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Public Health Minister Shona Robison today visited a community which has trialled an over-21s off-sales alcohol policy - and seen a fall in anti-social crime. Police and retailers in Cupar, Fife, decided action was needed to combat anti-social behaviour and underage drinking. In response, licensees agreed to trial a voluntary restriction on the sale of alcohol to those aged 21 and over on Friday and Saturday evenings. Comparing periods before and after the change, calls to police about anti-social crimes fell nearly 60 per cent, with a fall in actual offences of nearly 45 per cent. Ms Robison said the pilot highlighted how grassroots initiatives could make a big difference to residents' quality of life. She said: "Clearly, as Public Health Minister I think there are huge long-term health benefits from cutting down on alcohol intake and, for young people, delaying the age at which they start drinking regularly in order to develop a more mature relationship with alcohol. "But what this pilot shows is that, when the police, retailers and residents work together we can have a huge impact on anti-social behaviour for the good of the whole community. "Raising the off-sales alcohol age to 21 is just one of our proposals to tackle alcohol misuse, which costs Scotland more than 2.25 billion pounds per year. "We've also suggested having a minimum price for a unit of alcohol to end 'pocket money pricing' of some high-strength drinks and a social responsibility fee for some retailers. "Taken together, we think our proposals could help bring about the cultural shift in attitudes to alcohol we think is needed, in order for Scotland to reach its full potential. "I would encourage everyone to make their views known on this important issue through our consultation." Craig Dewar, Fife Police's divisional crime reduction plan Inspector based at Cupar police station, said the scheme was based on the successful pilot in Armadale, West Lothian. Having experienced similar problems of underage drinking and youth-related disorder in Cupar, Insp Dewar led a series of consultation meetings with local off-sales alcohol retailers to put a plan of action in place to restrict the sale of alcohol on Fridays and Saturdays to people aged 21 and over. Insp Dewar said: "The object of this trial is to disrupt the supply of alcohol to underage persons and have a positive impact on the quality of life of Cupar residents. "Compared to the crime levels of the three weeks leading up to the start of the campaign, there was a 58 percent reduction in the number of calls to the police concerning anti-social behaviour, with a 44 percent reduction in the commission of anti-social crimes. "The success of the scheme is primarily due to the support of the retailers in Cupar and the neighbouring village of Springfield, who have been 100 percent behind it." Paul Caira (43), who owns the Central Café in Cupar, said: "We had a lot of young kids hanging around outside the café and it was very intimidating for the customers, especially in the evenings. "We're now not selling to under-21s on a Friday and Saturday between 4pm and 10pm and I've really noticed the difference. Now, there are hardly any young people hanging around on the streets and the ones you do see are not under the influence. "I think it's also cut down on the 'agent buying' that we saw in Cupar, where young people who had just finished school were buying alcohol for their younger friends. When they're three years older they're much less likely to be hanging around with under-18s." Councillor Andrew Rodger, Chair of Fife Council's Licensing Board, praised the success of the scheme and the Minister for visiting the area to promote it. "We welcome initiatives such as this and it's terrific to see it has been such a success. We are committed to meeting the key objectives in the 2005 Licensing Act. This scheme in Cupar tackles two main areas - protecting children from harm and preventing public nuisance and disorder and it is a model I hope other areas if Fife choose to follow." Cupar's trial of a 21 age limit for buying off-sales alcohol began on June 27 and will run until August 2. All retailers in Cupar and the neighbouring village of Springfield with off-sales alcohol licences have signed up to the scheme. Ongoing police enforcement saw eight teenagers aged 13-16 under the influence of alcohol stopped and returned to their parents over the four weeks since the campaign began. Most have been referred to local alcohol and drug action services. The Scottish Government is currently consulting on its proposals for tackling Scotland's alcohol misuse problem, which is estimated to cost the country more than £2.25 billion per year across the NHS, police, the courts, social services and the wider economy. The consultation period ends on September 9. www.scotland.gov.uk |
