Licensing Act has had no impact on combating alcohol fuelled violence

The Licensing Act 2003 has had “no impact whatsoever” on reducing street violence, according to the Local Government Association (LGA).

The LGA spoke to 20 police forces in England and Wales and asked if they had seen a reduction in the level of alcohol fuelled violence since the Act came into force in 2005.

The majority (70%) said they had either seen no reduction in alcohol related crime or an increase.

However despite’s the LGA’s claim, 30% of police forces said they had actually seen a fall in alcohol-related violence as a result of the changes.

Half of police forces reported alcohol-related disorder had shifted to later in the night as a result of the changes.

Sir Simon Milton, chairman of the LGA, said: “The new drinks laws have made no impact whatsoever on reducing the alcohol-related violence that blights town centres and turns them into no-go areas on a Friday and Saturday night.

Milton added that the Act was burdened with exaggerated expectations and it was never going to be a single solution to alcohol related violence.

”The Government was always going to fall short on its promises to curb excessive drinking because new licensing laws alone were never going to be enough to change this endemic culture of alcohol and violence.”

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By Christopher Walton

 

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