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LIQUOR LICENSING AND PUBLIC DISORDER: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ON THE IMPACT OF LICENSING AND OTHER CONTROLS / AUDIT OF LOCAL INITIATIVES

CHAPTER 3: AUDIT OF CURRENT INITIATIVES IN SCOTLAND

3.1 Having explored the literature, the focus of this part of the work was upon the identification of current and recent initiatives in Scotland, which have involved the regulation or control of the sale of alcohol or the context of consumption. In order to link the findings, the initiatives which have been identified through this audit have been grouped into the same overall categories as those identified in the literature review.

3.2 The first part of this chapter provides a summary of the respondents to the research by type and geographical area. Details of the actual initiatives are then provided, grouped by the categories identified, and giving more detailed examples where appropriate.

3.3 It should be stressed that the purpose of this part of the report is to provide a largely qualitative account of work being undertaken in Scotland. Although the numbers of initiatives of each type are given, the general focus is upon identifying patterns and examples of these, and specific numbers are not provided of the more detailed examples. There are a number of reasons for this. A simple count of initiatives would provide a misleading account of the scale of some of the work and an underestimate of the extent of coverage of such initiatives. In many cases, one initiative which was identified may involve in practice, for example, the regulation of all licensees in the area covered by a police force area or Licensing Board, thus involving a large geographical area and a large number of licensees. Although this means that the actual number of initiatives in Scotland is likely to be higher than the reported number, this does not materially affect this study, as the focus is upon the lessons which can be learned.

3.4 In addition, given variations in the scale of initiatives, information is not comparable between them. Such qualitative detail is, in any event, unnecessary, as the purpose of this report is to highlight examples of practice and perceptions of their effectiveness. It is also inappropriate to suggest that this is a comprehensive account of all initiatives in Scotland focusing on the regulation and control of alcohol (as the study relied upon organisations identifying their own and others' work). The value of the data, however, is in the identification of the types of organisations which are carrying out initiatives, the types of work which are being undertaken and the perceptions of those involved in these initiatives, particularly in terms of "what works" and any ways in which the initiatives could be improved.

RESPONDENTS

3.5 A total of 219 completed pro forma were returned, providing details of a range of current and recent work in Scotland. Some organisations were involved in more than one type of initiative and submitted a number of pro forma. This was particularly the case for the police where, for example, one force may be involved in a variety of initiatives in one location, or in separate initiatives in different locations. More details of these initiatives are provided later in this chapter.

Types of organisation reporting initiatives

3.6 The sources of pro forma by type of organisation are detailed in the following table.

Table 1. Sources of pro forma by type of organisation

A total of 13 of these forms were multiple references to the same initiative (e.g. sent by two separate organisations which were involved) and these were removed, leaving details of a total of 206 initiatives. The remainder of the analysis relates to these forms.

3.7 It should be noted here, however, that many of the individual initiatives may have had an impact across a large geographical area and may have included many individuals and businesses. Also, given the focus of the work upon regulation and control, it was not surprising to note that "police and criminal justice organisations" (most of which were police forces) provided the source of almost half of the returns.

3.8 In addition to the pro forma evidence, a discussion was held with a representative who provided a response on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, which gave an indication of the range of work being undertaken by the police. It was noted that this type of police work takes place at a number of levels, e.g., with the police represented at a strategic / policy level on the Scottish Advisory Committee on Alcohol Misuse (SACAM), information sharing and discussion between police forces, force level initiatives, and work taking place in parts of a force area. As well as multi-agency work through SACAM, police officers are also involved in inter-agency working at a local level through a range of groups and partnerships.

3.9 It was suggested that the police have a clear understanding of the links between alcohol and crime and a shared view of the types of initiatives required in order to address this. During the discussion, the importance of the police working in partnership with other organisations was stressed, and there was considerable evidence of this provided.

3.10 Only one example was found amongst the pro forma responses of a police officer who was less positive about the level of work being undertaken in their particular area, and who stated that:

"to sum up, police involvement in specific alcohol related partnership initiatives in [area] = none. Regular patrols on known underage drinkers' haunts is about as much as we do".

This was, however, clearly an exception amongst the police respondents, with most forces providing many examples of work being carried out.

3.11 It was also noted in the discussion with the ACPOS representative that the work of the police in relation to regulation and control takes place in an overall context, which includes a range of parallel work being undertaken by other organisations, such as preventive / awareness raising work and service provision. Licensing Boards are also a key organisation involved in regulation and control, and it is clear from the table that many provided information about initiatives taking place in their areas.

3.12 Local authorities and specialist drug and alcohol teams/services were also represented, although the focus upon regulation and control should be borne in mind, as it is likely that much of the work of these and health organisations will relate to preventive work and service provision. They were, however, involved in partnership or collaborative working in some cases.

3.13 A discussion was also held with a representative from The Scottish Local Authorities Community Safety Forum (SLACSF), as this type of work is relevant to much of their activity. It was stressed that this Forum and local Community Safety Partnerships (of which, it was pointed out, there are 32 in Scotland) bring together a number of organisations (e.g. police, local authorities and others) which have a key role in addressing alcohol problems. It was also suggested that the structure of these partnerships provides an appropriate means of tackling a multi-faceted issue.

3.14 Much of the focus of the work of the Forum and Partnerships is upon education / awareness raising and service provision to people with alcohol problems. It was also suggested, however, in relation to the specific focus of this report, that Partnerships have a role in initiatives relating to regulation and control of alcohol. In particular, they have a role in relation to providing a forum for the discussion of local and national needs/emergent issues and "what works". There is also a key role in information sharing, with individual organisations which are represented on the partnerships carrying out work and reporting back to the main Forum.

3.15 It was stressed, in discussion, that there is a need for all of these forms of work to be linked together, with initiatives which focus upon legislation, regulation and law enforcement considered alongside awareness raising / education and service provision. It was suggested that appropriate legislation should underpin the work of other types being carried out, supporting the overall objectives and approach of reducing alcohol problems, with the different types of initiative forming parts of a coherent strategy.

3.16 It was also noted in the pro forma responses from individual partnerships that tackling alcohol related crime and disorder runs through many of the strategic goals and actions of Community Safety Partnership work. The discussion with SLACSF identified that most of the partnerships are considering issues relating to tackling alcohol problems. One suggested, for example, that this was linked, amongst other initiatives, to work to address vandalism, road safety, domestic abuse, racist incidents, drugs and alcohol.

3.17 Generally, there were few forms returned by alcohol industry and business organisations, although the importance of their involvement in some of the initiatives has been recognised in the development of the Plan for Action. A meeting was held, however, with a representative of the Scottish Beer and Pubs Association (SBPA; previously the BLRA Scotland), who indicated that a range of work continues to be carried out through the alcohol industry and business organisations. Details of this were provided during the discussion.

3.18 As was the case with the police, the importance of working in partnership was stressed, and it was found that work takes place at a number of levels in the industry. The SBPA is involved in a number of government bodies and has input to a range of consultations. The Association is also involved in the work of the Portman Group, which carries out a variety of relevant work. The SBPA also works through its members as owners of pubs, with members encouraged to participate in work which is taking place. Members at a local level engage with other organisations, including the police, with whom many positive relationships have been established.

3.19 Where additional information was provided in these discussions, or was provided by organisations by letter without completing a pro forma, the details have been added to the findings from the pro forma survey and are also discussed in the following sections, as the presentation of the findings focuses on qualitative detail.

3.20 It is worth noting here that many of the organisations, which were unable to identify initiatives that were being undertaken, responded to indicate that alcohol-related crime was an area of interest and concern to them. Some also noted that it was likely that work to address these issues might be undertaken in the future.

3.21 Given the central role of the police in initiatives relating to regulation and control, the initiatives identified were grouped into the police force areas from which they were reported (see Table 2).

