Publications > Crime solutions
Tackling alcohol-fuelled disorder in town and city centres
This guide is intended to share best practice, generate ideas and stimulate local debate in the light of the new regulations and powers brought into force on 24 November 2005 as part of the Licensing Act 2003. It presents advice on both new and existing powers for combating alcohol-fuelled disorder, real-world examples to show how they are being used in practice and information on where to go and who to talk to in order to find out more.
Title: Tackling alcohol-fuelled disorder in town and city centres
Authors: Association of Chief Police Officers, Department for Culture, Media & Sport, Home Office, Local Government Association, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
Number of pages: 8
Date published: November 2005
Availability:
Download full report
PDF 1.1Mb
The guide outlines options available to the police and councils. Many of these involve working in partnership. Options are outlines in brief below, but the full report contains a wealth of case studies and contacts to help illustrate these points and to give you ideas of how to tackle specific problems in your area.
Interventions to tackle alcohol-fuelled disorder
Tackling problem premises
Building an evidence base
Revoking the licences of problem premises has often proved a difficult process under the old legislation. The new Licensing Act places the local authority at the centre of the licensing process and will streamline the closure process for the worst offenders. Local agencies can take full advantage of the new licensing powers by gathering data from local authority, police, and other sources. Alongside traditional police, trading standards and environmental health data, other data sources could include:
CCTV incident logs
Street cleaning records
Citizen complaints
Hospital accident & emergency records
Real-world test purchasing operations
An effective way to change the problematic behaviour of licensed premises across an area is to identify the worst offenders and hit them hard, visibly and systematically with test purchasing operations. These can be most effective when they result in visible and numerous Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) against staff, which in turn can be used as evidence in licence reviews.
Placing local conditions on licences
In response to representations from an interested person or responsible authority, conditions can be attached to licences to promote the four strategic objectives of the Licensing Act 2003:
The prevention of crime and disorder
Public safety
The prevention of public nuisance
The protection of children from harm
The development of locally appropriate conditions has been given added significance by new powers in the 2003 Act for police and local authorities to close premises if these conditions are breached without the need for a further review
Responsible authorities (police, fire, health & safety, planning, trading standards, environmental health, child protection) can also apply for a review of licence at any time on grounds of threat to any of the four objectives above. When closure powers under the 2003 Act are exercised a review of the premises' licence is automatically triggered.
Monitoring premises for non-compliance with licence conditions
Where licensed premises break the conditions of their licence local agencies need to respond in an appropriate way. The typical response would be to review the licence again, with a view to further restricting the licence or revoking it.
However, the Licensing Act also allows licensed premises to be closed down by the Police for breach of licence without recourse to a further licence review. Whenever closures happen consider visible posters or other ways to communicate this to drinkers and other licensees.
Exercising enhanced emergency closure powers when necessary
The Licensing Act enhances key police powers to close premises for up to 24 hours to maintain public safety or stop excessive noise. These closure powers are to prevent imminent and unusual disturbances rather than systematic problems.
Tackling individual disorder
A comprehensive range of powers already exist to address the behaviour of individual drinkers. Specific tactics need to reflect local circumstances and priorities, but evidence from previous alcohol misuse enforcement campaigns suggests the following techniques, among others, are particularly effective:
Targeting interventions at troublesome individuals early in the evening, especially by using Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs).
Confiscation of alcohol from people drinking in the street.
Managing the night-time economy
Alongside the interventions that are strengthened in the 2003 Act, councils and other local partners can play a significant role in managing the night time economy, using street scene policies and partnership with the industry to promote safety and responsibility amongst licensees and drinkers:
Use environmental / street scene policies to reduce anti-social behaviour
Managing taxi / bus queues in the early hours
Provision of temporary urinals and bottle banks
Improved street lighting
Form local 'kite mark' schemes in partnership with the industry to promote positive corporate behaviour.
Local agencies across the country have found that addressing alcohol-related crime as part of an holistic strategy to manage the night-time-economy is highly effective. The Best Bar None awards scheme which raises standards in licensed premises is a vital component of such a strategy. Participation in this scheme can even be made a condition of a premise's licence if there is evidence of problematic behaviour.
Getting a copy
Download Tackling alcohol-fuelled disorder in town and city centres
PDF 1.1Mb
In addition to the guide there is further help available on the Reducing alcohol-related disorder area of the Together website.
Last update: 24 November 2005