Government to crack down on alcohol crime4 March 2008
The Government will launch a crackdown on alcohol-fuelled disorder in light of the Review of the Licensing Act published today.
In a written ministerial statement, Culture Secretary Andy Burnham said that the review had produced a "mixed picture" of the impact of extended hours introduced in the Licensing Act in 2003 and that there needed to be a new focus on enforcement of police and local authority powers. Overall crime and alcohol consumption had fallen since 2003 but alcohol-related violence in the early hours of the morning had increased, he said.
In an interview with the Daily Mirror newspaper yesterday, the Prime Minister said that there needed to be tougher action on shops found to be selling alcohol to underage drinkers as well as a change in the drinking culture of the country. Any retailer caught selling to under-18s twice in a three-month period should lose its license, he said.
"We have to tighten up the penalties. Any shop that is selling to under-18s twice in three months shouold lose its license...If someone is selling to under-18s they are allowing these problems of binge drinking to grow and they are giving young people the worst possible start in life."
Mr Brown also pointed to other measures to deal with the sale of cheap alcohol and an advertising campaign to encourage responsible drinking and make being drunk in public socially unacceptable.
As well as the "two-strikes" rule for retailers, today's review also listed measures such as tougher sanctions on premises breaking the law and more instant closures of problem venues.
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