Table 2. Reported initiatives by police force area

3.22 As would be expected in accordance with their size, the highest proportion of initiatives were identified in the Lothian and Borders, and Strathclyde force areas. It is worth noting at this point, however, that the response from Central Scotland Police aggregated a range of initiatives on a single form relating to the "Safer Central" initiative. Therefore, although a pro forma may have reported one overall "initiative", there was a broad range of work taking place. This again demonstrates the importance of focusing upon the details of the work rather than a count of actual instances of initiatives. It is likely that one form was used to describe multiple types of work in other areas (most notably "Spotlight" campaigns in Strathclyde, but potentially elsewhere).

Types of initiative

3.23 The initiatives were organised into the three broad areas identified in the literature review:

• Initiatives to control availability of alcohol through licensing (including, for example, the imposition of conditions upon licenses, work to address opening hours or other aspects of sale of alcohol)
• Regulation of consumption, initiatives to tackle specific groups or crimes and enforcement of existing law (including, for example, drinking in certain locations, under age drinking, drink driving, etc) ²⁵
• Regulation or control of the environment or context of alcohol consumption (including, for example, staff training and registration, the use of toughened glass, design changes etc.)

3.24 In addition to these areas, although the focus of the audit was on initiatives relating to regulation/control of alcohol and the drinking environment, many respondents reported other types of work which was aimed specifically at reducing alcohol related crime and disorder. These have been noted separately in Table 3. Such work often accompanied the initiatives of the type described.

3.25 The numbers of initiatives which related (at least in part) to each of these overall areas was found to be as follows:

Table 3. Initiatives by type²⁶

3.26 A number of initiatives had multiple goals which included a combination of these type, sometimes with additional goals such as education and preventive work, or provision of services. A total of 40 (19%) of the initiatives could be considered to have multiple goals (e.g. controlling availability of sale and consumption of alcohol along with regulation of consumption for particular groups; initiatives targeting specific groups along with training initiatives or improvements to the drinking environment etc.).

3.27 Respondents were also asked to identify the types of behaviour which the work sought to target, and indicated as follows:

Table 4. Type of behaviour targeted²⁷

3.28 It is clear from Table 4 that the three aspects of alcohol-related crime and disorder at which the highest proportion of initiatives were directed were under age drinking, violence and aggression and binge drinking and drunkenness. These are areas which have been identified as being of concern in Scotland in other evidence and, as will become clear, the types of work carried out reflected this focus.

3.29 Overall, in terms of factors which were seen to contribute to the overall success of initiatives, the following emerged repeatedly:

• The importance of partnership / multi-agency working
• The need for individual initiatives to be undertaken as part of a wider strategy to address alcohol problems
• The need for resources

Within this overall context, the responses were analysed further in each of the overall categories and the findings are presented below.

INITIATIVES TO CONTROL LICENSING / AVAILABILITY OF ALCOHOL

3.30 Measures to control licensing and availability of alcohol were described in the literature review as including initiatives such as:

• Licensing regulation
• Licensing hours
• Closing times
• Legal drinking age
• Outlet density
• Types of outlet
• Advertising and pricing

3.31 When the work identified in Scotland was examined, a total of 26 initiatives were found which could be seen to fall into this category (13% of the total initiatives). Clearly, part of the reason for this relatively low number of examples of formal controls on licensing and availability of alcohol is that some of these issues would require statutory regulation at a national (or UK) level, and are thus less likely to be found being developed in local areas. In addition, however, as many of these initiatives were reported by Licensing Boards, although the number of individual initiatives is smaller than in other categories many of these applied across wide areas of Scotland, and to large numbers of licensed premises.

3.32 The initiatives which were reported in this category were largely those which could be regulated by the local Licensing Boards, and the commonest were the imposition of conditions upon licensing (often linked to the regular extension of permitted hours) and the development of policy documents. These initiatives were often linked to other related work to address behaviour by specific groups or environmental changes which were being carried out in the area, and will be described in due course).

3.33 The types of work being undertaken through these initiatives, which are relevant here, have been summarised in Table 5.

