Licensing laws

Senior judges have described the government's relaxation of drinking laws as "lunacy" that will encourage violence and crime.

 

The Council of Her Majesty's Circuit Judges, which represents 600 judges, says rapes, serious assaults and domestic violence will soar if pubs are allowed to open longer.

 

The report by those who deal with results of drink-fuelled crime in the courts follows a warning from police chiefs that the extension of drinking hours, due to begin in November, will lead to a holiday-resort drinking culture.

 

 

Stakeholder Response: BNTL Freeway

 

 

Barbara Briggs, chief executive of BNTL told ePolitix.com: "We at BNTL have to agree with the Council of Her Majesty’s Circuit Judges and say that we feel that the relaxation of the licensing laws will not only encourage violence and crime, but will lead to increase binge drinking.

 

"We also feel it will lead to an increase in risk taking behaviour by our young people which can result in injury, unprotected sex and as pointed out only this week in the media an increased use of alcohol as a ‘date rape’ drug.

 

"This topic has attracted a great deal of attention in 2005, while the ACPO, the Royal College of Surgeons and Alcohol Concern all expressing disquiet  over these changes which do not offer alternatives to our culture of drinking to excess but appear to encourage it.

 

"We have stated in the past that we do not wish to stop people enjoying themselves and having a drink of alcohol what we do object to is the blatant attitude of the industry compounded by the government’s attitude which encourages people to drink as much as they can, as quickly as they can for as cheaply as they can.

 

"We have been promised that the industry will put its’ house on order, but so far we have seen no evidence of this.

 

"Alcohol is directly linked to 1.2million violent incidents each year, to 360,000 domestic violence incidents, 70 per cent of accident and emergency  attendances between 12.00am and 5.00am and 22,000 premature deaths. The government in their own admission in a report produced for the PM’s strategy unit estimated that alcohol was costing the NHS approximately £1.7 billion per year.

 

"To be guilty of repeating what we have been saying for a number of months, that the drunken behaviour of the minority should not hinder the enjoyment of the majority but as many are now pointing out the relaxation of the licensing laws is not going to stop this behaviour but only encourage it further."

 

  

Stakeholder Response: Alcohol Concern

 

 

 

Geethika Jayatilaka, director of policy and public affairs at Alcohol Concern, said: "Given the prevailing drinking culture in Britain, extended licensing hours are more likely to turn our town centres into Faliraki than Florence.

 

"In theory, the aims behind the Licensing Act are worthy - reducing crime and disorder and tackling the binge-drinking culture - but at its heart the licensing Act is a de-regulatory act. In practice these changes may well increase crime and disorder rather than curb it - putting more pressure on police and struggling emergency services.

 

"The government seriously needs to re-consider how the new licensing provisions will impact on their strategy to resolve the multiple problems caused by excess drinking in Britain today."

 

 

Stakeholder Response: RoyalCollege of Physicians

 

 

 

Professor Ian Gilmore of the Royal College of Physicians said: "We have serious doubts that the continental style of drinking will be so easily translated into Britain. Given the starting point of an epidemic of binge drinking, it is more likely that liberalisation will instead be associated with a rise in alcohol misuse, drunkenness, medical damage, violence and public disorder.

 

"The places that will take advantage of changes in the law are not the local, neighbourhood pubs where responsible drinking already occurs and the staff know their customers.

 

"It will be the large, anonymous, urban establishments, with a young clientele, that will benefit most – but experience the most trouble, whether it is through an increase in street violence or in damage to health.

 

"Already, alcohol-related diseases are costing the NHS about £1.7bn every year. Around 17 million working days are lost annually because of alcohol abuse, costing our economy £6.4bn. Seventy per cent of all weekend night-time admissions to hospitals' accident and emergency departments are linked to alcohol. More than half of all violent crime is related to drink.

 

"Since worldwide research shows that levels of consumption are heavily influenced by price and availability, an increase in hours of sale, both on- and off-licence, are likely to be associated with a rise rather than fall in our alcohol consumption. There is a £30bn annual turnover in alcohol.

 

"International evidence does not support benefits of extending closing times of bars. In Perth, Western Australia, for instance, an extension of bar closing time from midnight until 1.00am led to a rise in alcohol consumption, violence and drunkenness.

 

"Similarly, in Iceland, longer drinking hours are said to have been a primary factor in a rise in the number of accidental deaths on the roads."

 

 

Stakeholder Response: LGA

 

 

Sir Jeremy Beecham, vice-chairman of the Local Government Association, said: "From November, local people will be able to hold irresponsible licensees to account by making the most of  new powers councils have to crack down on binge drinking.

 

"Substantiated complaints from residents will allow local authorities to take a whole range of new sanctions against the minority of pubs and clubs that cause problems.

 

"These include restricting opening hours, changing a pub's manager and closing down the premises all together."