The Wine and Spirit Trade Association has released a new guidance document ‘A New Way of Tackling Public Underage Drinking: Community Alcohol Partnerships' which claims to be a new model for local enforcement to tackle underage drinking. The guidance is based on a Community Alcohol Partnership (CAP) pilot scheme in St Neots that reduced underage public drinking and associated crime and disorder through better partnership working between retailers and enforcement agencies . The outcomes from the pilot are:
- 42% decrease in anti-social behaviour incidents in the St Neots area from August 2007 (pre-project) to February 2008 (post-project)
- 94% decrease in under-age people found in possession of alcohol
- 92% decrease in alcohol-related litter at key hot spot areas
- Amount of alcohol found on young people in St Neots was significantly lower than expected or in comparison with similar locations, such as Huntingdon
- No new hot spot problem areas created (i.e. no ‘balloon’ effect)
- Changed enforcement activity was cost-neutral
- Better relationship between retailers and enforcers
- Public perception that public spaces were more pleasant than previously – cleaner and fewer incidents of group drinking
See also the government's Youth Alcohol Action Plan published in June 2008
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