Janet Dean

Those who most fear crime, particularly violent crime, are not those who are most likely to be the victims of crime.

The vast majority of violent crimes are not only committed by young men but also suffered by them.  Much of that violence occurs because of excessive alcohol consumption.

My constituency includes the capital of brewing, Burton upon Trent, with the largest brewery in the UK, a major regional brewer and four microbreweries.

I am, therefore, keenly aware of the social and employment benefits that beer production and consumption can bring.

It is estimated that 107,000 people are employed directly in brewing and distribution in the UK, with another 700,000 indirectly employed in retailing and related activities.

Most people who enjoy a pint do so without causing any problems to themselves or others, and even though alcohol is increasingly consumed at home the British pub is still a valued tradition.

However, when alcohol is misused it can bring misery to the individual and nuisance and disturbance to our towns, cities and local communities.

The government has recently published its Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England, which seeks to address, in a targeted way, the problems caused by alcohol abuse.

I know that most of the alcohol industry is keen to work with the government to encourage the sensible enjoyment of alcohol and to tackle underage and binge drinking.

Some brewers are already demonstrating their willingness to help to reduce alcohol abuse.  Coors, in my constituency, has targeted its advertising at sensible drinking as well as allowing the local addiction centre to lease property from them at a reduced rental.

We must target the minority of retailers who act irresponsibly by selling alcohol to underage young people or who encourage binge drinking by cheap pricing offers.

Furthermore, the police now have new powers to tackle the "out of control" drinking that has increased the violence in our town and city centres in recent years.  We cannot continue with 70 per cent of weekend night admissions to A&E departments being due to alcohol.

Those who drink underage in our parks and open spaces are put more at risk from drug pushers and inappropriate sexual activity.

They also cause a nuisance to local residents, and may be part of the reason why people feel insecure and in fear of crime, when crime overall is reducing.

As someone once said, we must continue to be "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime".