Tuesday 12 February 2008

So what do you now think of 'society prepares the crime'

Heres the item from the mirror[12-02-2008].they seem to have caught on to the fact that the supply of alcohol could be the problem.So would llandods town council endorse this if a link between shopkeepers selling booze and anti social behaviour could be proven.
Would they be prepared to support a ban on shops or guilty parties being 'brought to justice' £20,000 is an awful lot of money.
Would Mr Baird -Murray at the metropole have to ensure that his staff are more vigilant to whom they serve drinks to,justin will tell you that wet sales are his most profitable.
Of course when enjoyed responsibly then alcohol is not a problem.




Daily Mirror campaign: Stop kids drinking
Can it!
12/02/2008

Teenage drinking (Pic:Getty Images)

Related Articles
More Top Stories
What are you talking about? Get published
News picturesIt was a terrifying picture of modern Britain.

Yesterday a Mirror investigation revealed kids as young as 14 bragging how they regularly binge-drink, leading to violence, unprotected sex and trips to casualty. Our revelations came on the day the teenage killers of Warrington dad Garry Newlove were sentenced to life in prison for kicking him to death on a drunken rampage.

Here those concerned about under-aged drinking address the problem while the Mirror launches Can It, a campaign to stop under-18s being sold or served alcohol - and to help prevent more tragedies like the senseless murder of Garry Newlove. Our demands are:

1 Shopkeepers and landlords who sell alcohol to under-18s to face a maximum fine of £20,000 (double the current £10k) and to AUTOMATICALLY lose their licence to sell drinks for six months (double the current three months)

Advertisement
2 Police under obligation to confiscate booze and caution under-18s found drinking in the street or licensed premises

3 Courts to properly enforce the current law imposing a £5,000 fine on adults who knowingly agree to buy alcohol in shops, off licences or pubs on behalf of under-18s

DAVID POLEY
Chief Executive of the Portman Group, which represents drinks firms
Anyone who looks under 21 should have to prove their age, and rogue retailers must face tougher punishments. Enforcement of the law is far more desirable than putting up prices which would affect everyone.

Drinks producers must continue to advertise responsibly and only to adults.

Education can change the culture just as it did with drinkdriving.

SRABANI SEN
Chief Executive of Alcohol Concern
Alcohol education should be a compulsory part of the curriculum and teachers should be properly trained to deliver it. Parents also need to understand how their own drinking and attitudes to alcohol influence their children.

But none of these measures will work fully until we tackle the fact that it is still too easy and cheap for young people to get hold of alcohol. Our research has also shown that children are overexposed to alcohol ads.

JAMES LOWMAN
Chief Executive of the Association of Convenience Stores
Retailers have to prevent under-18s from buying alcohol. They must always check for ID.

If you're caught selling alcohol to anyone under age you face a fine, a 48-hour closure or even losing your licence.

But young people who try to buy alcohol are breaking the law too. They are getting more fearless and retailers can feel intimidated. It is crucial that police work together with shop owners to solve this problem.

ROSS SCARBOROUGH
17-year-old former binge drinker from Nottingham
If I hadn't turned my life round, I'd be an alcoholic by now.

After leaving school I stopped doing things like playing sport. All that mattered was hanging out with my mates and drinking.

It's so cheap I have got off my face on a £2 bottle of cider. But raising prices wouldn't make any difference, it would only be 10p here or there.

The way to keep young people off drink is to provide them with facilities, especially sport, to take their mind off getting drunk.

DR PATRICIA SPUNGIN
Parenting expert and founder of raisingkids.co.uk
There's an unhealthy attitude to alcohol here: people drink to get drunk, which in turn is passed on to our teenagers.

Parents should set a good example by drinking in moderation themselves, and keep an eye out for the warning signs.

Alcopop makers must also take much of the responsibility - generally nobody took a first sip of beer or wine and liked it, it's an acquired taste. Alcopops made alcohol palatable to kids.

ANNETTE FLEMING
Director of Aquarius, a counselling service for young people with alcohol problems
A lot more has to be done to prevent the sale of alcohol to under-18s. There needs to be a lot more support for staff who work in off-licences to enable them to refuse sales, and to ask for proof of ID.

The marking of bottles so they can be traced back to the seller should also be more widespread. Then sellers will be able to see the consequences of what they are doing.

JOHN GROGAN
Labour MP for Selby, Chair of the all-party Parliamentary beer group
Supermarkets in particular should make a promise not to sell alcohol below cost price. Over Christmas you could get 60 bottles of lager for £20. It's cheaper than water, so it's not surprising it appeals to teenagers.

Somehow we have to get the message across to young people that it's not a clever or smart thing to lose control of what you're doing.

DR CLARE GERADA
Vice-chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners
Lead by example. There's no point telling your teenager not to binge-drink if you're having a bottle of wine every night.

Alcohol should also be less available and alcopops should be banned. Any alcohol which is directly marketed at children is unacceptable.

I see lots of 16-and 17-year-olds who are drinking very, very heavily. If parents think that their teenager is drinking too much then they should contact their GP.

JAN BERRY
Chair of the Police Federation
It is up to all of us to deal with the problem of teenage drinking. There is no simple solution.

Police used to hope for rain on a Friday or Saturday to keep people indoors, but now there's drinking every night of the week. Now kids are drinking to excess before they even leave their house

Parents need to set a good example as if they're drunk the kids will think they can be too.

Christine Sharples whose husband Ron was killed by a gang of teenagers

There should be more police on the streets. In Marske-by-the-Sea near Middlesbrough, you never see police. My husband would still be alive if there were police on our streets. The yobs who killed Ron thought they could get away with anything.

It's outrageous these children can buy alcohol. The age should be raised to 25 and there should be tougher penalties for people who sell alcohol to kids. That way the streets would be safer.

No comments: