Problem sweeping society

Delegates at the Bournemouth and Poole Alcohol Harm Reduction Conference heard it was not just a problem for the young but is a "silent epidemic" among the elderly who secretly drink at home to cope with problems of divorce and loneliness.

Off-licences selling cheap alcohol and pubs and clubs offering drinks from as little as 50p have also led to a huge jump in alcohol-fuelled crime.

Gathered together to debate how to tackle the issue were 150 delegates from health professionals and licensing chiefs to young Millennium Volunteers and councillors.

Chairman Douglas Eyre told delegates it was "not just a local problem and not a new problem".

And those who thought excessive drunkenness was a problem confined to our shores should think again as he discovered on a trip to New Zealand. They too are facing similar problems, he added.

Chief Supt Bob Boulton of Dorset Police outlined worrying statistics on the links between violent crime and alcohol and said the cost to Bournemouth town centre of violent crime was £4million per year.

Nationally around one third of domestic violence and 15 per cent of traffic deaths are alcohol-related he said. Fifty-one per cent of rapists have been drinking while 37 per cent were alcohol dependent. And 61 per cent of the population thinks alcohol-related violence is getting worse.

He praised the Daily Echo's Call Time on Glass campaign which saw glass-related crime in the town fall by 60 per cent after venues switched to polycarbonate glasses.

Dr Adrian Dawson, from Bournemouth and Poole Primary Care Trust said: "Many elderly people drink in their own homes. They are drinking reasonably high levels of alcohol and are coming forward with liver disease. It is elderly people who have retired and lost their partners and who compensate with alcohol."

John Shipp, Bournemouth night-time economy manager, said alcohol "plays a part" in the economy of Bournemouth and Poole with Saturday night revellers spending £52 million a year.

He added: "The massive number of licensed premises in Bournemouth are attracting vast numbers and are vital to sustaining tourism."

Delegates debated and voted on a number of questions including whether the legal age for the sale of alcohol should be raised and whether youngsters should be introduced to alcohol at an earlier age.

Delegates voted no to whether the number of outlets licensed for the sale of alcohol should be strictly limited by quota.

Cllr Barry Goldbart said the problem was not the number of outlets but problems surrounding certain ones.

Delegates voted yes to encouraging families to introduce alcohol earlier in small quantities in line with European culture.

Alison Dalton, church related community worker, said: "We should encourage families to normalise drinking in small quantities. It's how you use it in the home. That's more important than big conversations."

When asked whether alcohol should be more heavily taxed delegates were divided.

Mark Phillips, Poole council chaplaincy, said the discounting of alcohol was "a bigger issue" than taxing it more heavily.

Others said if alcohol was priced too highly young people would be more likely to turn to drugs.

Delegates overwhelmingly voted that the law on marketing of alcohol should be tightened.

Licensing team manager at Bournemouth council, Steve Wright, said when they tried to crack down on one licensee selling drinks for just 50p they were criticised by the Office of Fair Trading.

Cllr David Shaw, a member of the licensing panel, said he blamed soaps like Coronation Street for "encouraging people to drink".

Insp Neil MacBean of Dorset Police said new legislation which introducing 24-hour drinking also allowed police to take action against licensees offering cheap drinks.

Delegates rejected the notion that the legal age for alcohol sale be raised to 21.

Factfile

• 20% of men and 10% of women are binge drinkers.

• 38% of men and 16% of women aged between 16 and 64 are dependent on alcohol.

• A third of all domestic violence is alcohol related.

• 15% of road deaths are alcohol related.

• 58% of convicted rapists were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crime; l 37% of these rapists are alcohol dependent.

• Violent crime of which much is alcohol-related costs Bournemouth £4 million and the country between seven and eight billion pounds each year
• Three quarters of people held in prison cells are intoxicated.

• 2.8 million violent incidents take place every year in the Bournemouth area.

• Those most at risk of alcohol related violence are club goers and young males under the age of 30.

• 44% of violent crimes are linked to alcohol.

• The majority of crime related to alcohol takes place on Friday and Saturday nights.

• Pubs, clubs and food outlets are the places where most alcohol related violent crime takes place.

• 60% of all crimes which take place in Bournemouth town centre are alcohol related.

• There are 5 alcohol related hospital admissions per day.

• People aged 18-35 who are involved in alcohol related accidents are more likely to attend A and E than be admitted to hospital.

• The majority of alcohol related hospital admissions are elderly people who are drinking at home.

• The evening footfall in Poole town centre is up 11% from 2006.

• There are currently 90 licensed venues in Bournemouth.

• There are on average 50,000 visitors to Bournemouth town centre on a Saturday night.