Alcohol Misuse
Tackling alcohol-related crime, disorder and nuisance Action Plan summary
This action plan sets out some key objectives and priorities for taking forward programmes of work to tackle alcohol related crime, disorder and nuisance.
While almost 90% of the UK population enjoys alcohol, in the most part without causing difficulties for themselves or others, alcohol misuse is a major cause of both ill health and social distress.
The Department of Health is to publish the Government’s proposals for a comprehensive national alcohol strategy later this year. In advance of that, much good work is being done to tackle the crime and disorder problems associated with alcohol misuse. This plan describes a range of initiatives to help tackle these problems, and provides a context for developing new ideas and innovative approaches, as part of local strategies, to address alcohol-related crime, disorder and nuisance.
The links between alcohol and crime
Alcohol misuse contributes significantly to crime levels, through alcohol specific offences, for example being drunk and disorderly in public, offences against the licensing laws, such as selling or serving alcohol to under-age drinkers, or offences committed under the influence of alcohol: it has been estimated that 40% of violent crime; 78% of assaults and 88% of criminal damage cases are committed while the offender is under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol is often consumed by offenders and victims prior to the offence being committed, and it is inextricably linked to disorder around licensed premises. In addition, fear of alcohol related violence or intimidation may well mean that large numbers of people avoid city centres on weekend evenings.
Against this background, over 70% of the local crime audits conducted by crime and disorder partnerships identified alcohol as an issue: over 40% of the audit documents highlighted drunkenness as an issue, and 60% related public order problems to alcohol.
Moving forward on alcohol and crime
This action plan builds on existing good practice. It has been drawn up following two alcohol and crime seminars, which have drawn on the support and commitment of a wide range of interested parties, including the police, local authorities, representatives of the licence trade, magistrates and others, all of whom will be critical to ensuring the success of the ideas and programmes set out in this plan.
Aim
Our aim is to encourage local action to reduce levels of alcohol-related crime, disorder and nuisance. Three specific objectives have been identified:
to reduce the problems arising from under-age drinking;
to reduce public drunkenness;
to prevent alcohol related violence.
Last update: Tuesday, September 05, 2006