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CHAPTER 7 BEHAVIOUR
Key Point Summary
- Frontloading is an accepted practice by both young and old, but the clearest examples of this come from those under 25 years.
- Antisocial behaviour in and around off-sales is limited. The perception of considerable alcohol related antisocial behaviour may more accurately be labelled as young persons' nuisance behaviour.
- Direct underage purchasing is not as prevalent in off-sales as third-party purchasing of alcohol for those underage.
- Whilst concerns about specific drinks or brands may be warranted in some areas, it may be more beneficial to concentrate on the wider category of low priced, budget alcohol.
The Negative Consequences of Alcohol Sales in the Community
7.1 Both the available literature, and perceptions of research participants, is that the primary source of antisocial behaviour in the community is alcohol-related, however antisocial behaviour in the vicinity of off-sales premises remains anecdotal (e.g., Scottish Executive, [Daniels Report] 2004), with few peer reviewed studies being carried out on this topic.
7.2 There is a cohort of US- based literature to suggest links between the number of off-sales outlets in an area and rate of antisocial behaviour 34, however from the evidence gathered, no direct correlation can be made between density of off-sales establishments and incidence of antisocial behaviour in Scotland. A study for the Nicholson Committee noted that there is a small base of evidence to suggest that there is an association between the number of alcohol outlets and levels of alcohol-related problems; and as such restricting the number of such outlets may have a positive effect in alleviating these issues (Reid-Howie, 2003).
Front Loading
7.3 When questioned, only the Strategic Key Stakeholders were aware of the term 'front loading', however all participants were well aware of the concept. Front loading is considered to be a widespread practice occurring frequently, which in general, allows people to consume alcohol in a low cost manner before frequenting on-sales establishments. 35 It is also thought to be a practice on the increase.
7.4 Front loading was specifically associated with young people by research participants. Common behaviour is seen as young people buying a 'carry out' (either singularly or pooling money) and drinking it before going out at the weekend (evenings). It was also mentioned that as licensing hours are more varied now there was less of a rush to get to the on-sales premises, and also people were substituting pub attendance with front loading then going straight to nightclubs (out dancing).
7.5 Front loading may be associated with young people but it must be noted that underage drinkers will not front load in the same manner as people who drink before going to an on-sales establishment.
7.6 Interestingly one focus group mentioned front loading to give confidence; meeting up as a group prior to going out was felt to improve safety, especially for women. This was backed up by both Health and Community Safety Strategic Stakeholders who felt that front loading was connected to 'getting into the spirit of the evening', and the ability to control cost.
7.7 Conversely older drinkers were less likely to be associated with front loading because they see alcohol as part of a social activity and the purpose of the evening is not to get drunk but to socialise.
7.8 An interesting point was made from the health arena that perhaps front loading was playing a role in antisocial behaviour outside on-sales, as with the increase of individuals drinking before going out, there is an increase of people in one location who are already drunk and 'topping' up in on-sales which then spills out at the end of the night.
Antisocial Behaviour in the Community
7.9 Bradshaw (2003) found that 49% of young people who had purchased alcohol illegally had done so from an off-sales premises. It also found that purchasing alcohol was strongly related to involvement in delinquent behaviour (e.g. damage to property, public disorder, and graffiti) and was actually a better predictor of delinquent behaviour than frequency of drinking. Similarly, young people aged 18-24, in focus groups carried out by Engineer et al (2003), all acknowledged the relationship between excessive drinking and disorder which included fighting and drunken pranks, and many of those interviewed had been involved in both.
7.10 Most Staff were aware of antisocial behaviour in the community in the evenings with some citing local hotspots where the majority of this activity occurred. Whilst it was not explicitly stated that this antisocial behaviour was alcohol related, much of it was thought to be attributable to alcohol and also younger people congregating (under 18 years). Reasons given for the antisocial behaviour/violence arising include boredom, social patterns ('it's what young people do') and intoxicated persons leaving on-sales premises and congregating outside.
7.11 Whilst the literature focuses on serious assaults and violence, participants of the research talked much less about such overt behaviour and referred more to nuisance- type behaviour such as: vandalism; noise; people blocking footpaths etc. The only evidence contrary to this was three incidents described as serious assaults (independent) from one focus group where both on-sales and off-sales drinking was involved.
