Scrap 24 hour drinking?

[AB Asks]

The Health Alcohol Alliance wants all alcohol adverts to be banned before 9pm. Since the 24 hour drinking laws were introduced there has been a dramatic increase in violent incidents in pubs and A&E departments have been busier with alcohol related incidents. They believe the only way to curb this is to reduce alcohol availability as well as reduce alcohol advertising. What do you think? Should 24 hour drinking be scrapped? Will a reduction of advertising on television have an impact?

[Reverandfunk]

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question48 0426.html

[China Doll]

Is AB Asks trying to out do Gromits record breaking posts of yesterday?

[Gromit]

"Since the 24 hour drinking laws were introduced there has been a dramatic increase in violent incidents in pubs and A&E departments have been busier with alcohol related incidents"

That is utterly untrue. Sounds like Daily Mail propaganda but I can't be bothered to look.

24 hour drinking is a sham. Less than 0.001% of outlets are open 24hours. There has not been any reduction binge drinking, there has not been an increase in drinking, there has not been an increase in violence.

The medics want to see a decrease in opening hours. The success or failure of the 24 hour law has nothing to with their thinking.

[Loosehead]

Unusually I agree with Gromit. Nowhere opens 24 hours a day all the law change did was to remove the totally arbitrary opennning hours that went before. Sure some outlets open longer or at different times. I think, as a nation we are just getting past the "Novelty" stage so there may well be more drunkenness. Give it time and we'll get over the ingrained, "Get drunk before closing time" mentality. On the continent and indeed the US they have much less problems because they didn't have to suffer licensing laws.

[anotheoldgit]

"There has not been an increase in drinking, there has not been an increase in violence".

Sounds like Gromit propaganda but I am wiling to be proven wrong, if Gromit can supply an unbias source of this information.

[Gromit]

This is from the loony lefty BBC will this do

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6954 079.stm

It is from Westminster Council, not sure if it is loony left or not.

[Gromit]

There are certain times of the night (3am - 5am), where there has been an increase in violence. This is because people are staying out later for their violence, not that there is more of it. The violence is the same, but now spread later.

I should have said that there hasn't been a significant rise in alcohol attributed to 24 hour opening.

[beryllium]

sorry??? what??? liver you say???...

[anotheoldgit]

As always Gromit you have a link, but in this case it is rather inappropriate seeing that it only refers to the council area of Westminster, (the West End and Soho).

Since the council is responsibly Conservative run, they are taking measures that will help to keep drinking problems in hand.

Such as :-

The council is proposing to maintain its "stress area" where no new pubs or clubs will be granted licenses and the permit will also depend on whether it may lead to anti-social behaviour in the area or inconvenience residents.

[Gromit]

AOG, You are putting me in a no-win situation here, I find you a link to a good tory borough and you say it is only working because it is a tory borough.

This one is a year old
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6178252.stm

This is women
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6593207.stm

Midlands
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlan ds/6179662.stm

There are very few reports because there has been little change. However, the hoped for reduction of binge-drinking has not occurred, mainly because the later opening hours have just not been applied for by landlords. Those that have applied to open later are tending to apply for an additional hour.

[Lonnie]

The problem isn't 24 hour licensing, although I personally don't agree with it.
The problem is parents allowing their offspring to binge, and certain supermarkets and corner stores selling to underage kids.

[anotheoldgit]

Sorry late in getting back Gromit

As you said all three links via the loony lefty BBC.

It seems it all depends on where one lives, and what measures have taken place to try and improve the large amounts of violence, bing drinking and crime, since the 24 hour drinking laws were introduced.

Some Police Authorities/Councils have done better than others, Westminister for example.