Cut crime with drink tax, Gordon Brown toldBy James Kirkup, Political Correspondent
Alcohol should be made more expensive to cut down on violent crime, Gordon Brown's own advisers have suggested.
The Strategy Unit, which is part of the Cabinet Office, has also told him that increasing taxes on drinks would curb domestic violence and reduce traffic accidents and injuries in the workplace.
The recommendation is contained in a briefing paper. The unit's conclusions come amid growing political unease about the effects of cheap alcohol.
Shops selling lager more cheaply than water are fuelling violent crime and social disorder, a senior police officer said this week.
The 137-page report, entitled Achieving Culture Change: A Policy Framework was presented to Cabinet ministers last month.
The report says: "Alcohol consumption has been shown to be sensitive both to availability and price. Increasing the price of alcohol has the potential to reduce road accidents, work injuries, violent crime and abuse."
Ministers are studying the relationship between the price and consumption of alcohol, and are expected to report in the summer.
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