Alcohol Policy UK

News for 29/8/06

• Edinburgh: Street drinkers driven away from the Royal Mile have moved on to Princes Street Gardens where they have been blamed for creating a "nightmare".  Groups of up to 20 men and women have been congregating in the east side of the gardens, and drinking, fighting and harassing passers-by, throughout the day. A police crackdown during the Festival is believed to have temporarily pushed the drunks to the Meadows, but traders said today they feared they would return when it finishes next week.  Police are employing a little-used bylaw, controlling drinking in the city's parks, in an effort to clampdown on the problem.  The trouble has erupted since antisocial behaviour powers were used to disperse groups of drinkers gathering in Hunter Square.  The Scotsman

• Preston: More than 50 cans and bottles of alcohol have been seized from underage drinkers in a fortnight. The seized alcohol was taken from teens in renowned trouble-spots across South Ribble, including Dandy Brook Park in Lostock Hall, Cockshot Woods, Severn Drive and School Lane in Bamber Bridge.  The names of 25 youngsters were noted as part of a county-wide summer holiday clampdown called Operation Summer Nights, which finishes at the end of this month. In the operation officers use South Ribble Council's CCTV van and beat bobbies patrol anti-social behaviour hotspots.  Preston Today

• Hartlepool is the first town in the UK to specially protect and educate drug and alcohol users through a special pilot scheme.  Cleveland Fire Brigade has launched the home safety initiative for drug and alcohol addicts.  It follows the identification of this group as being more "vulnerable" than others, due to their addictions. In a bid to help them fully prepare for the eventuality of a blaze in their home, the brigade has teamed up with Safer Hartlepool Partnership, which provided funding for the scheme. Hartlepool woman Lindsay Galbraith, 25, is the brigade's drug and alcohol advocate, whose job is to raise fire safety awareness for this specialist group.  She will be referred to certain individuals from a number of sources including GPs, hospitals, police, probation and drug outreach workers.  Hartlepool Today

News for 27/8/06

• South Wales: Figures released to the Echo show arrests of drunk and disorderly revellers in Cardiff city centre and the Bay have increased by 121 per cent compared to the previous year.  Other parts of South Wales have seen smaller rises - including Bridgend where arrests have gone up by a third.  In Cardiff, since the Government's new 24-hour drinking laws were introduced every month has seen an increase in arrests compared to the same month a year earlier.  Police bosses say this is because officers are arresting heavy drinkers before they turn violent - and point to a significant reduction in the worst alcohol-related attacks, like glassings.  icWales

• SCOTLAND’S alcohol tsar has called on pubs and clubs to serve more food to prevent drink-fuelled violence. Tom Wood, a former deputy chief constable who advises the Scottish executive, believes serving chips, burgers as well as healthy options could reduce the number of assaults after closing time. Fast-food outlets are often a flashpoint for violence as people queue for takeaway meals after a night of heavy drinking. Wood’s intervention comes as the Scottish executive is considering asking landlords to provide sensible eating options as a condition of their licence. “For some time now we’ve seen situations where people leaving pubs have got themselves into big queues outside kebab houses or fish and chip shops where flashpoints and confrontations occur,” said Wood, who chairs the Scottish Association of Alcohol and Drug Action Teams. “The best thing to do would be to prevent [people] getting drunk in the first place rather than wait for them to get drunk then give them a pie. But if they did serve more food, it could reduce some of the trouble,” he went on to add. Times Online

• Wigan: Police seized Class A drugs and more than 100 cans and bottles of alcohol from youths who used the Internet to co-ordinate their illegal activities.  The major crackdown follows a month-long intelligence-gathering operation in Shevington after complaints from residents about large gangs of teenagers, sometimes 100 strong, congregating on playing fields at the rear of the village's youth club at night to binge on alcohol.  Police discovered many of the youths were travelling from Marsh Green, Worsley Hall, Beech Hill, Standish, Appley Bridge, Aspull and even Leigh, using an online instant messaging service and chatrooms to arrange when and where to meet up.  Extra patrols were deployed to target the youths and police confiscated vast quantities of beer, cider and alcopops, as well as 11 Ecstasy tablets and a large bag of "skunk" weed with street value of £80.  Police believe young adults in the gangs are buying the booze to sell to younger members, some as young as 12.  But officers even came across one 15-year-old girl who was dropped off at the fields, complete with alcohol, by her parents.  Wigan News

News for 6/8/06

• WORKINGTON’S award-winning Pubwatch scheme has helped police cut violent crime in the town by more than 25 per cent.  It is proving so successful that drinkers are now said to be more frightened of being banned from their favourite watering holes than being banged up in police cells.  The turnaround has been helped by the upgrading of CCTV cameras as well as new security lighting.  News & Star

• Research published by the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University and the North West Public Health Observatory, based on figures from 2004 to 2006, shows that across all of England, 18.2% of adults binge drink at least double the daily recommended level in one or more sessions a week, based on the week in which they were questioned.  But the biggest binge drinkers lived in the North East and North West (23% of adults) compared to those in the South East, South West and East of England (less than 16%). And experts warned that Britain had gone from a nation "enjoying a harmless tipple" to one developing "a dangerous alcohol addiction".  In Newcastle upon Tyne, Liverpool and Durham, more than 27% of adults said they binge drink, compared to areas such as East Dorset, where less than 10% of adults do so.  The Guardian   BBC story here.

Comments by Mark Bellis appearing to blame the situation on drinking withing the night time economy have been criticised by some in the on-licensed trade, who argue that 60% of alcohol is bought in supermarkets.  Morning Advertiser   [The link to the research hasn't been published yet; more on this shortly]

• Binge drinking has spread to women in their forties, a survey says.  Middle-aged women are missing work through hangovers and even passing out after a night's drinking, like people half their age, as they struggle to cope with stress.  The survey of 1,000 readers of a women's magazine suggests that the increase in drinking among older women could be part of a culture learned when they were younger, but a third of women aged over 30 said they were drinking more than they did in their teens and twenties.  The Telegraph

• Almost half of all fire deaths in Tayside last year occurred as a direct result of alcohol, it has been revealed, as a campaign was launched to highlight the dangers of fuelling fire with drink.  There were seven fatal fires between April 2005 and March 2006, with three a direct result of alcohol consumption. Tayside had the second highest alcohol-related fire deaths in Scotland, behind Strathclyde where there were 15.  All Scotland’s fire and rescue services joined forces to launch the new campaign, which includes a TV advert, to raise awareness of the direct link between alcohol misuse and accidental deaths.  The campaign is targeting males between 30 and 59, as statistics show they are at higher risk of having an alcohol-related fire in the home.  Evening Telegraph.   Evening Telegraph on a Glasgow fire death.   Previous post on alcohol related fire

• United London has been appointed by the Department of Health, in partnership with the Home Office, to handle its £3.5m multimedia sensible drinking campaign.  The activity is aimed at encouraging sensible drinking among young people - the campaign will target 16- to 24-year-old drinkers in England.  The drive is part of the government's Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy and is the first step in a push to change the drinking habits of young people.  Launching in the autumn, the campaign will include TV, cinema, radio, press, online and ambient advertising, supported by a PR strategy.   Creative Bulletin

• Scotland: Children as young as eight are being referred to the children's reporter with drink and drug problems, figures have revealed for the first time.  Referrals are made if social workers, the police or school teachers are sufficiently worried, about the welfare of individuals. The number of children 16 and under coming before a hearing because of alcohol or narcotic abuse fell from 219 in 2003-4 to 160 the following year. But the figures for 2004-5 revealed a worrying rise in very young children with drink and drug problems, with a small number of children under ten being referred to the panel, compared with none the previous year.  Scotsman

• Scotland: More than 30 licensed premises have been reported for selling alcohol to under-age customers in the first month of a pioneering police project using "undercover" children.  Supermarkets, pubs and corner shops were among those caught in the operation in Fife, the first of its kind in Scotland.  The operation is likely to be introduced throughout the country next year following the year-long project.  The Herald

Links for 15/7/06

• Wales: Alcohol-related deaths have increased by 400 per cent among Welsh men and 300 per cent among women in the last 20 years.  The report which also says that heavy drinking among teenagers in Wales is amongst the worst in Europe.  Figures also predict that 170 men and 90 Welsh women are likely to die of alcohol-related conditions this year.  Report author Dr Edward Coles hopes his findings will shock Welsh people into cutting down.  South Wales Echo, download report here

• Scotland: Children as young as eight are turning up at school with hangovers, fuelling a rise in violence in city primaries, headteachers have warned.  The number of violent incidents reported in primary and nursery schools has almost doubled in four years in Edinburgh, according to new figures released to the Evening News.  The number of violent incidents reported in secondary schools fell over the same period.  The majority of the 168 incidents reported in primaries and nurseries in the last academic year involved pupils either punching or kicking teachers.  Headteachers said drinking the night before was leading to growing numbers of pupils being surly, restless and uncontrollable in class, leading to clashes with teachers.  Scotsman

• Scotland: NHS chiefs were branded "irresponsible hypocrites" yesterday after investing charitable donations in one of the world's biggest drinks companies.  Some £250,000 given to NHS Grampian by the public, either as a result of fundraising or through bequests, has been put into the drinks giant Diageo, which makes Guinness, Smirnoff vodka and Johnnie Walker whisky.  It is seen as a sound investment, but the move has been condemned as it comes at a time when the NHS is warning Scots to drink less to try to tackle a big increase in drink-related illnesses.  Scotsman

• Edinburgh: Aggressive drunks and beggars threatened to turn it into a no-go area in the heart of the city centre.  The problems facing Hunter Square were so bad that police were handed special dispersal powers to drive out the trouble-makers. Now plans have been drawn up for gangs of homeless people to return to the square - but this time they are likely to be welcomed with open arms.  A team of homeless people would operate a coffee shop there as part of a Big Issue-style initiative being presented to the city council. Edinburgh-based Streetwork wants the outlet to be the first of a chain of cafes that will rival outlets such as Starbucks.  Scotsman

• Fareham: Parents have been told to stop buying booze for their children – or face fines of up to £5,000. The warning has come from police as they launch a crackdown on adults who supply alcohol to children. From today off-licences and supermarkets across the borough will display posters and distribute leaflets to shoppers, reminding them it is a criminal offence under the Licensing Act 2003.  Sergeant Roy Jennings said: 'We are increasingly facing the problem of parents buying alcohol on behalf of their children and then allowing their children to drink this alcohol on the streets.  'It is also becoming more common for children to pay strangers to buy alcohol for them, and while these adults may think this is harmless, they are breaking the law.'  Fareham & Meon News

• Suffolk police have warned women "intent on getting ratted" to make sure they had waxed and were "wearing nice pants" in case they collapsed. The advice was contained in a free magazine which officers say is aimed at keeping women safe when they go out drinking and clubbing.  Safe! magazine also contained a picture of a girl in a mini skirt with the caption "if you've got it, don't flaunt it" and warned that alcohol could leave women looking like "wrinkly old prunes".  Officers said they were adopting an editorial style which they hoped would appeal to women in their late teens.  Telegraph, Suffolk Constabulary press release, download Safe! here, info about Suffolk Nightsafe here

Links for 11/7/06

• The vast majority of women students worldwide know nothing about the lifestyle habits that can influence breast cancer risk. And they are no better informed about the disease than their male counterparts according to a report published in the European Journal of Cancer.  In the Cancer Research UK led study of more than 10,000 female students from 23 countries, fewer than five per cent realised that alcohol, exercise or being overweight could influence breast cancer risk.  Politics.co.uk story here, Abstract here.