Table 5. Types of work

3.34 At a local level, there is no opportunity to regulate sale and consumption through overall opening hours (as these are established in law), legal drinking age, types of outlet or advertising and pricing, so many of the types of action identified in the literature review were not found in the survey. Table 5, however, identifies the main focus of initiatives in this category, with most of this involving work with licensees and the regulation of licensing hours or the imposition of conditions and controls upon licensees through the existing licensing process.

3.35 Respondents provided some examples of the ways in which the need for these initiatives had been identified. This often involved a generally increased public awareness of alcohol-related disorder, or a specific increase in complaints. In one case, for example, it was identified that there had been complaints of an increase in assaults, alleged to have been perpetrated by untrained door stewards.

The target behaviours

3.36 The initiatives in this category identified a range of behaviour which would be addressed by the work, with the majority focusing generally upon addressing violence and aggression or binge drinking and drunkenness, but also often including other forms of behaviour (see Table 6).

Table 6. Target behaviours

Examples of 'other' behaviours included specifically homophobic crime, drug misuse and poor door stewarding practice.

Specific examples of initiatives

The imposition of conditions - staff training

3.37 As noted above, the most common type of work which was identified in the Scottish survey (in terms of initiatives to control licensing) was the imposition of conditions upon the granting of licenses. This affected both extension of hours and outlet density.

3.38 The nature of the conditions varied, but these were often related to the requirement for licensee, staff or door steward training (both through byelaws and through regular extension of permitted hours conditions) and, in some cases, door steward registration. Staff training is discussed further later in relation to regulation of the drinking environment but, in these cases, was linked directly to the regulation and control of the actual opening hours and thus to the overall availability of alcohol. A number of Licensing Boards reported the development of such requirements in recent years.

3.39 Examples of this included one Licensing Board, which noted by letter that they were introducing a policy early in 2002 under which any regular extension of permitted hours to a registered club would be conditional upon at least one member or employee completing and obtaining a training certificate within the duration of the extension. Another identified that they had introduced a local scheme to address the regulation and suitability of door stewards in the absence of any statutory provision for this. One Board identified that it has its own training scheme which door stewards were required to attend, while others did not specify the source of the training.

The Imposition of Conditions - Radio link and CCTV

3.40 The conditions identified did not only relate to training, however, and a further example was identified (through the interviews) of a Licensing Board applying a condition that town centre premises join a radio link scheme which worked in conjunction with a CCTV system. One Licensing Board also noted that nightclubs across their area must have a minimum number of cameras as a condition of the regular extension of permitted hours.

The imposition of conditions - drinking up times and curfews

3.41 Two further conditions identified related to drinking up times and curfews (to control the movement of people between pubs and nightclubs).

3.42 One example was provided (by letter) of a Licensing Board policy relating to drinking up times, where entertainment licensees could obtain a regular extension of permitted hours each day up to 3.00am, but a condition was attached to each extension, stipulating that the sale of alcohol should stop at 2.45am to allow a thirty minute drinking up period.

3.43 Two other examples were found of initiatives which related to closing times and the development of effective "curfews". In both cases, the curfew was imposed as a condition of the regular extension of permitted hours, through the enforcement of a "no-admittance" rule after a designated time depending on the agreed closing time of the venue. In one of these cases, it was noted that the relevant local authority had worked in conjunction with the Licensing Board to restrict the hours of catering establishments and street traders to reflect the overall objectives underpinning the restrictions to extensions of permitted hours.

3.44 One Licensing Board also noted by letter that they had formulated a set of "policy hours" to regulate late night / early morning closing times for premises in the area. The respondent noted that:

"in formulating these policy hours, the Board has sought to strike a balance between the rights of licensees to run their businesses, the rights of customers to enjoy reasonable drinking hours and the rights of neighbouring proprietors to the peaceful enjoyment of their property".

The imposition of conditions - other

3.45 A number of Licensing Boards were also identified as imposing conditions on licensees in relation to the use of toughened glass. An example was also identified of the specification of the need for clearance of empty glasses and bottles. It was suggested that this had reduced the likelihood of serious injury where glassware was used in an assault. In addition, one respondent noted by letter that non-glass drinking vessels must be available on request for children.