7.12 Most of the Staff interviewed indicated the levels of antisocial behaviour they experienced (underage attempts, theft, intoxicated customers, third party purchasing, violence/aggression), were low and/ or manageable, and whilst they did encounter some of the aforementioned, they felt reasonably able to deal with situations. Incidents of antisocial behaviour/violence were greater in urban areas and less common in the rural areas. There was an acceptance by Staff that they would have to deal with some of this type of behaviour.
7.13 There was no strong evidence to suggest off-sales were a focus for antisocial behaviour. Where indicated, most of the antisocial behaviour/violence in store was related to intoxicated customers and/or refusals to sell. Again where discussed, antisocial behaviour in particular areas was generally cited in a 'hotspot' away from the off-sales premises. The biggest problem in off-sales was aggression and violence to shop staff.
7.14 Across both Retail and Health and Community Safety Strategic Stakeholders there was recognition that although alcohol related antisocial behaviour was widespread, little actual antisocial behaviour is observed in and around off-sales.
Alcohol, Antisocial Behaviour and the Law
7.15 Scottish law has a number of quirks with regards the sale and consumption of alcohol in the community. The police, under the Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Act 1997, have the power to seize alcohol in public from a person under 18, however local bylaws often mean that only the alcohol opened or consumed at the time can be seized, but not the rest of the 'carry out'.
7.16 It is interesting to note that the number of drunkenness offences in Scotland resulting in a proven charge was 10,778 in 1964 and has fallen considerably to 434 in 2000. Whilst it is true that just 1 in 20 offences recorded result in a conviction (Scottish Executive, 2000a, 2000b) suggesting the drop is primarily driven by policing policy, it remains the case that the number of recorded offences was 7,810 (i.e. still below 1960's figures).
7.17 This has to be borne in mind when reading that 'growing' health concerns "have been coupled with a concern for public order and, increasingly, the links between over-consumption of alcohol and the commission of crimes, in particular crimes of violence" (Scottish Executive, 2005b).
Tackling Antisocial Behaviour
7.18 There was a belief from the health-related participants that policies had to engage properly with other key stakeholders and the licence trade had to be included properly in this process; and Community Safety Stakeholders felt that alcohol- related antisocial behaviour needed to be tackled by education and better informed choice.
7.19 There was wide agreement that much better integration between police and off-licences and communities was required.
7.20 At a local community level the issue was about what young people had to do with their time. Frequently cited by the focus groups in this study was the issue of what activities young people do, or do not do, to keep themselves occupied. This issue is not as simple as it seems. A number of focus groups recognised that there is little for young people to do in their area and therefore believed problems would be solved if more initiatives were offered. Conversely, a number of focus group participants felt their area did offer activities for young people however they were either not sufficient or were not utilised by the young people with the most appropriate need.
7.21 When providing structured activities for young people the crux is often managing to offer something that is seen as 'cool' and marrying this with low- level supervision. It appears one of the biggest factors is that it may not matter what activity is offered but if it is 'staffed' the appeal may be lost due to the fact young people between the ages of 12 and 18 years are constantly striving for independence.
7.22 Measures to deal with antisocial behaviour/ illegal activity were frequently mentioned by Staff and included CCTV, relationships with local Police, shop procedures/ training, bottle tags, and till flashes 36.
Underage Drinking and Off-Sales
7.23 The fieldwork revealed no surprises in the fact that participants stated consuming alcohol whilst underage. One particular focus group did postulate that whilst this practice was not a new one, previously it had different boundaries, and young people were no longer afraid of the potential consequences of, for example, being caught by the police etc. A young persons' focus group also stated that their parents drinking habits clearly had influenced them, and alcohol had been present from a young age, as well as the fact that being stopped by the police was just seen as part of the 'hassle' of growing up.
7.24 The literature shows that there is a substantial body of evidence to suggest that off-sales selling to underage people (particularly 11 to 16 year olds) is relatively common in many countries (see AMEC, 2006; Friesthler et al, 2003; Huckle et al, 2005; Lewis et al, 1996) not just in the UK. In particular, the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime found that nearly half of all respondents (3950 young people aged around 15 years) had purchased alcohol illegally from at least one or more sources in the previous year; and one third of these had obtained their alcohol from a small, licensed grocer or shop, whilst one quarter had bought from an off-licence, and one-fifth from a supermarket (Bradshaw, 2003). Measures have been set in place (for example, ' Think 21') to address such issues and participants within this study were all well aware of local initiatives in place designed to bring underage purchasing of alcohol to the fore.