• Police officers behind the county's Operation Summer Nights campaign to cut down on yobbish behaviour have joined forces with the Drinkaware Trust in the latest move to curb heavy drinking.  The two groups have created a special radio advert that aims to get people across Lancashire to drink sensibly this summer.  The hard-hitting advert will make people consider how alcohol affects their behaviour and be will be broadcast on 97.4 Rock FM from 10th July.  This is Lancashire

• The World Health Organisation has launched the WHO Regional Office for Europe, Alcohol control database.  The database provides data to track and assess alcohol policies and their implementation within and across countries of the European region.  The information is targeted to policy/decision-makers, prevention and control programme staff, researchers and global partners and others working with alcohol prevention.  Information can be either viewed on a country-by-country basis or in consolidated country comparison tables.  WHO

• Teenagers from affluent homes are the most likely to drink frequently and behave while drunk in a way that they will regret, according to a new study which also finds that girls typically drink more than boys.  The survey of 11 to 16 year olds shows that, while girls start drinking regularly later than boys, their intake increases significantly at around 13 and they outstrip boys by the time they are 14 or 15.  The Observer

• More than 80 people were arrested across the Avon and Somerset force area on July 8th as police focussed on the night time economy as part of Operation Relentless.  Licensed premises were visited, a rave was prevented, a pub was raided, test purchase operations were carried out and alcohol was confiscated from people underage.  People were given instant fines for mainly alcohol-related offences and people were given advice about how enjoy a safe night out.  Operation Relentless is Avon and Somerset Constabulary's biggest ever campaign to target criminals and turn the spotlight of fear on those who commit crime. It aims to ensure that the law-abiding people who live in the force area feel safe and are safe.  More details of the NTE activity here.

Links for 8/7/06

• Scarborough's booze bus will be put back on the road next month as part of a bid to crack down on alcohol-related crime.  The free Scarborough and District bus service, which is manned by police officers, ran 84 times and was used by 200 people after it was launched last Christmas – which worked out at an average of less than three passengers per journey.  But Scarborough's Community Safety Partnership is still set to relaunch the service to transport drinkers home every weekend in August in a bid to reduce crime and disorder on town centre streets during the busiest month of the year. Scarborough Today

• Paramedics and police are to swoop on teen boozers to warn them they are putting their lives in danger. Ambulance staff and workers will turn up at underage drinking hotspots to confiscate beer and liquor while trying to convince youths of the danger they are putting themselves in.  The operation will begin in south Liverpool, where gangs of up to 200 teenagers have been meeting up since May to drink and fight. If the "Don't Walk Away and Leave a Friend to Die" campaign is a success, it could be rolled out in the rest of Merseyside in an attempt to reduce the instances of police having to arrest teenagers or paramedics rushing them to hospital.  icLiverpool

• Sunderland: Police have arrested more than 2,000 people during the past year as part of an unprecedented crackdown on booze-fuelled violence. The figures were revealed as the Chief Constable of Northumbria Police revealed that Sunderland was one of the most successful places in the country at beating alcohol-related trouble. Teams of city officers have arrested 2,098 people as part of campaigns, "The Party's Over", "Don't Spoil the Party" and "When to Stop?" The Chief Constable said: "Out of the 273 police areas that took part in Don't Spoil the Party, Sunderland was just pipped to the top slot for its arrests and actions taken. And, as a force, Northumbria was the most successful in the country."  Sunderland Today

• Alcoholic nightcaps are the preferred bedtime tipple for millions of Britons, according to a recent survey.  Tea is the number one night time drink for both men and women.  But whisky, spirits and wine are a popular option for adults trying to lull themselves to sleep, the survey of 2,000 UK adults found.  Applying the findings nationally, the poll indicates that some 3.27 million men hit the booze before going to bed, compared with 2.08 million women.  For men, the top nightcaps were tea, then coffee, followed in joint third place by whisky, water and cold milk.  Women's favourite drinks were tea followed by water, coffee, hot chocolate and wine.  Guardian Unlimited

