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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 4: SUMMARY OF ISSUES RAISED

4.1 The information which has been presented in the previous chapters of this report has provided details both of international studies, and work which has taken place in Scotland, which help to inform the debate in relation to the appropriate use of measures for the control and regulation of alcohol. These issues will be considered in detail by the sub-group of the Nicholson Committee, and the information which has been gathered will assist in this process.

4.2 Given the purpose of this report, it would clearly be inappropriate to draw definitive conclusions and recommendations from these findings, as that will form a part of the deliberations of the sub-group and Committee. Instead, this final chapter of the report provides a brief summary of some of the main issues which are raised by the material presented.

THE EVIDENCE PRESENTED

4.3 For the purposes of this report, the types of work explored in the literature review and identified as taking place in Scotland were grouped into three broad categories:

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

4.4 The literature review suggested that there have been a range of studies of the effectiveness of measures to regulate and control alcohol sales and consumption. As noted within the review, the evidence is not always clear, and there is sometimes a need for caution in applying the results directly to Scotland. Despite these caveats, however, the literature provides an indication of some of the changes which can be seen to have an impact upon crime and disorder. There has also been work of all three types undertaken in Scotland, and this, too, provides an indication of perceptions of success. These issues are summarised below for initiatives of each type.

Addressing the general sale and consumption of alcohol

4.5 There is a continuing debate about whether it is appropriate to focus upon measures which regulate and control the general availability and consumption of alcohol, and those which target specific groups and forms of behaviour. The Plan for Action favours an approach which undertakes some population-wide work, particularly in terms of raising awareness, alongside more specific initiatives with particular issues or groups causing concern. This reflects a growing trend away from measures to control the availability of alcohol on a population-wide basis towards a more targeted approach.

4.6 In terms of the evidence of measures to restrict consumption generally, however, although the link between these issues and alcohol related crime is clearly complex, the findings suggest that:

• Longer hours of alcohol sales may be linked to increased problems with alcohol-related crime and disorder, as well as alcohol problems more generally, but the evidence from the UK and Scotland is mixed
• Staggered closing times may have an impact on disorder by reducing the number of people on the streets at the same time, and may assist with the management of disorder where this occurs, although local circumstances need to be taken into account
• There is limited evidence in relation to curfews, but these may have some impact upon disorder
• Although there is an overall lack of data, and problems of measurement, some studies suggest that lowering the age at which people can drink alcohol on licensed premises can reduce the likelihood of young people drinking in unsafe and unsupervised locations. There is also evidence, however, that lowering the age can raise the levels of male juvenile crime, and raising the age can reduce alcohol related car crashes and fatalities. There is also evidence that age restrictions on purchase and consumption of alcohol can have an impact upon harm, but enforcement is a key aspect of this
• There is evidence of a link between the number of outlets selling alcohol and levels of alcohol-related problems, and limitation of the numbers may have an effect on alleviating problems
• There is some evidence that different types of outlet may experience different levels and types of alcohol-related crime / disorder
• There is currently a general lack of evidence of the impact of alcohol advertising on alcohol-related harm and a need for research in this area, although there may be some effect of advertising on young people
• There is a link between alcohol price and consumption, but little direct evidence (with the exception of one study) of the impact of this upon alcohol-related crime and disorder
• This category was the area of work in which the smallest number of initiatives had been undertaken in Scotland. The reasons for this are likely to include the need for legislative change to enable much of the work in this category to take place and the widespread coverage of individual initiatives
• Where such work has taken place, examples have been provided of the imposition of conditions upon extension of opening hours and the provision of local guidelines about permitted extensions. There were also some examples of the use of curfews and the consideration of outlet density when new licenses were granted
• The majority of initiatives in this category in Scotland were considered to have been successful, particularly where there had been partnership working between those involved and co-operation. There was, however, found to be a lack of evidence from systematic evaluation

Addressing the consumption of alcohol by particular groups and in particular locations

