It has been claimed that relaxing licensing laws could lead to an increase in violent crime. However, the government argues that allowing pubs and bars to stay open longer will help curb the binge drinking blamed for an 11 per cent rise in violent offences.

Government Response: Home Office

A spokesman for the Home Office said: "There is nothing new here, we said measures needed to be taken to tackle alcohol related disorder and these will help rather than hinder our efforts."

Party Response: Conservative

Shadow home secretary David Davis said: "ACPO is right to raise its concerns regarding 24 hour drinking in Britain. Research in Scotland, where relaxation of rules is already in place shows that crime has increased as a result.

"This government has tried to tackle problems surrounding alcohol and crime and failed every time. The charge of drunk and disorderly is hardly used, under age drinking is ignored and only a small number of pubs have been closed for repeated offences. The government has made no effort to encourage the police to use the powers they already have to deal with drink fuelled crime, and has no answer as to how policing will change with the relaxation of opening hours. A wait and see attitude will not do."

Forum Response: Association of Chief Police Officers

ACPO's president Chris Fox said: "We cannot deal with binge drinking - it is beyond police capability.

"We have to attack the behaviour.

"Unless we can stop young people drinking to excess in crowded clubs, the symptoms - what they do when they come out - will get worse.

"Society is changing. We are seeing this increase in drinking and binge drinking, heavy drinking to excess in large numbers.

"We are seeing an increase in the propensity to use weapons.

"In order to face the challenges ahead of the changing world we need to stay one step ahead of the criminal by working together more.

"This conference will give us time to reflect on these issues and turn thoughts into real policing actions in neighbourhoods around Britain.

"We have to work in the neighbourhoods to make them safer places - but at the same time we have to learn the skills that help us investigate international crime, deal with more complex societies of different races and cultures and get other parts of society to help us."

Forum Response: Alcohol Concern

Eric Appleby, chief executive of Alcohol Concern said: "The aims of the new licensing laws are very much motherhood and apple pie all of us want to see a change in the culture of binge drinking and a decrease in the related levels of violence and anti social behaviour.

"Realistically, changing the nation's drinking habits will take time and in the interim we must make sure that Police and Licensing Authorities are given the powers and resources to make sure that the quality of life of local residents does not suffer.

"Implementing the new licensing regime, paying for extra policing and street cleaning will be expensive, but vital if local community life is not to be harmed and it is only fair that the industry is asked to shoulder some of the responsibility for these extra costs.

"The licensing guidance which will be debated in parliament in the near future still does not go far enough in allocating enough resources for this to happen and will be seen by some as simply a blank cheque for the industry."

Forum Response: British Youth Council

Blossom Young, British Youth Council chairperson said: "BYC supports the
right of young people to enjoy alcohol legally, whilst sharing others' concern at the harm done by alcohol abuse. We support efforts to tackle excessive drinking by people of a very young age. This needs to be both through tackling crime that may occur as a result of excessive drinking, but also through recognising the wider issues which may lead to people, including young people, using alcohol to excess, tackling the reasons behind use.  Better, cheaper access to facilities for young people, and more provision for young people in general, providing real alternatives to clubs, bars, and accessing alcohol at a younger age, will go some way to tackling this.
 

"We recognise the difference between choosing to enjoy the inebriating effects of alcohol and becoming a public nuisance as a result; the two are not inherently the same.  We believe that efforts to counter young people's excessive drinking have only served to give alcohol an unhelpful social mystique.

"BYC rejects Chris Fox's view that young people are the sole perpetrators of alcohol induced crime. The suggestion that this is an issue confined to young people ignores the involvement in this issue of wider society, and further presents the view that young people are a problem in our society, rather than an important part of it. Young people are often the victims of crime; we deplore the common stereotyping of young people as likely to commit crime.

"BYC is firmly committed to supporting efforts to preventing all forms of crime, responding to crime with restorative justice. We would urge that any crime prevention measures consider implications for civil liberties. BYC urges the ACPO to further address the issue of those selling alcohol to young people under 18, recognising that it is not just young people acting illegally when drinking under age, but also those that facilitate this for them.

"We agree that the government and agencies, including breweries and retailers should work together to tackle this problem. Promoting and educating about sensible, responsible drinking amongst all citizens."

Forum Response: British National Temperance League

Barabra Biggs, chief executive officer at BNTL, said: "We at BNTL do not believe that the relaxation of our licensing hours will lead to a relaxation in the number of alcohol fuelled violent incidents happening in our cities and around the country every weekend.  We agree with Mr Chris Fox when he says the alcohol and drugs are recurrent themes in violent crime.