• Scotland: Controversial plans to create special supermarket queues for alcohol sales have won support from ministers. The radical plans would see shoppers forced to buy wine, beer or spirits separately from the rest of their groceries, in what is seen as a way of "de-normalising" alcohol sales. A major campaign will be launched in the next few months emphasising the dangers of excess alcohol. Ministers are keen to target those who regularly drink "small" amounts, and who may think they are not doing any damage to their health.

Links for 27/6/06

• Deaths in road accidents, poisoning, drowning, fires, falls, as well as injuries inflicted in violent attacks, suicides and armed conflicts are the third biggest killers after heart disease and cancer.  Injuries caused nine per cent of all deaths and 14 per cent of illness within western and eastern Europe, the World Health Organisation says.  And alcohol is at the root of most injuries, being responsible for up to 40-60 per cent of all injuries.  Life Style Extra  Download the WHO report via here.

• Drinkers who commit violent crimes could be forced to undergo rehab treatment, the Home Secretary has suggested amid warnings from senior police officers about the impact of relaxing drinking laws.  John Reid said he was considering whether the fast-tracking of drug addicts into detox to stop them reoffending could be extended to those who offended when drunk.  The Observer

• Edinburgh: City leaders have attacked the Scottish Executive for the noise problems outside pubs caused by the smoking ban.  Senior councillors are furious at being blamed for a rising tide of complaints over disruption caused by smokers loitering outside Capital licensed premises.  They have accused the Executive of not considering the impact of large groups congregating outside and the growth of pavement cafe areas.  The Scotsman

• Edinburgh: Around 3000 people across the city are currently receiving treatment for problems ranging from heroin addiction to alcoholism but often these people are seeing a number of different agencies without all the groups involved being aware of this.  Action on Alcohol and Drugs in Edinburgh has devised a new  "single shared assessment", which will see agencies use the same system for recording information about clients and then share this with each other.  A trial run of the project will start next week in North Edinburgh and if successful is expected to be rolled out across the city.  The Scotsman

• Swindon:  A new night bus service is being rolled out this weekend with the specific aim of getting clubbers out of the town centre, reducing the potential for drink-fuelled violence and crime.  The service is being run via a partnership involving bus operator Stagecoach, Swindon Council and the town's police force and will initially be trialled over a three-month period.  Swindon Advertiser

• Blackpool: In just four weekends, more than 200 bottles and cans of alcohol have been taken out of under-age hands by police in a crackdown on booze-fuelled disorder.  Operation Attitude used plain-clothed officers to observe the groups of youths, identify offenders and locate caches of illegally purchased alcohol that had been stashed in bushes or behind walls.  That information was then relayed by radio to uniformed officers who moved in to speak with the groups, seize the alcohol and deal with the offenders.  Arrests were made for causing criminal damage, public order offences and for assaults. Many more youths were dealt with by way of fixed penalty notices and given on the spot fines of between £40 and £80.  Police say the strong stance is in direct response to concerns raised at local Police and Communities Together meetings about problems caused by groups of up to 50 youths.  Blackpool Today

Links for 21/6/06

• Hemel Hempstead: Parents of underage drinkers are being told to stop sending their young teenagers out for the evening with bags full of alcohol bought by mums and dads.  Letters have gone out to every parent of a child at secondary school in Dacorum warning them of the dangers of providing alcohol for their underage offspring.  Hemel Today

• An expert group commissioned by NHS Scotland has found older people are drinking considerably more than previous generations.  It has suggested lowering the recommended level for safe drinking for baby-boomers, as the body's ability to cope with drink decreases with age.  It also suggested people are drinking more because alcohol is too cheap.  More and more older men and women are suffering from cirrhosis of the liver, and the report advises that recommendations on sensible drinking levels should be amended for the older drinker.  BBC News

