A £330 million a year drink problem

A SMALL minority of irresponsible drinkers are costing Cheshire £330 million a year, according to Police and Crime Commissioner John Dwyer.
He blames cheap drinks, late night opening and “pre-loading” for the problem.
Mr Dwyer (pictured) was speaking after attending the North West Alcohol Summit at which more than 120 delegates from a variety of organisations met with the aim of working together to reduce alcohol crime.
Across the region, the police, NHS, councils and other agencies spend £3 billion a year cleaning up the mess alcohol leaves behind.
Mr Dwyer said: “I don’t have a problem with people who have the occasional drink.
“Most of us have a drink or two, know our limits and drink responsibly. It’s the small minority that are a nuisance and cost Cheshire £330 million a year to put right.
“It’s cheap drinks, late night openings and pre-loading that are causing the problems. For example, 47 per cent of violent crime is caused by alcohol.
“Back in the 70s when I was a bobby on the beat, we were able to deal with and process drunken people before our night shift ended. Nowadays, officers who are starting the morning shift are still dealing with the fall out from the night before because premises are continuing to serve alcohol up until 6am in the morning.”
Mr Dwyer said he was disappointed the Government had not progressed the proposed minimum unit pricing (MUP) to prevent the sale of cut price alcohol.
“I wrote an open letter to the Prime Minister expressing my grave concern regarding the decision to drop MUP. I suggested that it would be a major backwards step in the collective attempts to reduce crime in our communities, because of the link between alcohol and crime.
“At the moment, it doesn’t seem that MUP will be brought in nationally, but I’ve been pleased to read recently that Chester Pubwatch have agreed a minimum price for standard measures of alcoholic drinks such as: a pint, a glass of wine or a single shot of spirit. I know talks are being held in other parts of Cheshire about the introduction of late night levies. These are all steps in the right direction to help us combat alcohol-related crime and harm in our communities.
“During the Alcohol Summit, I stated my vision for 2020. During the 60s people thought nothing about driving home after an alcohol fuelled night out, and this was still the case when the Road Safety Act was established in 1967. Today drink driving is socially unacceptable. I want to see drunken behaviour on our streets also socially unacceptable.
“I’m glad to see that people and organisations in Cheshire are taking alcohol harm seriously, and want everyone to work together to ensure that the harm caused is reduced.”