| Booze bingeing: Whose to blame? |
| Posted: July 9th, 2004 |
| By:
Colin Coates |
 |
Britain's drinking culuture
has resulted in us being labelled 'booze-bingers' who drink too much
on the weekend then hit the streets and unleash an orgy of violence,
vomit and vulgar behaviour turning our city centres into no go areas
for the average citizen. So now the government has launched a major
crackdown but who is to blame for the sorry state we find ourselves
in today? |
On Thursday the 8th of July the government launched an eight week major crackdown on binge drinking in cities and town centres across England and Wales.
The immediate aim of the crackdown is to reduce the alcohol-fuelled violence we see on our streets every weekend as revellers spill out of the bars, clubs and pubs.
However, the longer term aim is to "kick start a culture change".
On-the-spot fines, sting operations and anti-social behaviour orders are just a few of the weapons the police will have at their disposal to tackle the ever growing problem of binge drinking and anti-social behaviour.
Anti-social drinkers could be banned from city centres under the initiative.
The joint initiative between the police and government will target 77 black-spots around the country and if successful the scope will widen to cover the whole country.
The crackdown is also targeting alcohol outlets such as off-licences, bars and clubs who could lose their drinks licence if they are found to be selling drinks to youngsters under the age of 18.
Rowdy bars and clubs could also be shutdown for 24 hours if they can't control the behaviour of their punters.
Drinks industry escapes scrutiny
The initiative by the government and the police has been welcomed in many quarters but some people thing it doesn't go far enough because drinks manufacturers seemed to have escaped unscathed.
Many believe they have a big part to play and have more than contributed towards Britain's drinking culture through the use of glossy TV and print advertising commercials that glamorise alcohol.
Some people have even called for alcohol to carry health warnings similar to that of cigarettes but that has been rejected by the industry.
Cities, Towns & Regions Targeted By Crackdown
Avon & Somerset - Bath & North East
Avon and Somerset - Bristol
Bedfordshire - Luton
Cambridgeshire - Cambridge City Centre
Cheshire - Macclesfield
Cleveland - Middlesbrough
Cumbria - South Cumbria
Cumbria - North Cumbria
Derbyshire - Chesterfield
Derbyshire - Buxton
Derbyshire - Alfreton
Derbyshire - Derby
Dorset - Bournemouth
Durham - Darlington
Durham - North Area Durham
Dyfed-Powys - Powys Division
Essex - Southend BCU
Gloucestershire - Forrest & Gloucester
Gloucestershire - Cheltenham & Tewskesbury
GMP - Bolton
GMP - Wigan
GMP - Rochdale
GMP - North Manchester
Hampshire - North East
Hampshire - Basingstoke
Hampshire - Portsmouth
Hampshire - East Solent
Hampshire - Southampton
Hertfordshire - Western Area
Humberside - Hull
Humberside - Grimsby
Kent - South East Kent
Kent - Thanet
Lancs - Blackpool
Lancs - Preston
Lancs - Burnley
Leicestershire - East Area
Leicestershire - Central Area
Merseyside - Wirral
Merseyside - Sefton
Met - Westminster
Met - Newham
Met - Romford (Havering)
Met - Camden
Met - Kingston
Met - Islington
Met - Barnet
Met - Hillingdon
Met - Lewisham
North Yorkshire - Eastern Area
Northamptonshire - Northants
Northumbria - Newcastle
Nottinghamshire - Mansfield
Nottinghamshire - City C Division
South Wales - Swansea
South Wales - Cardiff
South Wales - Bridgend
South Yorkshire - Sheffield Central
Staffordshire - Stoke-on-Trent
Staffordshire - North Staffordshire
Staffordshire - Chase
Staffordshire - Trent Valley
Suffolk - Ipswich
Surrey - Guildford
Sussex - Brighton & Hove
Thames Valley - Thames Forrest
Warwickshire - South Warwickshire
West Mercia - Herefordshire
West Midlands - Birmingham City Centre
West Midlands - Dudley North
West Midlands - Coventry City
West Yorkshire - Calderdale (Halifax)
West Yorkshire - Huddersfield
West Yorkshire - Wakefield
West Yorkshire - Bradford
West Yorkshire - Leeds
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