Chief inspector issues appeal after figures show high seizures of drink

Chief inspector issues appeal after figures show high seizures of drink

7 January 2015

THE highest number of alcohol seizures from young people in Northern Ireland are made in the Down policing area, according to new figures.

Laying bare the scale of underage drinking locally, the PSNI seized alcohol on 949 occasions over the past four years — with 2,561 items confiscated.

Ards had the second highest number of seizures at 866, following by Foyle at 558 and West Belfast at 473. Larne, at seven seizures, came at the bottom of the table.

When it came to the quantity of alcohol confiscated, Down’s 2561 items puts it fourth highest of all the policing areas. West Belfast came top with 5,351 items seized, and South Belfast in second place (4,478).

In a list of 25 alcohol confiscation hotspots across Northern Ireland Newcastle is ranked seventh highest and Downpatrick 11th, according to the figures.

Upper Grosvenor Road in west Belfast came tops.

The figures, which cover from 2011 to October 2014, show police are confiscating alcohol from children at a rate of more than one bottle or can every single hour.

A total of 34,652 alcohol items from children and teenagers under 18 during this period. Four fifths of the alcohol was seized from boys.

Overall, however, both the number of confiscations and amount of alcohol seized has fallen year-on-year. There were more than 2,400 confiscations in 2011 compared to just over 1,500 in 2013.

DUP health minister Jim Wells last month announced plans to introduce a minimum price per unit of alcohol to tackle the “staggering” harm caused by excessive consumption.

Chief Inspector Gillian West, Down Area Commander, said issues with alcohol were no different in the Down area than in other areas across Northern Ireland. She did say, however, that officers in the area are committed to playing their part in tackling the problem.

“Alcohol is often associated with instances of antisocial behaviour, criminal damage, assault and other crimes, all of which contribute to crime and the fear of crime,” she said.

“As part of our efforts to keep people in the Down area safe, officers enforce relevant legislation linked to the sale of alcohol, its consumption in public spaces and deal with criminal behaviour that is the result of excessive drinking.

“I would encourage everyone to think about the impact associated with the misuse of alcohol, both in terms of health and the very real consequences for those people who become victims of crime, incur serious injuries as a result of having drunk too much, or commit crime fuelled by alcohol.

“We will also continue to work alongside our partners to tackle an issue which has such an impact on the local community and we will play our part in whatever way we can.”

Ms. West said it was important young people were also aware of the consequences of consuming large amounts of alcohol and the fact that it is illegal to consume or purchase alcohol when under 18 years.

“Alcohol can affect your judgement and you can find yourself making decisions that you would never make in the cold, sober light of day,” she said. “The consequences of these decisions can be long reaching and can affect your education, career and travel opportunities.

“Everyone has their part to play in educating our young people and making sure that children do not have access to alcohol. We will continue to work with our partner agencies to push that message home. I would also ask parents to take time to speak to their children, know what they are doing and make them aware that it is not acceptable to drink alcohol before they are 18.”