Relationship between
consumption of alcohol and crime

Alcohol is widely used in the UK and most people 
consume alcohol socially and moderately without offending. 
However, drinking large amounts of alcohol in short periods 
of time may result in criminal and / or anti-social behaviour.

The NEW-ADAM (New English and Welsh Arrestee Drug 
Abuse Monitoring) research (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs/hors205.pdf)
gives a clear assessment of recent drugs and alcohol consumption on the part of the general range of suspected offenders arrested by the police.

The research is based on fieldwork in five English locations 
and builds on earlier research "Drugs and Crime: the results 
of research on drug testing and interviewing arrestees
 (Bennett, 1998) Home Office Research Study 183 (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs/hors183.pdf). 
Two of the five places covered in the NEW-ADAM 
research, Nottingham and Sunderland were included in 
the earlier research. Therefore it is possible to consider 
changes in drug and alcohol use by offenders over the period 1997-1999 for these two locations.

Identifying the precise role of alcohol in offending is difficult  however, it has been estimated that 40% of violent crime; 78% of assaults and 88% of criminal damage cases are committed 
while the offender is under the influence of alcohol. Although there is no simple causal relationship, alcohol is often consumed by offenders and victims prior to the offence being committed. Moreover, it is inextricably linked to disorder around licensed premises. In addition, fear of alcohol related violence or intimidation may well mean that large numbers of people avoid city centres on weekend evenings.

The Stage 3 report entitled "Crime and Disorder" (http://www.portman-group.org.uk) published by the Portman Group as part of their Alcohol and 
Society series reveals that the public see alcohol-related 
violence, street drinking and drink-driving as major problems. 
Other findings include;

• A quarter of all adults claim to have been a victim of 
  alcohol-related violence themselves, in a pub (14%), on the street (4%), or in their homes (7%).

• Street drinking was felt to be a problem by seven out of 
  ten people surveyed with the majority(57%) seeing 
  teenagers as the worst offenders

• Whilst 80% would support a ban on drinking in some 
  public areas, almost half say they have no confidence 
  that the police would be able to enforce the ban effectively

• More than half those surveyed thought that alcohol-related 
  crime was still increasing, both on the street (61%) and 
  in the pub(52%)

Alcohol Concern in their report review ‘BRITAIN’S RUIN’ (http://www.alcoholconcern.org.uk/servlets/doc/302) concluded that alcohol is a 
factor in a number of violent crimes ,e.g.

• Alcohol use is associated with 70 % of all
  stabbing and beatings;

• Alcohol is a factor in 40% of all recorded 
  domestic violence incidents

BCS 2000 (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/bcs1.html) showed that:

• victims of violence judged offenders to be under the influence of alcohol in 40% of incidents

  • 53% for stranger violence - reflecting that it often happens near a pub or club

  • the percentage was lowest for mugging (17%) -possibly reflecting the premeditated nature of the crime.

  Whether offender/s under the influence of drink or drugs in violent incidents (1998 and 2000 BCS)

Notes 
1 Source 1998 and 2000 BCS. In 1998 there was one incident of acquaintance violence where the offender was said to be under school age.
2 Not asked if offender was under school age. n 1998 there was one incident of acquaintance violence where the offender was said to be under school age.
3 Results for mugging should be treated with caution due to the small number of incidents.

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