3.46 Conditions specifying the number of patrons and the level of lighting were also identified by one Board. Two Licensing Boards noted by letter that when children's certificates were granted, amongst the conditions were that there would be no "happy hour" or similar promotions in operation during the hours when the children's certificate was in force.

Outlet density

3.47 No specific examples were given of controls upon the number of off or on-sales premises, but many responses indicated that this was included in the work undertaken. In the cases where this was mentioned, Licensing Boards indicated that they took account of the existing number of outlets (i.e. outlet density) as a factor in reaching their decisions.

3.48 In addition to the examples provided on the pro forma, one Licensing Board also sent an example of a leaflet entitled "How to Object to a Liquor Licensing Application", which provided details for objectors on how to object to licensing applications. This clearly affects the regulation and control of alcohol sale and consumption and, indirectly, outlet density.

Type of outlet

3.49 In terms of controls on the types of outlet selling alcohol, one Licensing Board noted that they had declined to grant new licenses to sites selling petrol, as they considered that this would provide an inappropriate message to drivers. Another Licensing Board noted that they had been concerned about the sale of "alcopops" (sweet fruit flavoured alcoholic drinks) and would also consider, in the renewal of off-sales licenses, the internal layout of the outlet.

The development of policy / guidelines

3.50 Finally, in this category, a number of Licensing Boards indicated that they had developed specific local policies and guidelines on various aspects of licensing to formalise some of the conditions outlined (often in relation to permitted extensions to opening hours of licensed premises, but also in relation to other issues).

3.51 A number of respondents described the development and implementation of policy documents relating to regular extensions. One example of this was a policy whereby where pubs in a city centre could open from 11pm to midnight on each night, and those outwith the city centre could do so on Friday and Saturday only. For entertainment venues, the extensions were until 3am in the city centre and 2am outwith this area.

3.52 An example was also provided of a policy having been developed in response to increasing complaints from local residents and businesses, where an effective ban was placed on regular extensions outwith the weekend period. These changes were accompanied by a Licensing Board review and the issue of guidelines.

3.53 One Licensing Board provided an example of new guidelines having been developed following a public consultation exercise, while another provided details of guidelines which had developed for dance events (with related conditions attached to entertainment licenses). One police force also reported the development of guidelines for the administration of police warnings to licensees and the provision of warning letters.

3.54 These policy documents often included details of the conditions which would be applied to licenses. Many policies provided details of staff training requirements, including examples of the need for refresher training, while others specified, for example, materials to be used in licensed premises and other conditions of licenses which have been identified in this report. It should be noted here that many Boards had a number of policy documents and one, for example, provided a range of policy documents relating to many of the above issues. All of these initiatives are likely to have an impact upon the overall regulation of sale and consumption of alcohol.

Perceptions of success

3.55 In terms of perceptions of the success of this type of work, 15 of the 26 responses in this category (58%) suggested that the work that they had carried out had been successful. It should be stressed, however, that there were only two cases in which the work was considered unsuccessful, with the remainder either having been introduced too recently to indicate success or where the respondent was unable to determine the outcome fully.

3.56 Although there was little formal evaluation evidence of the success or otherwise of these initiatives, some police responses provided information in relation to general trends. Many additional positive comments were also made and other anecdotal evidence also provided about these initiatives. Some of the more specific comments are noted below.

Imposition of conditions

3.57 Initiatives of this type were perceived to have been successful overall and, within this, there were seen to be benefits in the imposition of conditions on licenses.

3.58 Staff training conditions were generally viewed as a positive development, with door steward registration schemes also highlighted as useful. One Licensing Board, for example, reported that a scheme which was based upon registration, vetting and training had been welcomed by most of the traders in the area.

3.59 One issue raised in relation to the imposition of conditions was that a number of respondents expressed some frustration with the current approach to the training and registration of door stewards, particularly the lack of formalised "vetting" procedures and agreed standards, making it necessary to develop local schemes linked (in these cases) to licensing conditions. This issue is discussed further later in the report.

