Drug and Alcohol Misuse

The misuse of drugs & alcohol is a significant contributory factor to the incidence of anti-social behaviour. 

• Alcohol is a factor in a number of violent crimes :

  • in 44% of all violent incidents that victim described the assailant as being drunk;

  • alcohol use is associated with 70% of all stabbings & beatings;

  • alcohol is a factor in 40% of domestic violence incidents;

• Poor neighbourhoods have a disproportionate number of problems of alcohol/drug-related anti-social behaviour 

  • very young frequent drinkers are more likely to damage property and to be poorly supervised by their parents;

  • the prevalence of problem-drinking increases in the lowest socio-economic group; and

  • teenagers in need of social work services are more than twice as likely to smoke, take illegal drugs, or abuse solvents.

(NB Dept. Health is currently developing a strategy to tackle alcohol misuse and protect communities from anti-social behaviour related to alcohol abuse for further information see (insert link & website address) See also Alcohol Crime Toolkit.

(The Government has produced a ten-year strategy entitled ‘Tackling Drugs to Build a Better Britain’. One of its aims is to protect communities from drug-related anti-social behaviour & crime. See

http://www.official-documents.co.uk/document/cm39/3945/strategy.htm