit awareness and responsible drinking. The resources include:

• Units: Christmas campaign pack which contains guidance on how to deliver a christmas campaign, press release templates and a quiz
• A general Units campaign resource pack that includes a range of guidance, press release templates and suggestions for delivering unit awareness campaigns
• A resource guide listing a range of available posters and leaflets that can be ordered from the DoH publications site 
• A summary document of the units campaign key messages
• A speaker presentation on the units campaign and on how to use the national campaign messages and resources to develop local campaigns

A binge drinking campaigns toolkit campaigns is also available from the Units site.