• Although the initiatives undertaken in this category fell within the existing legislative framework, the Nicholson Committee will require to consider whether any further changes to the law could enhance the positive effects of law enforcement
• High profile policing and enforcement of the law relating to under age drinking has been found to be linked to a reduction in the number of crimes and arrests, although there is mixed evidence of the impact of test purchasing
• High profile policing around some licensed premises can be associated with a reduction in arrests and crime rates
• There is some evidence to support community enforcement programmes, although the effect may not be sustained in the longer term, and some suggest a need for these measures to be combined with formal measures
• There appears to be a common perception of the value of proof of age schemes
• It has been suggested that the enforcement of server laws in relation, for example, to customers who are intoxicated, may also impact upon crime and disorder
• Pubwatch schemes appear to have some success in the reduction of alcohol-related disorder, sometimes alongside other measures; for example, the dissemination of information, exclusion orders and the use of CCTV
• No formal evaluation evidence was identified of the effect of prohibition of drinking alcohol at sporting events, but there is some evidence to suggest that the prohibition of drinking in public places has had some success in addressing alcohol-related crime and disorder, particularly where this is combined with other measures
• Actions to address drink driving described in the report have been generally found to be successful, particularly when they are enforced vigorously and have a high public profile
• The largest amount of work in Scotland was found to be taking place in relation to the enforcement of the law, and targeting specific groups and areas, in order to regulate availability and consumption of alcohol amongst them
• Young people were identified frequently as a target, as were specific geographical areas which were seen to be "hotspots"
• Information-gathering was identified as a vital aspect of law enforcement initiatives, with measures also being undertaken to encourage reporting of crime
• There were examples of work being undertaken through Pubwatch schemes
• There were many local examples of the operation of proof of age schemes
• As with the first category, there is a shortage of formal evaluation taking place in Scotland, making it difficult to identify the actual impact of the work upon alcohol-related crime and disorder
• There was, however, a perception amongst many of the respondents that there was anecdotal evidence to suggest success in relation to reducing crime and disorder as well as, in some case, improving local relationships

Changing the drinking environment and the context of consumption

• Overcrowding, poor bar layout / inconvenient access, a permissive environment, bar workers who fail to practice responsible serving and inappropriate promotions that encourage heavy / binge drinking have been found to contribute to alcohol-related aggression.
• Staff / server training, particularly where this is backed by management, used to enforce legislation and repeated regularly, has been identified as a means of helping to prevent and deal with alcohol-related crime disorder, including under age drinking and drink driving.
• There is some evidence to suggest that door staff can also have an impact on alcohol-related crime and disorder.
• There are identifiable aspects of the physical design of premises which can reduce alcohol-related crime and disorder, with attractive outlets, outlets serving food and outlets with a range of design features seen to have role in making this less likely.
• There is limited evidence of the impact of server liability, although it is suggested that this has encouraged staff training in some countries (which, as seen, can have an impact upon alcohol-related crime and disorder)
• There is little evidence of the impact of health warning information, which is considered unlikely to have a significant impact without other measures
• It has been suggested that inappropriate promotions can contribute to alcohol-related disorder
• The use of toughened glass can have an impact on the number of "glassing" attacks and facial injuries
• Work relating to the drinking environment in Scotland was also identified, particularly in relation to server training, which was found to be taking part in many areas
• Initiatives were also identified, however, which involved the use of toughened glass, and the use of the physical layout and environment, to address crime and disorder
• These initiatives were generally perceived to be successful, although it was noted that it may, in some cases, be difficult to secure voluntary participation for staff training
• As with other types of work, there was a general lack of evaluation of the initiatives taking place in Scotland with which to measure the impact of these measures systematically

THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

4.7 The implications of the findings presented here will require to be considered in the context of the ways in which the legislation can be used (or requires to be changed) in order to promote the practices which have the clearest impact upon alcohol-related crime and disorder.

4.8 As noted earlier, the findings of this study can assist in informing these considerations.

The need for further research

4.9 It was stressed repeatedly in the collection of evidence to inform the Plan for Action that there is a need for research to inform the development of work in the future. The final issue which is implied by the findings presented here is that there remains a need for the evaluation of work which is undertaken, whether in Scotland or internationally. The literature review identified a number of areas in which there is currently limited evaluation data, and this was borne out by the work undertaken in Scotland, where almost none of the work carried out was identified as having been evaluated (with a small number of exceptions).

4.10 In the context of alcohol-related crime and disorder, there is a clear need for experimental and ongoing work to develop/use measures which provide clear information relating to the impact of initiatives upon relevant behaviour and activities. This will assist in future planning in the longer term.

4.11 In the meantime, however, the information within this report provides an evidence base (although limited) for the current work of the Nicholson Committee.

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