3.60 In relation to the use of curfews, one police respondent suggested that the use of these had helped to reduce the incidence of street disorder. It was also suggested that curfews had been successful in another area, where a review, for example, had identified that:

"it was the view of the police that the controls introduced by the Board in relation to evening extended hours had an effect on the movement of persons both within and from the city centre and in turn this had had a positive impact on policing both in relation to the best use of available police resources and the incidence of crime and disorder generally".

3.61 A general point made by one Licensing Board in relation to the use of byelaws was that there was a need for:

"a more receptive and responsive approach to the introduction of model byelaws under the 1976 Act for the better management of licensed premises".

In this case, the Board suggested that they had been seeking central government approval of model byelaws for a number of years.

Policy / guidelines

3.62 Similarly, the development of policies on regular extensions and the use of local guidelines were seen to be generally successful. One Licensing Board noted, for example, that reports from the Chief Constable had provided evidence of the impact of the development of a policy on regular extensions, and a high level of public support for this had also been identified. Another respondent suggested that figures presented to the Licensing Board showed a correlation between an increase in late licenses and an increase in street disorder (evidenced in the number of calls to the police) thus indicating the value of limitations to regular extensions.

3.63 In terms of guidelines, one of the Licensing Boards noted more specifically (for example) that:

"evidence from [the] police demonstrated that the number of incidents of street disorder reduced following the introduction of the guidelines".

It was also suggested that the process of developing guidelines had impacted upon public awareness of the issues and raised the visibility of alcohol-related disorder.

Unsuccessful initiatives

3.64 In the 2 cases (8%) where initiatives of this type were not considered successful, this related to a perceived lack of resources in one case, and to the fact that the initiative had tried to cover too many issues in too short a period of time in the other. In the first case, it had been hoped to attempt to use pricing during the festive period as a means of promoting responsible driving habits by encouraging the consumption of soft drinks. Although the respondent identified that the project had been established and partners gathered, nothing further could be achieved due to the cost of implementation. In the second case, the work had involved not only attempts to control the number of off-sales, but had also comprised a range of other types of work concurrently and was unable to achieve its goals due to the volume of work required.

General perceptions

3.65 A number of points were made in relation to less tangible benefits of initiatives in this category, such as improvements in the relationship between the police and licensees, and the existence of what was described as a "high level of public support".

3.66 There was a strong emphasis in responses relating to control of availability of alcohol on joint working between licensing authorities, police and licensees, in order to enforce these conditions in a co-operative climate. This was seen to be a key factor in the success of this type of work. One police force, however, identified that control of sale and consumption of alcohol through the use of measures by Licensing Boards could cause some policy and operational difficulties for them, where one force had to respond to the different demands of a number of Licensing Boards. Generally, however, the use of such controls by Licensing Boards was seen to make a positive contribution to the reduction of alcohol-related crime and disorder.

REGULATION OF CONSUMPTION, INITIATIVES FOR SPECIFIC GROUPS OR CRIMES, AND ENFORCEMENT OF EXISTING LAW

3.67 The largest number of initiatives identified in the audit related to regulating consumption for specific groups, measures to tackle specific crimes or the enforcement of the existing law. These measures overlap, to some extent, with the more general controls described in the first category, with these forms of regulation and control being undertaken within the existing legal framework, impacting upon the availability and consumption of alcohol. Examples of law enforcement / targeting initiatives were identified in the literature review as including:

• Targeting groups or geographical areas (e.g. intensive police operations or "clampdowns", underage drinking and proof of age, intoxicated drinkers)
• Information gathering and dissemination (e.g. Pubwatch)
• Controls on locations of drinking (e.g. sporting events and the use of byelaws to prohibit street drinking)
• Drink driving

3.68 A total of 107 examples of initiatives were identified which undertook this type of work, comprising more than half (52%) of all of the initiatives undertaken. It was found that the initiatives described were largely consistent with the types of work which were identified in the literature review. Many of the initiatives involved a number of different types of work and rarely focused upon only one means of regulation. It is useful, therefore, to summarise the range of forms of work in this category as follows ²⁹:

Table 7. Types of work

3.69 Table 7 identifies the main focus of the work in this category as being that which targets specific groups or geographical areas, alongside considerable work relating to improving information-gathering and dissemination.

