Licensees Warned To Help Reduce Under-age and Binge Drinking

PUB and club managers across the Thames Valley are to be issued with help and advice to combat under-age and binge drinking – and a strong warning, by police.
Thames Valley Police officers, working alongside Hampshire Constabulary and NHS South Central, have started handing out information packs to pubs, clubs and off-licences throughout the region.

Assistant Chief Constable, Nick Gargan, said:”Alcohol can provide an enjoyable addition to a good night out, and we don?t want to ban anyone from drinking.
But we do want to ensure our town and city centres are pleasurable places to be at night and we will be working with licensees to support them and their staff in being robust with underage and excessive drinkers.
?The packs contain material to help licensees explain the law to their staff and to customers they refuse to serve or ask for ID.
?Not only will they make life easier for licensees, the packs will help us expose irresponsible members of the licensing trade known as a ?soft touch? on alcohol sales.
?If they continue to fail to trade responsibly they can expect to have their license reviewed.?

Officers have already started handing out the packs and talking to licensees about how they can help them reduce drunk, rowdy and violent behaviour along with underage drinking.
It is hoped they will play a vital role in the year-long campaign designed to cut down binge drinking.
Officers have also warned any licensee whose premises continue to have a reputation as a ?soft touch? after the packs are handed out will be subject to a clamp-down.

Each pack contains details of the recommended number of daily alcohol units, the health impacts of drinking excessively, and the number of units found in a variety of drinks.

Posters and stickers containing information about age checks for display at bars and a log book for recording refusals to serve suspected underage drinkers will also be included, along with a fact sheet about the Violent Crime Reduction Act.

Dr James Mapstone, Acting Regional Director of Public Health, said: ?Working with licensees is one of the ways we are trying to limit the supply of alcohol to young people and raise awareness of the dangers of excessive drinking amongst adults generally.

?In the NHS we are seeing more and more people admitted to hospital as a result of alcohol and we can only highlight the dangers and help people make informed choices about how much they drink with the help of licensees, parents and other adults in the community.?

A study found the impact of violence associated with excessive drinking on the NHS and police to be a major drain on resources.

A typical glassing incident costs the NHS around