Southampton given £30,000 to help tackle alcohol related crime (From Daily Echo)
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Southampton given £30,000 to help tackle alcohol related crime
7:10am Monday 22nd December 2008 in
SOUTHAMPTON is being given a slice of a £1.5m Government fund to tackle alcohol-fuelled crime.
The Home Office awarded Southampton an extra £30,000 as one of 50 alcohol “priority areas” to tackle under age sales, confiscate alcohol from under-18s and to carry out tougher alcohol enforcement work.
Home Office minister Alan Campbell claimed it was a “timely boost to law enforcement”.
“I fully expect this will boost the drive against alcohol-related crime and disorder, and help reduce alcohol-related problems in Southampton,” he said.
Fellow Labour minister and MP for Southampton Itchen John Denham added: “Many people have told me that they are fed up with the antisocial behaviour caused by drinking. So I welcome this action.
"Those that cause problems for others must face the consequences of their actions."
But the council’s Tory Cabinet member responsible for tackling alcohol related disorder Councillor Royston Smith said: “It’s a derisory amount of money to react to a policy the Government created.
"Most of the alcohol fuelled crime and disorder is a direct result of the relaxation of the law in the 2003 licensing act. This will do little or nothing to improve the situation."
Comments(7)
Andy Locks Heath
says...
7:45am Mon 22 Dec 08
Georgem
says...
8:29am Mon 22 Dec 08
Looking forward immensely to seeing the cash spent on dressing someone up as the "Don't Be Drunk And Disorderly" Badger or something equally ineffective. Or maybe Plod could just blow the cash on a drinking binge, in an attempt to make being drunk look "uncool"?
hulla baloo
says...
8:38am Mon 22 Dec 08
Relax the laws on drinking hours,licensing and outlets etc and create this massive unsocial problem, at extra cost in both hours and resources, then throw pocket money at it in the hope of resolving it.
Need to return to basics and restrict sales to off licences only, under strict control, reduce drinking hours and make pubs more accountable, both socially and financially in the mess their clients leave behind.
gorf
says...
11:02am Mon 22 Dec 08
ALso why not make it a part of the licence for the new clubs/pub to install cctv in the area before they open
Paramjit Bahia
says...
2:08pm Mon 22 Dec 08
Only a complete fool or New Labour cabinet can think that £30k worth of public relations exercise will make the problem disappear.
To eradicate they have to tackle the root causes, which may be too many bars encouraged to open by right wing John Arnold's regime and/or relaxing of the opening hours by this government.
Miles Sway
says...
3:41pm Mon 22 Dec 08
Our problem is that getting drunk seems to be perfectly acceptable to your peers, and there is no real penalty for it, or for the consequent antisocial behaviour.
Somehow this needs to change, whether through real tough Police action on drunks or maybe society itself changing to a stance where it's no longer acceptable, either way until then nothing will change.
£30K spent like this is just £30K wasted
mmsmarine
says...
10:21am Sat 31 Jan 09
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