24-hour drinking casualties dramatically increase

[AB Asks]

The number of drinking related casualties has trebled since the 24-hour drinking law came in a study from one hospital has shown. It was thought bringing in the law would make way for a more European caf� culture approach to drinking and cut down the number of violent crimes and reduce binge drinking. It is thought the findings from this hospital would be similar to the experiences of other hospitals across the country. What do you think? Have the longer drinking hours sent us all mad?

[jackthehat]

It is only thought that there will be similar findings.
Surely the jury should be out until definitive findings are made ?

[China Doll]

Do you have a link to the news item please?

I'd answer straight away but AB Asks has a nasty habit of not giving all the facts.

[Gromit]

Under the previous licensing regime, most pubs closed at 11pm and most of the violence occurred between 11pm and 2am.

If you read the detail, it says there has been a dramatic increase in violence between 3am and 6am. So the violencce has just got later not that there is more of it.

If figures were released for the 11pm - 2pm slot, they would show a decline in violence in that time slot.

For the Tories to interpret this data as a surge in violence is quite simply dishonest.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml =/news/2007/07/20/ndrinking120.xml

[IggyB]

well it would appear from the police force report (provided in Gromits link) that "There was a 22 per cent leap in specific alcohol-fuelled crime between 3am and 6am, although averages across the whole day were slightly down"...

I don't think the longer drinking hours have sent anyone mad but it has caused a few mp's and journalists to seize an opportunity to twist a few statistics

[Reverandfunk]

Perhaps it would reduce if the drunks (that you see abusing/assualting police on the tv programmes following police around) were put in court the next day fined �500.00 and given a criminal record.

You see people being absolute ar5eholes and they spend the night in the cells and let out the next morning hardly a deterrent.

[China Doll]

Cheers Gromit.

AB Asks - Are you in training to be a daily express (mail is too high brow) journalist? You'll definitely make it if so.

And as it appears that this is just a case of figure tweaking, I'm going to agree with the Rev and suggest that a bigger deterrent might be needed.

[NJOK]

I wouldn't be surprised if there was a rise in casualties but didn't well all expect a short-term blip?

A nation used to strict timetables of when you can and can't drink are bound to cut loose a bit when those laws are relaxed.

And then over time, when the novelty has worn off, we'll supposedly see an overall reduction in binging, as our drinking culture changes. That's fine isn't it?

[China Doll]

Don't try and bring reason in to this NJOK. That's not the AB Asks way.

[kwicky]

I've come to the conclusion that the British cannot hold their drink. It must be in our genes. No other country has the problems we have to the same scale. Drugs are being banned, why don't we ban all alcoholic liquor and just sell the non alcoholic variety. There might be a few moans about it but they will have to suffer the same fate as the smokers.

[andy-hughes]

If the government seriously wanted a 'cafe' society, they should have invested in subsidising people who build cafes!

The whole 'cafe society' argument is a total joke, based on cultural distances a mile wide which the government wilfully refuses to see. It's like this -

European people are family oriented. The like their children, and buold their socail lives around them, which includes introducing them to the notion of a glass of wine with a meal, and eating out late in the evening, which their weather permits. there is no mystery in alcohol for Europeans, who enjoy the company of their parents' generation, and are relaxed and friendly.

British families have children, but don't like them, and socialise in spite of them. Draconian licensing laws have meant that alcohol has built up a 'naughty ' grown-up' mystique. Young people don't like to have a drink, they drink to be drunk - an entire culture and indeed vocalbulary is built around the perceived wisdom of obtaining as much alcohol poisoning as quickly as possible.

The notion that oepning pubs later will make us adopt the European lifestyle is as laughable as it is futile - and the rsults are there for everyone to see.

Binge drinking is about a culture of social activity that sees alcohol abuse as a measure of having a good time - something which our European neighbours simply cannot fathom.

The government needs to edcuate people away from the idea of drinking to excess as a measure of social enjoyment, but this will take time, money, and resoures - which the government will not and never have placed in the right end of eduction - the primary sector.

As long as nursery care is seen as some sort of surrogate babysitting service staffed by minimum wage teenagers who don' have a particular career option in mind, but this will do - then our problems will continue to fester and escalate?

Respect?

[andy-hughes]

Start with the small children, and teach them the concept of being nice to each other, and watch the results filter onwards and upwards. It will take a couple of generations, but what's the alternative? jeremy Kyle and Police Camera Action?


We have the child care we deserve -but our children - who will be our teenagers and young adults to come, deserve a lot better.