Time to get tough: drunkenness should not be used to excuse crime, says Alcohol Concern

Tuesday 2nd November 2004 - Embargoed: 00:01 hrs

?Being drunk? should be considered as an aggravating factor when sentencing for violent or anti-social offences, says Alcohol Concern, the national authority campaigning for action on alcohol misuse.

This is just one of the proposals to be discussed at the charity?s annual conference today, which is expected to stimulate debate around the progress made so far in tackling alcohol-fuelled crime and disorder since the Government published its alcohol strategy nine months ago.

An estimated 23,000 incidents of alcohol-related violence take place in Britain each week, contributing to an overall expenditure of £7 billion per year dealing with the consequences of alcohol-related crime.

As a population we are drinking more and we?re drinking more often. As consumption increases, so does the risk of violent offending. Almost two-thirds of male prisoners and over a third of female prisoners have serious alcohol problems.

Moreover, alcohol problems among offenders have been identified as a factor preventing rehabilitation and increasing the risk of re-offending.

Richard Phillips, Acting Chief Executive of Alcohol Concern, says:

?It?s crucial that the drinking behaviour of those arrested for alcohol-related offences is addressed to tackle the cycle of repeat offending. It makes sense for the criminal justice system and alcohol treatment services to work more closely together and that?s something we?ll be thrashing out at the conference.?

He adds: ?The Government needs to sustain the impetus for change, making sure that the Police prioritise this area of work and by investing in treatment interventions for offenders.?

Alcohol Concern is making a number of recommendations to combat alcohol-fuelled crime and disorder in the UK. These include:
· More arrest referrals schemes: These schemes involve referring an offender to a local alcohol service for a brief course of treatment. There are currently eight pilot schemes in operation and early results show this approach can change behaviour.
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· Improving treatment services: To prevent re-offending the Government needs to invest in more specialist alcohol treatment services. Such services are not widely available at present, leaving many offenders untreated and at risk of re-offending.

· More prison alcohol treatment programmes: Around 20,000 prisoners in England and Wales have serious alcohol dependency problems yet no prisons are equipped with adequate alcohol treatment services. And despite a prison alcohol strategy having developed, there is no Government funding to implement it.

· Levies on licensed premises: Charging pubs, clubs and bars in problem areas in towns and city centres to help pay for additional policing required and street cleaning costs.

ENDS

A briefing paper on alcohol-related crime and disorder called ?Cutting it? will be available at www.alcoholconcern.org.uk/doc/849 on 2nd November.

To set up a media interview with a spokesperson, please contact Sophie Davison, Alcohol Concern press officer, on 020 7928 7377.

For press requests on the day of the conference, please call 020 7357 7856.

Notes to editors

Alcohol Concern is the national agency working to reduce alcohol-related harm in society. We campaign for action on alcohol misuse, making recommendations to key policy makers and professionals. We also help develop the level and quality of alcohol services available to problem drinkers and their families.

Find out more at www.alcoholconcern.org.uk

Date: 02 November 2004

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Tuesday 2nd November 2004 - Embargoed: 00:01 hrs
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