Serious violence follows binge drinking decline - but could the trend be about to turn?

Serious violence fell again in 2013 according to annual Cardiff University Research, with a 30% drop in people needing treatment in Emergency Departments after violence since 2010.

Falling alcohol consumption appears to have been a significant factor, especially a decline in binge drinking amongst young people as shown in the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN).

However Professor Jonathan Shepherd, who leads the Violence Research Group at Cardiff, warned that "the issue of alcohol-related violence endures, with violence-related Emergency Department attendance consistently at its highest levels on weekends". Each year over 200,000 people across England and Wales still end up in Emergency Departments with injuries caused by violence, with a recent report indicating binge drinking currently increases daily A&E attendance by 8%.

Shepherd also warned that that a recovering economy alongside public sector cuts could undermine the downward trend:

“We think if funding was taken out of CCTV in public places, together with cost cutting in the police partnerships – taking police analysts out because they are seen as backroom facilities rather than frontline – together with steps in the economy which make alcohol more affordable, would run the risk of violence increasing again.”

Could falling consumption be about to end?

With continued alcohol duty cuts this year and some degree of economic recovery, pressures on falling consumption may be quickly easing. In fact spend on drinking out has increased by 6% compared to last year, according to the Greene King Leisure Spend Tracker. Whilst the increase in drinking out has only been a modest 1% in London and the South East, the jump has been led by the rest of the Britain spending 8% more than last year.

Whilst spend on eating out has also increased (5%), it is the first time drinking out spend has led since the tracker report began. The report also asked drinkers which politician they would most like to have a pint with; 41% favoured none of them, with Nigel Farage beating the rest at 17%. Whichever Government comes in, they may well preside over a term in which a decade of falling consumptions ends.