• News from the advertising industry suggests the government has commissioned a multi-million pound anti-binge drinking campaign for the Autumn.  Brand Republic

• Two children a week are treated for binge drinking at hospitals in the Lothians, new figures have revealed.  Binge drinking has been blamed for children as young as six being diagnosed with drink-related illnesses such as alcohol poisoning and alcohol addiction.   The Scotsman

Links for 14/6/06

• Paramedics in Peterborough endured one of the busiest weekends on record after the city was gripped with World Cup fever.  Ambulance crews had to deal with a large number of drunken assaults and paramedics were also called out to deal with people who had fallen over, or become dehydrated after drinking too much booze.  The East Anglian Ambulance Service was called to Peterborough 148 times over Saturday and Sunday – up from 125 the previous weekend. Peterborough Today

• Police on South Tyneside arrested 101 people last week as part of the ongoing campaign to stamp trouble caused by booze-fuelled drinkers.  When To Stop? is the summer-long initiative targeting drunkenness, violence and disorder on the streets of South Shields and throughout the Northumbria Police area. South Tyneside Today

• A police chief has sparked controversy by suggesting the number of rapes in Scotland could be substantially reduced if women drank less.  Neil Richardson, assistant chief constable of Lothian and Borders Police, bases his claim on new research which identified victims' alcohol consumption as significant in a third of attacks.  Scotland on Sunday

• Norwich: The cost to the council of granting new licences was £255,598 with the authority only receiving £187,136 in fees, leaving a £68,462 shortfall. Nikki Rotsos, a spokesman for Norwich City Council, said: “We have always known that the income would not cover the costs and we have raised this on a number of occasions with central government.”  Norwich Evening News

• Bolton: Town centre revellers were given a safe drinking message on the opening night of the World Cup on a mobile video screen in a pioneering move by police.  The giant three metre by two metre screen, which is fixed to the side of a van, was moved between problem hot-spots in Bradshawgate and Nelson Square to urge drinkers to be careful.  Messages included: "Have fun on your night out but don't over-do it."  This is Lancashire

• The popularity of drinking at home is growing faster than drinking in pubs, cafes, clubs and restaurants, according to a new study that predicts consumption of alcohol at home will rise by almost 15 per cent, to £12.3bn in 2010, while UK consumers drink slightly more at home than they do outside.  During the same period the on-trade market is expected to grow 10 per cent.  The Publican

Links for 6/6/06

• Watching football and drinking: University of Sussex research reveals that the roaring crowds may be drinking their way through the game in an effort to compensate for not being good enough to play in it.  Scenta

• The unhealthy lifestyles of teenage girls who routinely skip meals, take drugs and drink and smoke too much have been exposed by a new Schools Health Education Unit (SHEU) survey.  They are missing breakfast to lose weight while increasingly knocking back large quantities of spirits and experimenting with drugs such as cannabis.  Daily Mail story;  SHEU

• Blackpool has a higher rate of drunken attacks on police officers than anywhere else in the North West. The statistics, produced by researchers at Liverpool John Moores University, showed: 167 constables were assaulted in Blackpool in 2004/05, the highest number in the North West.  Alcohol was involved in 62 of the offences. Blackpool Today

• Football fans across Merseyside and Cheshire are being urged to curb their drinking during the World Cup.  NHS workers will use the month-long tournament to launch a campaign highlighting the health dangers of alcohol.  Meanwhile, police will get involved to crack down on violence in pubs and bars that screen matches. icLiverpool

• A nurse who set out to tackle a massive problem of alcohol-related illness in his local community has been named Northern Ireland nurse of the year. He set up an alcohol liaison service in the Mater Hospital in north Belfast with a view to identifying high risk patients at an early stage, and went on to work in schools and with community groups and to lobby local politicians for action. StaffNurse.com