7.25 The retail community felt that the their sector has taken some responsibility for the issue of selling to people less than 18 years, and made a substantial effort to address such problems by, for example, offering test purchasing exercises. Recent data from the fourth Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaign ( AMEC, 2006) based on 6,715 "stings" on alcohol outlets showed sales to minors had fallen since 2005, although the failure rate of supermarkets rose slightly.
7.26 Interestingly, more than one in four children managed to buy alcohol in licensed premises such as bars, compared with one in five in off-licences. Supermarkets overall performed better than other alcohol retailers. The 'failure' rate for supermarkets ranged from 8-26% (mean 18%). This compares with 21% for off-licences. The rate for on-licences was as high as 44% (mean 29%) ( AMEC, 2006). (Recent data from Essex Police [online at Essex Police UK] showed a failure rate for on-sales of 44% and off-sales of 21%).
7.27 Consider also data from the Scottish Schools and Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey ( SALSUS), 2004, which reported that "The proportion of 15 year olds buying alcohol in off-licences has decreased consistently since 1998 and has continued to decrease, from 23% in 2002 to 20% in 2004" (Corbett, 2005). 37
7.28 The Scottish Grocers' Federation ( SGF) told this survey they would welcome a nationally recognized 'proof-of-age' card for those aged 14-24, without which sales could be refused. This was also supported by the Scottish Executive [Daniels Report], (2004) who said "We support the Nicholson recommendation for a Government-accredited national proof of age card".
7.29 The perception was that considerable amount of time and effort had been spent investing in staff training surrounding such issues.
7.30 Such initiatives must be evaluated in context. Anderson and Sawyer (1999) found "little evidence that young people were purchasing alcohol directly, since most felt they would be known or recognised in local shops. This was not seen as an insurmountable problem, however, since […] many were able to get older friends or acquaintances to buy alcohol for them".38
Third Party Purchasing
7.31 The literature and evidence from this study suggests that a large proportion of underage drinkers obtain their alcohol from 'third party' sources (friends, siblings, strangers) with few relying exclusively on commercial sources and as such, restrictions on licensing and enforcement of licensing laws may not have much of an impact on adolescent behaviour (Harrison, 2000).
7.32 Despite this, the difficulty remains that such alcohol is obtained from an off- rather than on-sales outlet and restrictions on a young person's access and knowledge of alcohol may be key (see AMEC, 2006; Mackintosh et al, 1997; Kuo et al, 2003; Bradshaw, 2003) however this is a cultural issue which must be addressed in the long term.
7.33 Within this study the most referenced problem relating to off-sales and underage drinking was not so much underage attempts (which can occur, but seem to be dealt with well by Staff interviewed) but the purchasing of alcohol by older members of the community on behalf of those underage.
7.34 Strategic Stakeholders requested that a better understanding or profiling of those prepared to get alcohol for young people is necessary. But it was recognised that prosecutions were also minimal with regard to third party purchasing of alcohol for underage individuals.
7.35 Most Staff saw themselves as highly trained and have measures in place to deal with underage people attempts to purchase alcohol, however, problems arise when the person buying the alcohol is of sufficient age and it is not clear that the alcohol is for someone else. More importantly it was felt that decisions had to be made in a responsible manner and that training was key across the board not just in larger venues.
7.36 When looking at the issue of underage drinking and the role of off-sales those Strategic Key Stakeholders with a community safety or health remit felt that selling to those underage was in reality largely not happening in larger establishments whereas in smaller ones there was better opportunity. Community Safety Stakeholders also felt that in reality there was actually limited selling to underage people but with a lot of communities still having a perception that there were problems.
Issues Raised Concerning Particular Drinks
7.37 Certain drinks (and promotions) were described as being popular with young people, but it was not possible to conclusively discern a particular drink or type of drink which actively encouraged underage drinking.
7.38 The strongest evidence arose against 'Buckfast', and 'alcopops'. Whilst consensus was not strong, these drinks were mentioned by some Staff as associated with antisocial behaviour. Some stores introduced measures to restrict the sale of 'Buckfast', for example, selling to regular customers only, or over 21's only, increasing price, or even stopping selling altogether.
7.39 What must be remembered is that 'Buckfast' and 'alcopops' currently have a stereotyped image and therefore whether such information is accurate or not, this perception exists amongst people living in communities.
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