3.70 As was the case in the initiatives described in the first category, much of this work was also combined with staff training, and this is discussed in more detail later in relation to initiatives focusing upon changes to the drinking environment.

Target behaviours

3.71 As was the case in the first group initiatives, the initiatives in this category identified a range of types of behaviour which would be addressed by the work (see Table 8).

Table 8. Target behaviours

3.72 It is clear that many of the initiatives aimed to address a range of issues relating to crime and disorder which were seen to involve alcohol. Although there was a clear focus upon using regulation and control to tackle under-age drinking, there was also found to be a general focus on addressing violence and aggression (as well as many other aims, such as targeting binge drinking, environmental damage etc.). The most common target for initiatives which were identified as "other" was drinking in public, although a small number identified that the misuse of other drugs was also a target.

3.73 The reasons for the development of these initiatives were wide ranging, and included:

• Expressed public concern
• The development of, or need for, joint working between license holders and the police
• Local implementation of national initiatives (e.g. proof of age, drink driving)
• The development of strategies and work by local partnerships such as Community Safety Partnerships and Social Inclusion Partnerships
• Police monitoring of crime patterns and other intelligence

This provides a general indication of the types of initiative which were identified in this category.

Specific examples

3.74 More specific examples are given below of some of the ways in which work of all of these types was found to be carried out.

Targeting groups or geographical areas

3.75 As noted in Table 7, a total of 88 initiatives were found to involve targeting groups or geographical areas. Generally (in around 80% of cases) these initiatives involved intensive policing / law enforcement or a local "clampdown" on specific behaviour/activities. This might include, for example, high visibility policing, and enforcement of byelaws. (It should be noted, however, that the police mentioned that routine police visits were also carried out to licensed premises.)

3.76 Some of the targeted initiatives comprised addressing alcohol-related crime as part of a wider law enforcement programme (such as Spotlight on Safer Streets or the Safer Scotland Violence Campaign). Others had some aspect of alcohol-related crime as their main or only focus. Where alcohol was part of a wider programme, the Spotlight work, for example, involved targeting street drinking, under age drinking and weapon carrying.

3.77 The Safer Scotland Violence Campaign involved all Scottish Police Forces, the British Transport Police and the Procurator Fiscal Service in targeting resources at problematic premises (in terms of serious crimes of violence). This was a nationally co-ordinated campaign part of which involved tackling alcohol-related crime. The largest number of examples, however, involved specific intensive policing aimed at some form of alcohol related crime or a "clampdown" on such crime, introduced in association with other, more specific measures (such as the introduction of a Pubwatch scheme or a targeted campaign relating to under age drinking).

3.78 One specific example of intensive policing was provided by a police respondent who noted that, on a single day, over 10,000 visits had been made to licensed premises. A further example was provided by a Licensing Board, which, in conjunction with the police, had developed information to licensees about targeted offences, coupled with a programme of visits to premises by police officers to provide advice and guidance.

3.79 Some "clampdowns" were associated with identified targets and, in terms of focusing upon groups, by far the most common was young people. A total of 54 initiatives were identified as carrying out specific work relating to alcohol purchase and use by young people, of which 37 involved an element of "clampdown". This is consistent with the identification of young people as a group for whom there is specific concern. Examples of this work included a number of initiatives which involved high profile policing of the implementation of the law relating to under age drinking, through, for example, police patrols and surveillance of off and / or on-licenses.

