ACS

Government has unveiled the learnings from a £1.4 million summer enforcement campaign targeted at underage drinking and anti-social behaviour. Police, youth agencies and local authorities co-ordinated a clampdown on youth drinking including confiscating alcohol, dispersing groups and requiring persistent offenders to sign up to acceptable behaviour contracts. Ministers have called the campaign a ‘success story.’

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed the campaign which took place between July and September in 69 priority areas across England and Wales; as a result:

• 5,171 litres of alcohol were confiscated
• 3,721 actions were taken for drinking in public, including 500 dispersal orders
• Almost 2,000 young people were referred to support services, including 324 for alcohol treatment
• 1,829 parents were informed about their children's behaviour
• 18,660 youngsters were directed to other activities in their areas
• A further 515 police operations were carried out in the 69 areas, with 2,074 youngsters who were drunk and causing trouble referred to support services

The campaign also included test purchasing of licensed premises; of the 2,467 visits undertaken, there were 349 failures (14%).

ACS Chief Executive James Lowman said: “This campaign is a model of the right approach to alcohol enforcement. We have learnt that the best way to tackle youth drinking is to target all aspects of the problem. This includes preventing underage sales, but also targeting the young people, breaking up gangs, confiscating alcohol and ensuring parents are reminded of their responsibilities. It is clear that this all encompassing approach gets results.

“The figures on test purchasing show progress and are a significant drop on the types of figures we saw in campaigns like this even two years ago. Progress is good, but it does not mean that this failure rate is tolerable. The industry still has to do more to ensure that no young person can buy alcohol for themselves in our shops.”

Contacts:

Shane Brennan Public Affairs Director
01252 515001/ 07921 372 978

Nina Collins Communications Coordinator
01252 515001

Notes to Editors:

1. ACS (Association of Convenience Stores) is the voice of local shops, representing over 33,500 convenience stores. ACS helps local shops thrive through lobbying, support and networking opportunities.