3.80 A number of examples were identified of the specific use of stop and search powers as a means of identifying young people who were carrying alcohol. One force indicated that, as well as high visibility patrols utilising stop and search powers, plain clothes officers were also deployed, from time to time, to identify where alcohol was being carried by young people. As part of this initiative, it is interesting to note that the force also targeted not only those who had permanent licenses, but also anyone obtaining an occasional license for an event. The police then explained to them both the law, and their responsibilities under the law, in relation to the provision and sale of alcohol to young people.

3.81 Some of the targeted work focused upon licensees themselves, in terms of providing them with a reminder of the law and their responsibilities, often to prevent the sale of alcohol to underage young people. Some police respondents noted overt or covert surveillance of specific locations, alongside work such as stopping and searching, and interviewing staff. One community safety panel (although not completing a pro forma) also identified an example of a letter which was sent to licensees in their area to remind them of the law in relation to the sale of alcohol to under age young people.

3.82 A city-based initiative was identified through which the police, working with licensees, had agreed that patrons wishing to enter designated licensed premises must submit to a search or they would not be permitted to enter. The main objective of this work was to reduce the number of weapons being taken into licensed premises.

3.83 A further interesting initiative targeting young people was identified in a housing area of a large town, which involved a combination of intensive policing alongside the provision of point of sale information (discussed later) and work with licensees, as well as education and awareness raising work. The law enforcement part of this work was carried out in summer 2001 and was part of an overall project undertaken by a number of agencies in partnership. A very similar initiative was also found in another area.

3.84 A number of examples were also provided of geographical, area-specific, initiatives designed to target alcohol-related disorder being caused by young people. There were 49 examples of initiatives which involved targeting of "hotspots" (i.e. known trouble spots) not only involving young people, but more general problematic drinking and its consequences. In some instances, this related to intensive work in areas with a concentration of nightclubs, or pubs with late licenses. In others it involved work with shops or in specific geographical areas where there had been previous disorder.

3.85 One example of this work involved a police force targeting initiatives on the basis of locally identified needs. The force concerned identified that it had set up flexible teams to target under age drinking in particular towns and villages. They also identified that, on some occasions, this had been allied to the introduction of specific byelaws.

3.86 A number of police respondents identified that crime pattern analysis had been used to identify both groups of offenders and specific areas. In one case, the force concerned used this analysis as the basis of objections to applications for regular extensions of permitted hours. This had led to a wider initiative, involving a number of law enforcement measures, designed to target both drinking in public and under age drinking, as well as more general street disorder. In another instance, an initiative was identified which was targeted specifically at reducing homophobic attacks in an area.

3.87 A further target for intensive policing / clampdown initiatives was drinking in public, where 7 area-based "clampdown" initiatives were identified as focusing upon this. In a number of these cases, this was tied to the implementation of specific byelaws (discussed later).

3.88 Other initiatives relating to young people involved the development of proof of age schemes, and 34 such schemes were highlighted. As noted previously, The Portman Group has developed a proof of age scheme, but many of the initiatives described in Scotland involved the local development of cards or other forms of identification which would specify the age of the bearer. One Licensing Board noted specifically that it would direct applicants to a proof of age scheme, as well as asking them to declare the procedures which they would implement in order to minimise sales to those under the age of 18.

3.89 One local authority trading standards team identified that the Young Scot card had proved attractive to many young people, and could be used as the basis of a multi-purpose card which would also contain proof of age. The trading standards officers identified that a proof of age card on its own was less likely to be taken up. This had been developed in the local authority area, where it was noted that, since October 2001, over 21,000 cards had been distributed across the area. The card which is used has a photograph and date of birth, and includes the Young Scot benefits along with library, leisure centre and school meals entitlements. This respondent identified that they were aware of similar initiatives now taking place in 3 other authorities (although these were not highlighted in all of the other areas, perhaps as they are at an earlier stage in their development).

3.90 A further local initiative was identified in one town whereby, with the assistance of local schools and businesses, an identity card had been developed which was then made available for young people to buy for 2.00. In another area, examples were given of two individual clubs which operated their own proof of age schemes. All of this targeted work was seen to focus upon specific concerns and to use the existing legal provisions to control or regulate the availability of alcohol in specific areas or to specific groups.

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